"You must now take all the 125lbers" - When Conor McGregor called out ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong
Conor McGregor and ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong rarely ever cross paths or interact. The two work in different organizations and, not to mention, are polar opposites in terms of personality.
However, 'Notorious' called out Sityodtong in 2018, on the heels of a landmark deal between ONE and the UFC to trade two of their biggest fighters. The two organizations made an unprecedented trade with 11-time UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and then-ONE welterweight champ Ben Askren exchanging promotions.
Back then, there were rumors that the UFC would dissolve their flyweight roster as the division's biggest star was leaving. McGregor had weighed in on the scenario in a Twitter post:
You must now take all the 125lbers that have been let go, Chatri.
You talk all of this Martial Art and respect talk, yet your greed has directly cost more than half a fighting division it’s chance to earn income for their family.
Have respect @YODCHATRI.
Sign the division.
Conor McGregor's empassioned tweet was predicated on a sudden wave of UFC flyweights being released by the company. One of the said flyweights was current ONE strawweight superstar Jarred 'The Monkey God' Brooks.
True to the Irishman's knack for drawing ire from people, prominent MMA fighters like the aforementioned Askren responded to his tweet:
@TheNotoriousMMA @YODCHATRI I mean Featherweight survived without @TheNotoriousMMA in it, flyweight can’t survive without @MightyMouse ?? Are you telling us DJ>CM???
Of course, no one had the foresight to predict that the UFC flyweight division would go from almost dissolved to featured attraction. The rise of Henry 'The Messenger' Cejudo and the epic wars between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno proved that the division was never in real peril. Still, one could appreciate the concern shown by 'Notorious' to his flyweight brothers.
"If Conor McGregor was a free agent, ONE Championship would not try to sign him" - Chatri Sityodtong
There's no love lost between McGregor and the legendary Asian fight promoter.
Back in 2017, Chatri Sityodtong sat down with CNN and spoke about why ONE Championship wouldn't sign Conor McGregor:
"If Conor McGregor was a free agent, ONE Championship would not try to sign him. We don't want somebody to swear at people, throw water bottles, disrespect people, call out people's wives and children, and – in my opinion – other distasteful stuff that is not representative of true martial arts."
Sityodtong himself is a lifelong martial artist and has used his rich background in combat sports to help create ONE's identity within the world of prizefighting. The organization's ethos is grounded in respect, honor and the martial arts spirit.
This philosophy trickles all the way from the organization's top right down to how they treat their fighters. This is why ONE has effectively separated itself from other fight leagues today.