🧨 ONE 172: $2M !!! Tickets Sold
🧨 ONE 172: $2M Gate, 15K Fans, and a Knockout That Shook Saitama!
ONE Championship promised something special at ONE 172 — and delivered big time with a night of fireworks in Japan 🇯🇵. But behind the roaring crowd and highlight-reel knockouts, there were some surprises fans didn’t see coming.
Let’s break it down Fightar style 🥊👇
🎟️ Record-Breaking Gate & Electric Crowd
The numbers don’t lie.
ONE 172 raked in over US$2 million in gate revenue — the largest gate ONE has ever pulled off in Japan. Over 15,000 fans packed the legendary Saitama Super Arena to witness live action.
And the main event? 🔥
Rodtang Jitmuangnon vs. Takeru Segawa had all the hype in the world — and Rodtang ended it in just 80 seconds with a brutal knockout that shook the arena. Absolute scenes. 🤪
🚨 Surprise PPV Chaos?
But while the in-person crowd got their money’s worth, fans at home faced a completely different experience.
Here’s what happened:
ONE Championship had hyped up the pay-per-view for weeks, offering premium access through their official app and website. But once the show went live… ❌ many fans couldn’t even access the stream.
Technical glitches hit hard. Servers struggled. Logins failed.
Eventually, ONE did something unexpected:
They made the entire card free on YouTube and Facebook in most regions 🌎 (except Japan).
Cue confusion. Cue frustration. Cue angry social media posts.
🔍 Theories: What Went Down?
So, what caused the switch-up? Here are the theories flying around:
- 🧯 Platform Overload: Some say the surge in viewers crashed ONE’s systems, forcing them to stream for free rather than risk total failure.
- 🧮 Damage Control: Was it an act of goodwill after paid fans got locked out of their streams?
- 🌍 Global PR Strategy: Others believe it was a planned pivot to reach more eyeballs internationally — especially with two massive stars like Rodtang 🇹🇭 and Takeru 🇯🇵.
Regardless of the reason, it left a mark.
🏆 Superlek vs Nabil: The Fight That Wasn’t
Another major twist came from the Muay Thai bantamweight title unification bout between Superlek and Nabil Anane.
Superlek failed hydration tests 😬 and was stripped of his title. Instead, the fight went ahead as a non-title catchweight bout.
To his credit, Nabil still took the fight — and pocketed 30% of Superlek’s purse. Business is business.
🤔 Final Thoughts: Spectacle With a Side of Scramble
ONE 172 gave us:
✅ An electrifying main event
✅ Record-setting gate revenue
✅ Packed arena vibes
❌ BUT also confusion around streaming
❌ And title drama that left fans scratching their heads
At Fightar, we’re all about transparency, experience, and giving fans what they came for. Events like these show both the epic highs and the operational chaos that can happen behind the scenes.
🗣️ Your Turn: Were You Watching?
Did you tune in to Rodtang vs. Takeru? Did the stream work for you?
Were you in the arena? Let us know 👇
Drop your thoughts in the comments — or tag us on socials @Fightar 💬
Let’s talk fight nights 🥊
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FIghtar Creative Teams💖
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