ONE Championship Reportedly Receives $50 Million In Investment Round

ONE Championship has reportedly achieved a successful funding round, raising a crucial $50 million and keeping a major investor on board.

The Asia-based combat sports promotion was able to achieve the eight-figure round of funding from the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) among others, per a report from Gillian Tan and Olivia Poh of Bloomberg.

The round is a significant cash injection for ONE, who has reportedly been in need of new investment for months.

Late last year, Kristie Neo of DealStreetAsia reported that ONE’s financial runway was “expected to expire” by the third quarter of 2024. QIA-led investment was seen as an important pathway for the promotion to survive, as the country had previously put forward millions of dollars in prior funding rounds.

In exchange for investment from Qatar, ONE has attempted to integrate the country into its product. In March, the promotion debuted in the country, hosting a three-title fight show from Lusail. The country also played host to part of ONE Championship’s “The Apprentice” spin-off series, which had its second season air in 2023.

ONE Championship’s product has changed significantly over the past couple of years, seemingly cutting back on exuberant spending in the process. While the promotion spent years travelling throughout Asia with a variety of MMA, kickboxing and Muay Thai, they have now mainly focused on presenting shows in Thailand which skew heavily in favor of Muay Thai.

The promotion’s expansion into the U.S. has notably slowed in recent years as well. Once expected to host four U.S. events in 2024, the promotion settled with just one trip to the top MMA market this year.

ONE Championship is now eyeing profitability, per a statement to Bloomberg by Group One Holdings President Hua Fung Teh. “The company is on the verge of profitability after a decade of investing in the global brand, live events, world-class athlete roster and broadcast partnerships,” he said.