ONE Championship chief executive Chatri Sityodtong has criticised the organiser of the recent muay thai match that ended in Pradip Subramanian's death, saying he found it “reckless and irresponsible” to hold a bout for two amateurs without proper preparation or regard for safety. Photo: Asia Fighting Championship/Facebook
SINGAPORE – ONE Championship chief executive Chatri Sityodtong has criticised the organiser of the recent muay thai match that ended in a competitor’s death, saying he found it “reckless and irresponsible” to hold a bout for two amateurs without proper preparation or regard for safety.
He added that he hoped the authorities would deal with the chief executive officer of Asia Fighting Championship (AFC), which organised the Saturday bout, “harshly and severely” as a deterrence to others thinking of holding similar events for the sake of profit.
“This fight was a publicity stunt without regard for the risk of human life. It was a decision by the CEO of a small startup organization to put innocent, untrained civilians in harm's way just to sell tickets,” Mr Sityodtong wrote in a Facebook post.
“I do not know the CEO of Asia Fighting Championship and I have no idea who he or she is. As someone with over 30 years of martial arts experience though, I find it reckless and irresponsible for a promoter to ask two untrained civilians without proper training or knowledge to compete in a professional bout.”
He added: “The vast majority of first-timers in the ring will have proper training, basic defensive skills, reasonable technique, adequate preparation time, safety protective head gear and shin pads, etc. After watching the video of the fight, I can assure you that Steven and Pradip had almost zero knowledge of how to protect themselves, let alone how to execute any martial arts technique. They were both complete beginners.”
He was referring to YouTube personality Steven Lim and bodybuilder Pradip Subramanian, who died after the bout because of a cardiac arrest respiratory failure, according to AFC, citing a preliminary medical report from the Singapore General Hospital. The police are investigating the unnatural death.
Mr Pradip, 32, the president of the World Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Federation Singapore, was a last-minute stand-in for the bout, after former Singapore Idol Sylvester Lim pulled out owing to “insurance issues”.
Mr Sityodtong pinned the blame on AFC chief executive Sasidharan Unnithan, 38, for the tragedy, saying it was clear neither of the contestants were prepared, either physically or in technique, to go into the ring. He said it was “evident that both Steven and Pradip were in no shape to compete as both demonstrated zero cardio fitness”.
Mr Sityodtong questioned the “level of experience, credentials and knowledge (Mr Sasidharan) possesses in both business and martial arts”, saying he “suspect(s) that he … knows very little about either subject matter”.
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In any case, the fight should have never taken place, whether it was Pradip VS SL or Sylvester VS SL. This AFC needs to be taken to task.
Singaporean YouTuber Steven Lim has revealed on his Facebook that he had been asked by fellow Singapore idol contestant and runner up Sylvester Sim to back out of the celebrity kickboxing match organized by start up Asia Fighting Championship.
Hmm..............looks like his existing track record doesn't speak too well of him as a business person.
Oh yeah that's him all right.
This is the ah neh CEO????
CEO of AFC is Sasidharan Unnithan?
Oh this dude was previously from California Fitness-he joined the Orchard branch (where the current monster H&M store is located) as a small time runt wearing the dumbass FitPro red cap a long time ago, then rose through the ranks. Last I heard of him was that he became GM of the Bugis outlet, before the entire business went belly up sometime in July last year.
So this is what he has been up to all this while. *Sniggers*
Full Facebook Post By Chatri Sityodtong:
Several reporters from various media called me today for my thoughts on the inaugural Asia Fighting Championship tragedy where bodybuilder Pradip Subramanian passed away after a kickboxing bout with YouTube star Steven Lim. First, I would like to extend my sincerest condolences to Pradip's family and friends. I am truly sorry for your loss. I never had the opportunity to meet Pradip, but I am told that he was a great guy with a happy, larger-than-life personality and that he was loved by everyone. May you rest in peace, Pradip.
As one of the leaders in both the global sports community as well as the local Singapore martial arts community, I would like to express a few thoughts:
1) I do not know the CEO of Asia Fighting Championship and I have no idea who he or she is. As someone with over 30 years of martial arts experience though, I find it reckless and irresponsible for a promoter to ask two untrained civilians without proper training or knowledge to compete in a professional bout. The vast majority of first-timers in the ring will have proper training, basic defensive skills, reasonable technique, adequate preparation time, safety protective head gear and shin pads, etc. After watching the video of the fight, I can assure you that Steven and Pradip had almost zero knowledge of how to protect themselves, let alone how to execute any martial arts technique. They were both complete beginners. Defensive knowledge comes through technique absorption/repetition, reflex/reaction drills, controlled sparring, etc. To make matters worse, it is my understanding that Pradip had only 24 hours notice to compete, and did not even have a training camp for the bout. Lastly, it was evident that both Steven and Pradip were in no shape to compete as both demonstrated zero cardio fitness. This fight was a publicity stunt without regard for the risk of human life. It was a decision by the CEO of a small startup organization to put innocent, untrained civilians in harm's way just to sell tickets. On a personal level, I would like to know what level of experience, credentials, and knowledge this CEO possesses in both business and martial arts. I suspect that he or she knows very little about either subject matter. As a leader in our community, I hope the authorities deal with the CEO of Asia Fighting Championship harshly and severely to deter any other future reckless, irresponsible acts by anyone else.
2) For the top global sports media properties like NBA, EPL, ONE Championship, or F1, our top priority is safety - it is the #1 priority by far in our organizations. We hire the most experienced executives with significant domain expertise, implement the best-in-class global safety and medical practices and procedures, spend significant capital to ensure athletes are not taking unnecessary risks through CT scans, blood tests, hydration tests, etc. We have full-time medical staff employed. Safety is everything in the world of sports. Of course, tragedies can still occur as we see with crashes in F1, or heart attacks in the EPL. However, these situations are not the result of reckless and irresponsible acts by F1 or EPL.
3) A few of the media asked me how ONE Championship thinks about safety. Safety is the top priority in everything my team and I do - and the proof is in the pudding. Since 2011 when ONE Championship was first launched, we have had over 600+ bouts - and 100% of them were completed without any serious injuries to our athletes inside the cage. Bar none, ONE Championship is the global gold standard of safety in Asia because we adopt best-in-class, global processes and procedures of safety. As a CEO, I hire the best team possible with the most domain experience and I pay our team the highest compensation in the market. I spare no expense when it comes to our medical process in terms of CT scans, blood tests, neurological exams, hydration tests, etc. We have a full-time VP of Medical Services, Dr Warren Wang, who is an outstanding medical doctor as well as an outstanding martial artist. Other VPs at ONE Championship who are responsible for our athletes and their safety include 3x UFC World Champion Rich Franklin and martial arts legend Matt Hume. We have multiple checks and balances within our organization. I am also personally involved in every aspect of safety. And we regularly study the world's top global sports properties across all facets of safety protocol. We continuously upgrade our people, systems, and processes in order to ensure best-in-class, global excellence in safety.
It is a sad day for Singapore. It is a sad day for our beloved martial arts community. The only silver lining of this senseless tragedy is that I believe it is an isolated incident. It is the reckless and irresponsible actions of a single CEO. It is not a reflection of the martial arts community in Singapore, and it is not a reflection of the global sports community. Let this tragedy be yet another precious reminder for all of us to put safety as our #1 priority - always and without fail.
https://www.facebook.com/csityodtong/posts/1552428954819260