ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong is living his life with intent, and many of his passions have been inspired by a martial arts legend.

The lifelong martial artist joined the Bruce Lee Podcast recently to talk to the iconic figure’s daughter, Shannon Lee, and they discussed the beginnings of ONE Championship and what the organization stood for.

Chatri Sityodtong talks about Bruce Lee’s influence on martial arts

During their chat, they found similarities between Sityodtong and the late Lee’s philosophies, which the ONE co-founder admitted to be guided by. He referred to himself as somewhat of a “Bruce Lee connoisseur,” saying that he has studied the martial arts legend’s teachings and life story.

One particular subject the CEO spoke about was Lee’s definition of “play”. Shannon shared that her father loved to play, but he did it with a certain seriousness, and Sityodtong offered a perspective that he believes is overlooked.

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“He (Bruce Lee) loved martial arts so much. It was his craft, and he went on to perfecting it and perfecting it. But that’s right, it’s play (for him),” he said.

“Play doesn’t mean that you do something fun and without intent or without excellence. So for him, it was his greatest love, and he did it with intent and excellence and a real sense of pride.”

“When we think of the word ‘play’, people think of it as doing nothing or no consequence, but I think that’s not an accurate definition of play. ‘Play’ has many definitions, and I think the way Bruce Lee played was expressing himself honestly through what he loved most. And his character came out through his excellence, through his through his fighting spirit,” said Sityodtong.

ONE co-founder’s mission for ONE Championship

Shannon shared that after watching ONE Fight Night 10 – ONE Championship’s debut live show on United States shores – in May 2023, she was impressed at how the intense action was paired perfectly with the uplifting positivity and respect among the fighters.

The podcast host went on to say she believes that a unique characteristic comes from Sityodtong’s ideals, which he himself agreed with.

“I’m having fun. I’m playing. But I have a seriousness to my mission. Because of what martial arts mean to me, I just feel like there isn’t proper representation on the global stage of sports,” Sityodtong said.

“I think other organizations might feed into the negative side of humanity – whether it be vulgarity, bad behaviour, or drugs, or even criminal activity as a way to promote things. I just don’t think that’s what Bruce or martial arts around the world represented. It’s a great cultural treasure.”

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Given all the success that ONE Championship has garnered over the past few decades, where do you see the promotion in the next few years? let us know what you think in the comments section below.

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