Apex Sports Agency (ASA) today announced that a partnership with top Asian fight organization ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) has been agreed to. With this pact, ASA will now exclusively handle all North American sponsorship and media negotiations for ONE FC.
ONE FC is one of the world’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotions. They recently consummated an unprecedented ten-year deal with ESPN STAR Sports, the number one leader in sports content, which will bring ONE FC content to 500 million homes across 24 countries in Asia. Now, ONE FC and ASA have joined forces.
CEO and Owner of ONE Fighting Championship Mr. Victor Cui said, “ONE Fighting Championship has completely changed the game for the sport of MMA in Asia, a region that has been the birthplace and home to martial arts for the last 5,000 years. This is a result of the synergistic efforts and outstanding support from our partners. We are the biggest and best MMA organization in Asia because we work with only the best fighters, promotions, gyms, sponsors, and media companies. I am happy to be working with another world-class agency in ASA as we expand our reach to work with new sponsors and partners.”
“Though less than a year old, ONE FC has done some amazing things already in the sport of MMA,” explained ASA CEO Jason Chambers. “They have a huge reach…it’s unreal to see what they are accomplishing. With the growth they’re experiencing, it’s only natural that they want to expand their presence here in North America. ASA can help ONE FC achieve that, and that is our goal.”
ONE Fighting Championship is Asia’s largest mixed martial arts event. While ONE FC is dedicated to featuring the best Asian fighters in the world, the promotion also aims to reach the North American fight faithful as well. Events thus far have featured well-known fighters such as Phil Baroni, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Melvin Manhoef, Yoshiyuki Yoshida, Andy Wang, and Rolles Gracie, while also introducing talented combatants such as Zorobabel Moreira, Ole Laursen, Fabricio Monteiro, and rising star Eduard Folayang.
ASA has quickly garnered a strong reputation in the MMA world, working with stars on the rise such as UFC fighters Chris Clements, Clifford Starks, Carlo Prater, and Matt Lucas, as well as established fighters like Karo Parisyan, Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm, Drew Fickett, Jorge Gurgel, and Zoila Gurgel. However, ASA is more than just another management firm. The company offers a wide array of services, including brand-building. The partnership with ONE FC came about as a result, and proves that ASA is a company to keep an eye on.
Payout Perspective:
Though less than a year old, you have to be impressed with the moves One FC has made so far. From signing a TV deal with ESPN STAR Sports to now slowly creeping into the North American market, it appears that all the right moves are being made. The Japanese and Asian MMA scene has yet to recover to the levels of when PRIDE Fighting Championship ruled the region. Since the purchase and dismantling of the Japanese promotion years ago by Zuffa, several promotions have tried to fill it’s void (Sengoku, DREAM, etc0 but none have been able to do so.
One FC took an interesting approach and focused on developing Asian talent and concentrating on the Asian market before further expanding. The signing with ASA is just another step in the direction of growth for the budding promotion who is based out of Singapore.
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