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Victor Cui

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Victor Cui
Cui in 2012
Born1971 or 1972 (age 52–53)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
EducationUniversity of Alberta
OccupationSports executive
Known forFormer CEO of ONE Championship and the Edmonton Elks
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese崔伟德
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinCuī Wěidé
Websitevictorcui.com Edit this at Wikidata

Victor Cui (/kwiː/) is a Canadian sports executive who most recently was the president and CEO of the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League from 2022 to 2023.[1]

Cui was previously the co-founder and CEO of ONE Championship (ONE), a mixed martial arts organization based in Singapore.[2][3][4]

Early life

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Cui was born in Edmonton, Alberta, to Filipino parents and has Chinese ancestry on his father's side.[5] At the age of five, Cui and his family left Edmonton for West Africa, and they returned to Edmonton when he was 13.[6] Cui attended the University of Alberta, where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta.[7]

Career

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Before setting up ONE in 2011, Cui had nearly 15 years of experience in the sports media industry and was behind Martial Combat, a promotion which ran two shows per month at Resorts World Sentosa from May to October in 2010.[8]

Cui has previously worked as a senior executive at ESPN Star Sports and the PGA Tour and has also been involved in X Games, Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and many other sporting events.[9]

The first ONE show, ONE Fighting Championship: Champion vs. Champion, took place at the 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.[10] Since then the Singapore based promotion has held sold out events in Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Manila, and Singapore,[11] secured a ten-year TV deal with ESPN Star Sports[12] and signed various fighters.

ONE Elite Agency

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In November 2018, Cui launched a new global company called ONE Elite Agency. The agency manages martial arts athletes from ONE Championship, esports players, artists and musicians.

Edmonton Elks

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In January 2022, Cui was named the president and CEO of the Edmonton Elks, replacing Chris Presson who was fired after the 2021 season.[13][14] Cui explained his decision to return to Edmonton to lead the team he grew up watching as "a dream come true".[14] In the team's first home game under Cui's leadership, the Elks hosted "Stand With Ukraine" night in support of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation.[15]

Cui and the Elks mutually parted ways in August 2023, as the Elks were in the midst of a 22-game home losing streak that began in 2019. According to Cui, the move was made to allow him to focus on his family.[16]

Awards and recognitions

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Cui has been described as "The most powerful man in Asian MMA" due to ONE's success and his relationships with other people in the industry.[17] He was one of only five candidates to be nominated for 'Leading Man of the Year' the 2012 World MMA Awards[18] 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.[19]

Personal life

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Cui has a black belt in Taekwondo, as does his wife, and has been a fan of Mixed Martial Arts ever since watching UFC 1.[20] He lives in Edmonton with his wife, two children and parents.[21] Cui also was a reservist in the Royal Canadian Navy.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Elks name Edmonton-born Cui president and CEO - TSN.ca". TSN. The Canadian Press. 2022-01-25. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  2. ^ "Mixed martial arts-ONE FC returning to Manila in May". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
  3. ^ "Asian MMA: Yasuhiro Urushitani vs. Shinichi Kojima Flyweight Title bout set for ONE FC in Jakarta". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
  4. ^ "Aoki cruises to ONE FC lightweight title". eurosport.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
  5. ^ "Canadians play big role on Myanmar MMA card". myKawartha.com. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  6. ^ "Former Albertan Victor Cui looks to build mixed martial arts circuit in Asia". Global News. June 21, 2012. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  7. ^ "Epsilon Alpha 2012 – 2013 Chapter History". Phi Gamma Delta.
  8. ^ "ONE FC CEO TOUTS 'UFC OF ASIA,' DEBUT SHOW TO STREAM ON SHERDOG". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
  9. ^ "Victor Cui: ONE FC Will Be King of MMA in Asia". mmafighting.com. 30 August 2011. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
  10. ^ "ONE FC's CEO Victor Cui: Pure Genius, Pure Filipino". yahoo.com. 28 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
  11. ^ "ONE FC CEO Victor Cui talks Hong Kong debut, UFC in Singapore, Fernandes vs. Aoki and more". mmamania.com. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-28.
  12. ^ "ONE FC Announces Asian TV Deal with ESPN". mmaweekly.com. 30 January 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  13. ^ "Victor Cui, co-founder of MMA's One Championship, named Elks president and CEO". The Toronto Star. 2022-01-25. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  14. ^ a b c "Elks announce ONE Championship's Victor Cui as new president, CEO". CTV News Edmonton. 2022-01-25. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  15. ^ "SIMMONS: Argos and the rest of the CFL should 'Stand With Ukraine' as the Elks are doing". Toronto Sun. June 1, 2022. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  16. ^ Swensrude, Stephanie (August 15, 2023). "Victor Cui out as president and CEO of Edmonton Elks football team". Global News. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  17. ^ "Cebuano most powerful MMA organizer in Asia". Philippines Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  18. ^ "FIGHTERS ONLY WORLD MMA AWARDS 2012: RESULTS". Fighters Only. Archived from the original on 14 January 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  19. ^ "World taekwondo champ, MMA promoter get award". Cebu Daily News. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  20. ^ "Promoters Circling One Another as M.M.A. Takes Root in Asia". New York Times. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  21. ^ "Elks President and CEO Victor Cui". Edmonton Elks. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
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