Temasek-backed sports media company eyes global IPO title bout

The Singapore-based company, in which Temasek, through its private equity investment arm Heliconia Capital Management, invested last year, is planning an IPO within the next three years, said Chatri Sityodtong, its co-founder, chairman and lifelong 'martial artist'. The acquisition was led by sports and entertainment talent agency, William Morris Endeavor-International Management Group, together with private equity firms Silver Lake Partners, KKR, and MSD Capital and MSD Partners, investment firms of billionaire Michael Dell and his family, which provided preferred equity financing. Manny Pacquiao, the legendary Filipino boxer and current WBO welterweight world champion, is the only other known shareholder alongside Heliconia and One Championship's management team, including co-founder and CEO, Victor Cui, a former senior executive of sports broadcaster ESPN Star Sports. Throw in 10-year broadcast deals with Fox and Star Sports, and corporate partnerships with Walt Disney Pictures, Universal Music Group and Casio, the Japanese electronics group, and its clear big business wants a piece of what One Championship is offering. On the other, Sityodtong said what he's creating is Asia's first truly pan-Asia sports media property to rival the National Football League or the National Basketball Association in North America, and the English Premier League or UEFA's Champions League in Europe. After a successful career as a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and hedge fund manager on Wall Street, the rise of One Championship seems, ultimately, to represent the fight of his life.