Chatri Sityodtong

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

Chatri Sityodtong
BornChatri Trisiripisal
1971 (age 51–52)
Thailand
Native nameชาตรี ศิษย์ยอดธง
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
StyleMuay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
RankKru in Muay Thai
Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Renzo Gracie[1]
UniversityTufts University (BA)
Harvard Business School (MBA)
Websiteyodchatri.com

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 The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition.

Early life and education

In 1971, Sityodtong was born to a Thai father and Japanese mother and was raised in Thailand. 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 school, Sityodtong delivered Chinese food and taught Muay Thai to make ends meet.[2] He graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Tufts University in 1994, continuing on to obtain an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1999.[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 Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition. 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. "ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong earns BJJ brown belt". sportskeeda.com. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  2. "ONE's chairman Chatri to meet fans on June 23". Bangkok Post. June 16, 2023.
  3. Lui, John (26 June 2017). "Changing Lives". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  4. "My Story | Chatri Sityodtong". chatrisityodtong.com. September 19, 2017.
  5. "The One and Only". sglifestyle.sg. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  6. "Asia set for mixed martial arts revolution | Reuters". reuters.com. 23 December 2009. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
  7. "Breaking News - Sports | The Straits Times". straitstimes.com. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
  8. Palmqvist, Chris (October 12, 2015). "EVOLVE MMA HAILED IN THAILAND FOR COACHING OPPORTUNITIES". www.mixedmartialarts.com.
  9. "ONE FC Chairman Chatri Sityodtong Earns BJJ Brown Belt". 20 September 2021.
  10. "2019 Black Belt Hall of Fame". Black Belt. 1 November 2019.
  11. Tornado Insider, , Nextdoor Networks profile
  12. "News content". malaycr.com. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
  13. "Interview With Chatri Sityodtong, Former Hedge Fund Manager and the Man Behind Evolve MMA - MMAmania.com". mmamania.com. 18 March 2012. Retrieved 2014-02-09.
  14. Chandran, Nyshka (July 16, 2014). "Asia is grappling with this billion-dollar industry". CNBC.
  15. Mazique, Brian. "ONE Championship And Singapore Have Partnered To Create Asia's Largest Global Sports Media Property". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
  16. "How to Become Asia's Biggest Global Sports Media Property: Secrets from ONE Championship". Inc. Southeast Asia. Archived from the original on 2018-11-18. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
  17. U-Wen, Lee. "One Championship breaks new ground in 2019". The Business Times. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
  18. "How One Championship became the first truly pan-Asian sports media property". Marketing Magazine. Retrieved 2018-11-18.
  19. "How the World's Biggest Sports Properties Engaged Fans in 2020" (PDF). Nielsen Sports. Nielsen Holdings. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-05-27. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  20. "2021_AsianAcademyAwards". variety.com. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  21. "Chatri Sityodtong becomes a Lumpinee promoter". AsianMMA.com. 2022-08-29. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
  22. "Philanthropy". 20 October 2017. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
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