Victor Cui
Victor Cui | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Occupation | CEO / Owner of ONE |
Victor Cui is the CEO / Owner of ONE Championship (ONE), a mixed martial arts organization based in Singapore which is widely regarded as being the biggest in Asia [1][2][3] and has some of the best MMA fighters in the world on the roster including Shinya Aoki, Bibiano Fernandes, Masakatsu Ueda, Melvin Manhoef and Tatsuya Kawajiri.
Before setting up ONE in 2011 Cui had nearly 15 years of experience in the sports media industry and was also the man behind Martial Combat, a promotion which ran two shows per month at Resorts World Sentosa from May to October in 2010.[4]
Cui has previously worked as a senior executive at ESPN Star Sports and the PGA Tour and has also been involved in X Games, Olympics Games, Commonwealth Games, and many other sporting events.[5]
The first ONE show, ONE Fighting Championship: Champion vs. Champion, took place at the 12,000 capacity Singapore Indoor Stadium on 3 September 2011 and featured Phil Baroni, Yoshiyuki Yoshida, Gregor Gracie, and Eduard Folayang. According to Cui everyone, including his wife, told him to use a smaller venue but he was determined to prove them wrong.[6] Since then the Singapore based promotion has held sold out events in Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Manila, and Singapore,[7] secured a ten-year TV deal with ESPN Star Sports [8] and signed well known fighters including Rolles Gracie, Masakatsu Ueda, Renato Sobral, Andrei Arlovski, Roger Huerta and Tim Sylvia.
Cui has repeatedly been described as 'The most powerful man in Asian MMA' due to ONE's rapid success and his relationship with other key players in the industry.[9] He was one of only five candidates to be nominated for 'Leading Man of the Year' the 2012 World MMA Awards [10] and the only representative of an Asian promotion on this shortlist.
Cui's family is originally from Cebu and he was a major awardee at the 31st SAC-SMC Cebu Sports Awards on March 17, 2013 for his work in turning ONE into the biggest MMA organization in Asia and showcasing Filipino fighters.[11]
Personal life
Cui was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to parents from the Philippines and has Chinese ancestry on his father's side.[12] He has a black belt in Taekwondo, as does his wife. He has been a fan of Mixed Martial Arts ever since watching UFC 1 and lives in Singapore with his wife and children.[13]
References
- ^ "Mixed martial arts-ONE FC returning to Manila in May". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
- ^ "Asian MMA: Yasuhiro Urushitani vs. Shinichi Kojima Flyweight Title bout set for ONE FC in Jakarta". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
- ^ "Aoki cruises to ONE FC lightweight title". eurosport.com. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
- ^ "ONE FC CEO TOUTS 'UFC OF ASIA,' DEBUT SHOW TO STREAM ON SHERDOG". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
- ^ "Victor Cui: ONE FC Will Be King of MMA in Asia". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
- ^ "ONE FC's CEO Victor Cui: Pure Genius, Pure Filipino". yahoo.com. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
- ^ "ONE FC CEO Victor Cui talks Hong Kong debut, UFC in Singapore, Fernandes vs. Aoki and more". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
- ^ "ONE FC Announces Asian TV Deal with ESPN". mmaweekly.com. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ "Cebuano most powerful MMA organizer in Asia". Philippines Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ "FIGHTERS ONLY WORLD MMA AWARDS 2012: RESULTS". Fighters Only. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ "World taekwondo champ, MMA promoter get award". Cebu Daily News. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ "Canadians play big role on Myanmar MMA card". myKawartha.com. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
- ^ "Promoters Circling One Another as M.M.A. Takes Root in Asia". New York Times. Retrieved 15 September 2012.