ONE Fighting Championship today announced three more dates for upcoming mixed martial arts (MMA) events, in addition to the show which is already booked for the Singapore Indoor Stadium on March 31.
Here's how the 2012 calendar is shaping up:
ONE FC 3: Singapore, March 31 (see the full card here)
ONE FC 4: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, May 26*
ONE FC 5: Manila, Philippines, September 1*
ONE FC 6: Singapore, October 6*
*Negotiations are underway for additional events to be scheduled between May and September
According to a statement which was released today, ONE FC has also signed a television deal with Malaysian broadcast network Astro which will see all events broadcast on local 24 hour sports channel 'Astro Arena.'
ONE FC Owner / CEO Victor Cui was recently voted the most powerful man in Asian MMA and as well as securing a 10 year media partnership between ESPN Star Sports and his promotion, he has also signed deals with local networks in countries such as Singapore and Indonesia.
The following is from the ONE FC website:
Malaysia’s first local sports channel Astro ARENA has bought the exclusive rights to air content from Asia’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) organization, ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC). Astro ARENA reaches out to millions of viewers across Malaysia and has become the preferred channel by Malaysians for sports content. Viewers in Malaysia will now be able to enjoy ONE FC events as Asia’s best professional MMA fighters compete in different countries all over Asia.
Henry Tan, Astro COO said, "Astro offers Malaysians the best of international and local live sports from football to F1, tennis, golf and badminton through its 11 sports channels. Through Astro ARENA, Malaysia’s number one local sports channel, we will bring ONE Fighting Championship™ to martial arts fans in Malaysia by showcasing the best of the region’s professional fight athletes competing in the most prestigious series of MMA events."
Victor Cui, CEO/Owner of ONE Fighting Championship™ said, "Malaysia’s sports fan base has always been enthusiastic about new and exciting events. From the World Cup to Formula 1, the discerning sports fans in this country have been very supportive of only the best. We are very happy to bring the largest MMA event in Asia with world class content to Malaysians with Astro."
The KL card is likely to include a number of Malaysian and Malaysian based fighters. Muay Thai world champion and BJJ black belt Adam Kayoom is virtually guaranteed to feature. He has an MMA record of 2-1 with his only defeat being a decision loss to tough Korean Myung Ho Bae who was able to outwrestle him.
Since then he has worked intensively on his wrestling with New York State Champion Andrew Leone and has added that skill set to his already world class Muay Thai and BJJ. In Kayoom's last fight at DARE Championship 2/11 he submitted Seok Mo Kim, who went the full 15 minutes with Gregor Gracie at ONE FC 1, in the opening round:
SHOGUN vs KIM - DARE MMA - Bangkok, Thailand (via Darechampionship)
As well as Kayoom ONE FC are likely to use a number of fighters who are based in Kuala Lumpur on the card such as BJJ black belt Marcos Escobar who runs the Leverage MMA academy. Muayfit's Eric Kelly could finally get a fight if he can sort out his managerial issues while his team mates Arnaud Lepont and Mark Striegl, both coming off big wins at DARE Championship 2/12, are rumored to be close to signing.
ONE FC will be spoiled for choice when it comes to picking Filipinos to star on the September 1st card with URCC Champions Eduard Folayang, Honorio Banario, Kevin Belingon and Rey Docyogen all likely to get a look in. DREAM Lightweight champion Shinya Aoki has already signed to fight for ONE FC this year and the Evolve MMA fighter is likely to headline the Singapore show on October 6.
More news is likely to follow as between the Malaysia event on 26 May and the Philippines event on 1 September, additional events have been planned and will be announced as venues are confirmed. Countries believed to be on the ONE FC radar include Thailand, Macau, Hong Kong, Korea and China with a second Jakarta show close to being confirmed.