MMA lands first punch in Thailand

CALL them the dream tag team of mixed martial arts (MMA) in Thailand, if you like. There's Chatri Sityodtong, the founder and chairman of Singapore-based One Championship, the region's top MMA promoter. An astute businessman and entrepreneur, the former Wall Street hedge fund manager is also a certified senior Muay Thai instructor with nearly 30 years of martial arts experience under his belt.

The other half of this powerful duo is Kamol "Sukie" Sukosol Clapp, the president of One Championship in Thailand. He's a scion of a successful Thai business dynasty who made a name for himself in the country's pop music industry.

Together, they worked tirelessly over the last nine months to organise an MMA event in fight-hungry Bangkok - a city widely regarded as the combat sport capital of the world - for the first time.