by

Tim Ferriss

Chatri Sityodtong, CEO of ONE Championship — From Dirt Poor to Top-10 Sports-Media Franchise, The $100M Breakfast, Dominating Social Media (30B+ Views/Year), Key Strategic Decisions, and The Moneyball of Fight Matchmaking (#814)

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“Suffering is a path to our greatness.”
— Chatri Sityodtong

Chatri Sityodtong (@yodchatri) is the founder and CEO of ONE (you might know it as ONE Championship), one of the top-10 biggest sports-media properties in the world in terms of viewership and engagement (alongside the NBA, Formula One, Champions League, and Premier League), with a global broadcast reach to 195 countries. 

The largest sports-media property in Asia, ONE is also a celebration of Asia’s great cultural treasure martial arts. Chatri himself has more than 40 years of martial arts experience. He is a certified senior Muay Thai instructor under the legendary Kru Yodtong Senanan, and he holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Master Renzo Gracie. In 2019, he was inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame.

Chatri holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Tufts University.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, or on your favorite podcast platform. Watch the interview on YouTube. The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

This episode is brought to you by AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement; Helix Sleep premium mattresses; and Wealthfront high-yield cash account.

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Chatri Sityodtong, CEO of ONE Championship — From Dirt Poor to Top-10 Sports-Media Franchise, The $100M Breakfast, Dominating Social Media (30B+ Views/Year), Key Strategic Decisions, and The Moneyball of Fight Matchmaking

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The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC (“WFB”), member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The 3.30% Base APY on cash deposits is as of January 30, 2026, is representative, subject to change, and requires no minimum balance. The overall boosted rate is subject to change if the base rate decreases during the three-month promotional period. Tim Ferriss, who’s not a client, receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Brokerage LLC for advertising and holds a non-controlling equity interest in the corporate parent of Wealthfront Brokerage LLC, which creates an incentive that results in a conflict of interest. Tim expresses his own opinions and Wealthfront does not endorse, sponsor, or promote them. This ad may not reflect the experience of other Cash Account clients, and similar outcomes are not guaranteed. Investment advisory services are provided by Wealthfront Advisers LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Securities investments: not bank deposits, not bank-guaranteed or FDIC-insured, and may lose value. See full disclosures here. 

This episode is brought to you by AG1. I’ve taken AG1 for more than a decade. Longtime listeners have heard me call it my nutritional insurance. Here’s the news: they’ve just launched AG1 Pro, designed for people focused on performance and longevity. I’ll be traveling soon, and I’m throwing this in my bag to cover my bases while I travel. Past a certain age, maintaining lean muscle becomes priority number one, and AG1 Pro is formulated to support exactly that. It includes HMB, a clinically studied compound that supports protein synthesis and helps reduce protein breakdown, plus zinc carnosine to support the gut lining. Remember: training is only half the equation. Recovery is where the work compounds, and AG1 Pro is built to support it. It’s NSF Certified for Sport, so what’s on the label is what’s in the pouch. Get your free AG1 Pro Yeti Shaker in the Welcome Kit at Drinkag1.com/Tim.

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Want to hear another episode with someone who appreciates a good scrap? Listen to my conversation with former mixed martial artist Bas Rutten, in which we discussed martial arts tradition in the Netherlands, bullies, Pancrase, fighting Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki, underrated Japanese fighters, pranks, self-defense for beginners and bouncers, street fighting, breathing with the O2 Trainer, and much more.

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

  • Connect with Chatri Sityodtong:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

  • Connect with ONE Championship:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Threads | YouTube | TikTok

Companies, Institutions, and Organizations

Books and Magazines

Martial Arts Disciplines

Events & Competitions

People

Places

Relevant Resources

SHOW NOTES

  • [00:00:00] Start.
  • [00:06:49] Chatri Trisiripisal vs. Yodchatri Sityodtong
  • [00:08:35] My own experience with Muay Thai.
  • [00:10:05] Chatri’s introduction to Muay Thai.
  • [00:10:58] Chatri processes the strained relationship with his father.
  • [00:17:28] Fight Porn and my introduction to ONE.
  • [00:18:56] A pep talk in Japanese.
  • [00:23:00] Chatri’s secret life in a Harvard dorm with his mother on $4 a day.
  • [00:30:11] How Chatri made the money to fuel his martial arts ambitions.
  • [00:35:19] Why wealth has never provided Chatri with a sense of security.
  • [00:38:43] The moment Chatri began to fulfill one his mother’s prophecies.
  • [00:41:08] “To unleash your greatness, you must be surrounded by greatness.”
  • [00:44:56] Witnessing Yamato-damashii: the Japanese warrior spirit.
  • [00:48:43] Moving to Singapore and starting Evolve.
  • [00:51:59] Overcoming ONE’s initial financial challenges.
  • [01:03:06] Building ONE with Bushido-grade excellence.
  • [01:08:25] How ONE maintains quality and quantity fights and fighters.
  • [01:16:05] Leveraging social media to bring compelling human stories to ONE’s forefront.
  • [01:26:40] Chatri’s $100 million breakfast with Sequoia Capital.
  • [01:41:42] Making deals with CAA’s Fabian Stechel.
  • [01:45:13] A serendipitous meeting that resulted in investment from Qatar.
  • [01:47:51] Changing lives and building relationships across generations with martial arts.
  • [01:51:35] Recommended reading and admirable storytellers.
  • [02:01:03] A gracious invitation.
  • [02:02:39] Where in the world is ONE enjoyed most?
  • [02:07:14] Dealing with AI development and deep fakes.
  • [02:08:45] Global broadcasting business from behind the scenes.
  • [02:16:31] Funds raised and the competitive benefits of being early in the game.
  • [02:19:30] Fond regards for Renzo Gracie.
  • [02:23:49] Legendary fighters we would love to witness in their prime.
  • [02:26:27] High marks for Marcelo Garcia.
  • [02:29:23] How I learned what Chatri calls “flawless” Japanese.
  • [02:31:16] Chatri’s billboard and parting thoughts.

