Chatri Sityodtong Explained

Native Name:ชาตรี ศิษย์ยอดธง
Birth Name:Chatri Trisiripisal
Birth Place:Thailand
Weight Lb:170
Style:Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Rank:Kru in Muay Thai
Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Renzo Gracie[1]
University:Tufts University (BA)
Harvard Business School (MBA)

Chatri Trisiripisal (Thai: ชาตรี ตรีศิริพิศาล,), known by the ring names Chatri Sityodtong (Thai: ชาตรี ศิษย์ยอดธง,) and Yodchatri Sityodtong (Thai: ยอดชาตรี ศิษย์ยอดธง,), is a Thai entrepreneur and martial arts instructor based in Singapore.

He is best known for being the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Singapore-based combat sports promotion ONE Championship. He is also the star of .

Early life and education

In 1971, Sityodtong was born to a Thai father and Japanese mother and was raised in Thailand. He graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Tufts University in 1994. His family went bankrupt during the Asian Financial Crisis and his father eventually abandoned the family. Sityodtong moved to the United States, pursuing an education for a higher-paying job. To put himself through Harvard Business School, Sityodtong delivered Chinese food and taught Muay Thai to make ends meet before graduating with his MBA in 1999.[2] [3] [4]

Sityodtong emigrated to Singapore in the mid-2000s, and has lived there ever since.[5]

Martial arts background

Chatri started Muay Thai as a child under Kru Yodtong Senanan of Sityodtong Camp in Pattaya, Thailand. Senanan eventually gave Chatri the ring name Yodchatri Sityodtong. A veteran of over 30 fights, Sityodtong's last professional Muay Thai fight was in 2008 in Thailand. He is a certified senior Muay Thai instructor under Senanan.[6] [7] Before his death, Senanan appointed him as one of 4 conservators of Sityodtong Muay Thai in the world.[8]

Sityodtong started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2005 under Renzo Gracie at the Renzo Gracie Academy in New York City. He earned his blue and purple belts under the Renzo Gracie banner from BJJ World Champions Rafael Gordinho Lima and Leandro Brodinho Issa respectively. With Renzo Gracie's blessing, BJJ World Champion Alex Silva awarded Sityodtong his brown belt in 2021.[9]

In 2019, Sityodtong was inducted into the Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame.[10]

Career

Chatri started as an investment analyst at Fidelity Investments covering a variety of industries. He later launched Nextdoor Networks with Yau Soon Loo, a classmate at Harvard. Nextdoor Networks was a San Francisco based startup provider of e-commerce infrastructure.[11] Sityodtong was a Managing Director at Maverick Capital, a US$12 billion hedge fund. In 2005, backed by Farallon Capital, Sityodtong launched Izara Capital Management, a US$500 million New York hedge fund.[12] After a decade on Wall Street, he retired.[13] In 2008, he founded Evolve MMA, a chain of martial arts academies in Asia.

In 2011, Chatri founded ONE Championship[14] and currently serves as its chairman and CEO. Under his leadership, ONE was named Asia's largest global sports media property by Forbes,[15] [16] [17] [18] while Nielsen ranks ONE amongst the world's top 10 biggest sports media properties in terms of viewership and engagement.[19]

In 2021, Sityodtong starred in . The show won Asia's Best Reality TV Series at the 2021 Asian Academy Awards.[20]

In August 2022, Sityodtong accepted an invitation by the Royal Thai Army to become a promoter at the prestigious Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.[21]

Philanthropy

Sityodtong supports Global Poverty Project through his companies. He is an active donor to Boys' Town Home, a charity that serves abandoned children and youth in need. Sityodtong also supports the Singapore Children's Society and children with cancer with Children's Cancer Foundation.[22]

References

  1. Web site: ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong earns BJJ brown belt. sportskeeda.com. January 12, 2022.
  2. News: ONE's chairman Chatri to meet fans on June 23 . Bangkok Post . June 16, 2023.
  3. News: Lui . John . 26 June 2017 . Changing Lives . The Straits Times . 2020-03-18.
  4. Web site: September 19, 2017 . My Story | Chatri Sityodtong . chatrisityodtong.com.
  5. Web site: 7 June 2021 . The One and Only . 2 March 2022 . sglifestyle.sg.
  6. News: 23 December 2009 . Asia set for mixed martial arts revolution | Reuters . reuters.com . 2014-02-09.
  7. Web site: Breaking News - Sports | The Straits Times . 2014-02-09 . straitstimes.com.
  8. Web site: Palmqvist . Chris . EVOLVE MMA HAILED IN THAILAND FOR COACHING OPPORTUNITIES . www.mixedmartialarts.com . October 12, 2015.
  9. Web site: 20 September 2021 . ONE FC Chairman Chatri Sityodtong Earns BJJ Brown Belt .
  10. Web site: 1 November 2019 . 2019 Black Belt Hall of Fame . Black Belt .
  11. Tornado Insider, http://www.tornado-insider.com/radar/compshow.asp?compid=4263, Nextdoor Networks profile
  12. Web site: News content. malaycr.com. 2014-02-09.
  13. Web site: Interview With Chatri Sityodtong, Former Hedge Fund Manager and the Man Behind Evolve MMA - MMAmania.com. 18 March 2012. mmamania.com. 2014-02-09.
  14. Web site: Chandran . Nyshka . July 16, 2014 . Asia is grappling with this billion-dollar industry . CNBC.
  15. News: Mazique . Brian . ONE Championship And Singapore Have Partnered To Create Asia's Largest Global Sports Media Property . en . Forbes . 2018-11-20.
  16. News: How to Become Asia's Biggest Global Sports Media Property: Secrets from ONE Championship . en-US . Inc. Southeast Asia . dead . 2018-11-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181118122722/http://inc-asean.com/editor-picks/become-asias-biggest-global-sports-media-property-secrets-one-championship/ . 2018-11-18.
  17. News: One Championship breaks new ground in 2019. U-Wen. Lee. The Business Times. 2018-11-18. en.
  18. News: How One Championship became the first truly pan-Asian sports media property . en-US . Marketing Magazine . 2018-11-18.
  19. Web site: How the World's Biggest Sports Properties Engaged Fans in 2020. live. 27 May 2021. Nielsen Sports. Nielsen Holdings. https://web.archive.org/web/20210527172341/https://nielsensports.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Nielsen-How-the-Worlds-Biggest-Sports-Properties-Engaged-Fans-in-2020.pdf . 2021-05-27 .
  20. Web site: 2021_AsianAcademyAwards. variety.com. 2021-03-12.
  21. Web site: Chatri Sityodtong becomes a Lumpinee promoter . AsianMMA.com. 2022-08-29. 2022-12-11.
  22. Web site: 20 October 2017 . Philanthropy . 2020-03-18.

External links