Chatri Trisiripisal (, ), known by the ring names Chatri Sityodtong (, ) and Yodchatri Sityodtong (, ), is a Thai

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...

and martial arts instructor based in Singapore. He is best known for being the founder,

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

, and

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of Singapore-based

combat sports A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the opponent (''knocko ...

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. He graduated with a B.A. in

Economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

from

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...

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 Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

, Sityodtong delivered Chinese food and taught Muay Thai to make ends meet before graduating with his MBA in 1999. Sityodtong emigrated to Singapore in the mid-2000s, and has lived there ever since.

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. Before his death, Senanan appointed him as one of 4 conservators of Sityodtong Muay Thai in the world. 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. In 2019, Sityodtong was inducted into the Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame. In 2024 Renzo Gracie awarded Sityodtong his BJJ black belt live on air at ONE 168 in Denver, Colorado.

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 San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

based startup provider of e-commerce infrastructure. 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. After a decade on Wall Street, he retired. In 2008, he founded Evolve MMA, a chain of martial arts academies in Asia. In 2011, Chatri founded ONE Championship and currently serves as its chairman and CEO. Under his leadership, ONE was named Asia's largest global sports media property by

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

, while Nielsen ranks ONE amongst the world's top 10 biggest sports media properties in terms of viewership and engagement. 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. 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.

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.

References

External links

ONE Championship websiteEvolve MMA website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sityodtong, Chatri Living people 1971 births Muay Thai trainers Chatri Sityodtong Chatri Sityodtong Chatri Sityodtong Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences alumni Harvard Business School alumni Chatri Sityodtong Thai expatriates in Singapore ONE Championship people