"ONE Championship is 100% about the values of martial arts—honour, respect, dignity, work ethic, dedication, focus, humility and loyalty."

According to ONE Championship CEO and owner Victor Cui, these core values have set ONE apart from other MMA promotions since its launch in 2011.

"Our athletes and champions represent the essence of martial arts, and that's why people in Asia support what we are doing so much and why we've had the success we've had since launching," Cui said.

Blending music and MMA

The ONE: Kingdom Of Champions event was held in Bangkok, Thailand, last month. It was the first show from a major mixed martial arts promotion to feature fights and music acts. Thailand's biggest rock bands, Big Ass and Bodyslam, took the stage during the intermission and after the event. Cui revealed it was a winning formula.

"We've now had a tremendous start to 2016 and have managed to expand and grow in the region. We just had a phenomenal event in Thailand which was not only our first ever show there, but also the first ever time we showcased our new show format with the championship fights and the rock bands."

"Last month, we announced a new partnership with Universal Music, and that basically means we will be combining a major music act with every ONE Championship show, everywhere we go," Cui said. "This means that if you come to one of our events, you not only get the delivery of the sport, but also the entertainment. The feedback from Bangkok was just so overwhelming with fans saying how much they loved the fights and the rock concert after."

Their deal with Universal Music is the latest in a long line of commercial partnerships, including Marvel Comics, L'Oreal, G-Shock, Cannon and LG. As a result, Cui said the ONE Championship brand is expanding faster than they ever imagined.

Expanding into new territory

On the heels of just entering the Thailand market, Cui said ONE Championship would soon expand its footprint on the region soon, and even confirmed the next destination in July.

"I can't tell you too much, as there is going to be a big announcement soon but I can tell you that our next show will be on July 2 in China," Cui said. "As I said, I can't tell you more than that, but just know we are looking at all the major cities in the region and we have great relationships with all the governments and all the provincial governments in China and all of them seem really excited about hosting a ONE Championship event."

Cui also explained why there wasn't an event in Vietnam this month, and why ONE hadn't been to all the venues they announced at the end of last year.

"When we announced that scheduled for 2016, it was published in December 2015, and of course, things change in Asia," Cui said. "One of the big things in Vietnam was that they were just in the middle of an election this month, and we just want to make sure that we understand the political landscape and all the things that are happening in each country that we go to. 

"As we come to the last half of the year, we will revisit all of the cities we went to in the first half so that includes Manila, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Bangkok, etc."

Uniting local heroes with global stars

Events, of course, need fighters. Backed by roster loaded with talent in Ben Askren, Brandon Vera, Angela Lee and Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke, ONE Championship is widely diversified. Cui was quick to point out the logic behind having a wide variety of fighters from both eastern and western backgrounds. 

"When you have an event, you want content that is locally relevant with global appeal," Cui said. "In the last 20 years, Asia has always imported it's sporting heroes from the west, whether its Tiger Woods, David Beckham, Michael Jordan, etc. That's understandable for those sports, but Asia is the home of martial arts, and there are a ton of highly talented martial artists here.

"That's why, at ONE Championship, 90% of our talent is from here in Asia so they can be the local heroes people can relate to. But at the same time, because we broadcast worldwide, it's also a great platform for other fighters around the world to fight here, so it's a great platform them to also fight on."

Current ONE Championship welterweight champion Ben Askren is arguably the promotion's biggest star. Askren was last in action back in April, when he defeated Russian Nikolay Alekshakin via unanimous decision. Cui was reluctant to give an exact date for his next fight, but did say to expect him back in action in the near future.

"We will see Ben back in there very soon and I know Matt Hume [ONE's matchmaker] has got some plans for him right away," Cui said. "His summer is very busy with a lot of wrestling camps and his gym is very busy at this time but I can tell you he is going to be on one of our next cards very soon."

New weigh-in procedures follow recent tragedy

In December last year, ONE Championship announced it would change the format of its weigh-ins following the tragic death of Chinese prospect Yang Jian Bing, who passed away as he was cutting weight for ONE Championship's 35th event. Under the new system, fighters now have daily weight checks throughout fight week, and are tested up to three hours prior to the event to encourage them to fight at their "walk-around" weights.

The new system has been met with mixed reactions. While most fighters and managers say they are happy with the new methodology, a vocal minority of external voices have expressed dissatisfaction that the weigh-ins are done behind closed doors, where the weights are not public.

Cui explained the philosophy behind this from ONE's perspective.

"I think there is only a small group of people who don't think we are doing the right thing," Cui said. "People want to see exciting competition from exciting athletes who are at their physical best. As we tweak our process and our athletes get more used to the system themselves and get used more used to our new method we will likely do that [publish the weights].

"Part of the process is to make sure the athletes are staying on track all week long so that's why we have multiple checkpoints all the way up until the fight. Right now we are finding this works well for the athletes and at this point we find it works well for logistics, operations and safety so we will continue to do that. You have to remember we have only been doing this for six months and it takes a few rounds for the athletes to perfect it. For the minute, the most important thing is they are happy with the system and they all seem to be so far." 

The threat of the UFC with speculation of Asian investment

With rumours circulating that two major Asian-based groups, China Media Capital and Dalian Wanda Group, are bidding to purchase the UFC, it would've been understandable if Cui saw a legitimate threat to ONE Championship's future in the region. But he totally refuted it, and instead welcomed the speculation.

"This isn't a concern at all, in fact, it's great news," Cui said. "We want to see the sport continue to evolve and for more people to put more and more money into it. Remember, there are 4.5 billion people here in Asia, and it would be great for the sport and its further expansion."

Cui also wasn't afraid to give his perspective on the state of the Asian MMA landscape, and said it would be interesting to see how it would affect the UFC's status in the Asian market.

"In Asia we [ONE] have the biggest partners, we have the biggest venues and we have every top fighter in mixed martial arts that wants to be a part of the sport already," Cui said. 

"It's also important to remember the UFC have been in Asia much, much longer than us, for like nine or 10 years, and we are still a very young company. They've been in the region a while now and had plans. Hey, it will be interesting to see what they do in the next couple of years."   

The future of ONE Championship

While unsure what the future holds for the UFC, Cui is confident in ONE Championship's next major milestones.    

"In the next 12 to 18 months, ONE Championship will cross the $1 billion valuation mark, and expects an IPO in the next couple of years," Cui said.

"My goal by 2018 is to be doing one event every weekend of the year so that when people turn on their TV on a Friday night, they know that it's time for ONE Championship."