Any sporting body will have its share of problems, including issues between an athlete and his manager. ONE Championship has had its share of problems and sadly it has gone as far as to affect a talent's performance. By appending its Agent Certification program, ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong hopes to weed out the bad eggs and give their athletes what is rightfully theirs.

"We could just sit here and watch our athletes get cheated or see money stolen from their managers or agents. Or we could step up and try to clean up the system and elevate the sport of mixed martial arts to the global standards of professional conduct," said Sityodtong in an exclusive interview.

Sityodtong explains that this malpractice is basic knowledge. It is a problem that big leagues like the NBA, NFL, and MLB have had to deal with. With stricter requirements, he knows that this is no assurance of setting records straight but hopes that it at least lessens the problems that ONE athlete have to deal with.

"It will prevent screen out all the bad managers quickly. I cannot say that it will solve everything at once but it has a good chance of quickly eliminating all the bad apples," the ONE CEO explained.

In a release from ONE Championship, below are the new qualifications and eligibility criteria set. Aspiring agents will have to meet these requirements to gain certification as ONE Agent.

  • Currently a resident in Asia for at least one (1) year
  • No prior criminal record
  • No history or current ongoing matters of legal or lawsuit activity with any athlete
  • A minimum of 10 years of related experience in the martial arts industry
  • Must possess a College or University Degree

Sityodtong, without mentioning names, admitted that ONE FC has dealt with many of these problems the past years. One even included one of their world champions ending up in an ugly situation with his manager. There were also several fighters who ended up getting cheated by their agent/ managers and ONE Championship has had enough of these distractions.

ONE Championship is currently in Jakarta for ONE: For Honor. The main card will see ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Sam-A Gaiyanghadao of Thailand will defend his title against Jonathan Haggerty of the United Kingdom at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta. In the undercards, Chinese martial arts prospect Ayideng Jumayi will go up against former ONE World Title challenger Dae Hwan Kim of South Korea.