MORE CHATRI SITYODTONG QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW

“Suffering is a path to our greatness.”
— Chatri Sityodtong

“You never know what is good luck or bad luck until many years later, when you discover what the lessons were of that experience.”
— Chatri Sityodtong

“If you’re fighting for yourself — you’re fighting because you want a six-figure salary, you’re fighting because you want to buy a nice car — it’s very easy to quit. But when you’re fighting for something bigger than yourself, it’s impossible to quit.”
— Chatri Sityodtong

“I truly believe my grandmaster, Kru Yodtong Senanan, who used to always tell me — I never really understood it until much later in life — ‘To unleash your greatness, you must be surrounded by greatness.’”
— Chatri Sityodtong

“In society, I’m a CEO, but when I’m in training, I’m a nobody. These guys beat on me, but it levels me up. It’s a daily reminder to me that I’m here to learn, grow, and evolve and be the very best martial artist I can be.”
— Chatri Sityodtong

“Love, pain, and suffering. That combination can work magic in terms of unleashing human potential. You will discover things about yourself that you never even knew existed in you.”
— Chatri Sityodtong

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Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That's how we're gonna be — cool. Critical is fine, but if you're rude, we'll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation! (Thanks to Brian Oberkirch for the inspiration.)

5 Comments
Ted Holzwarth
Ted Holzwarth
1 year ago

Really enjoyed the interview with Chatri and hearing his story. I was struck by something when he spoke about Qatar, the World Cup, and his relationship with the Qatari official. There are reports that up to 6,500 migrant construction workers died in the construction of the World Cup stadiums along with many other charges of abuse of these migrant workers. How does Chatri reconcile his stated goal of helping others, which I believe is genuine, with these reports? I am a lifelong soccer player and fan and watched every World Cup game I possibly could so I struggled with this myself. This isn’t intended to be a “gotcha” question and I’m not accusing Chatri of anything. I genuinely am interested in how he thinks about issues such as this.

Last edited 1 year ago by Ted Holzwarth
0
Reply
George Henderson
George Henderson
1 year ago

Hi Tim, long-time listener, first-time commenter! And I’ve probably broken a golden rule, as this is unrelated to this podcast. BUT I was listening to this and thought of you… I know how busy you are, so I suggest listening from around 35 minutes in for about 10 minutes or so (although the whole podcast is interesting). Hopefully, you’ll see why I thought this would be up your alley. A bit of background – Harry Meade, event rider and all-round good bloke, very low key and extremely modest, has just become world number 1. I kept thinking if you’d interview him, you’d be able to get so many gems… Anyway, if you find the time, enjoy!

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Andy M.
Andy M.
1 year ago

Long time listener/follower. Re:This week’s 5-bullet Friday. Just wanted to send my appreciation for your shout out to Sevendust! Not only that but selecting a deep cut track from their earlier stuff (specifically the album Home, one of my favs).

0
Reply
Jeff
Jeff
1 year ago

Marc Maron is a leftist. After nearly destroying our country, and continuing to destroy California, they no longer have a right to our attention.

0
Reply
Daniel Marcos
Daniel Marcos
1 year ago

Hi Tim. I have a guest Suggestion for your podcast: Verne Harnish – Mastering the Playbook of Scale. I wanted to recommend someone I believe would make for a rich, high-signal conversation: Verne Harnish, founder of EO and author of Scaling Up, a book that’s become required reading for entrepreneurs serious about growth.
Verne has helped scale tens of thousands of companies worldwide and has a mental-model-rich approach to leadership, systems design, and performance optimization—very aligned with your show’s DNA. He’s also a master storyteller, blending strategic frameworks with wild tales from the trenches of scale.
If it’s of interest, I’d be happy to connect you with Verne’s team or provide more details.
Appreciate all you do,

0
Reply

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