Martial arts organization One Championship is planning to expand to the United States, with Hawaii one of its desired destinations.

In an interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, One Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong said that the Asia-based promotion is planning to hold its first event in the United States toward the end of next year, with Hawaii a potential site.

“It’s more than a serious consideration, it’s a very serious consideration,” Sityodtong said. “Hawaii is definitely one of the top places we’re considering.”

Launched in 2011, the company has 39 events scheduled for 2019 and made its Japan debut in March.

A roster of 15 champions in various mixed martial arts disciplines includes Mililani siblings Angela and Christian Lee, who both hold world titles in MMA.

Angela Lee is the One atomweight world champion and Christian Lee recently won the lightweight world title when he stopped Shinya Aoki by second-round TKO in May.

Both would play a big part in a potential event in Hawaii.

“(The family) is asking me all the time about coming to Hawaii,” Sityodtong said. “I really love Angela and Christian both as athletes but foremost as human beings. They both exemplify the best of mixed martial arts and the best of humanity as well.”

With the success of Bellator’s two-night event at the Blaisdell Arena in December, which included a sold-out crowd on a Saturday to see Ilima-Lei Macfarlane successfully defend her flyweight world title, the opportunity is there for organizations to take advantage of a hungry pro-MMA crowd in Hawaii thirsty for big events.

One Championship’s planned global expansion, which now includes a multi-year television contract with Turner Sports that began in January, means the company is looking to build its roster.

Within thep past year, One has signed former UFC world champion Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez, and is looking to the islands to add to its talent pool.

“I just want the best athletes in the world and to continue to grow our roster, and the truth is Hawaii has some of the best athletes,” Sityodtong said.

Angela Lee is one of the organization’s biggest stars. She made her debut in 2015 and won her first five fights by submission before earning the 115-pound world title in a unanimous decision over Mei Yamaguchi.

Her undefeated streak reached nine before a loss in March to Xiong Jing Nan in which she moved up in weight to challenge for the strawweight world title.

She has fought only twice in the past 25 months due to a car accident and a back injury, but will return to the cage in July against Michelle Nicolini in her second fight in a row at 125 pounds.

“Angela still has an ambition to be a two-division world champion and she wanted to have another fight at strawweight, so it was good timing to have her meet Michelle just to test her at the new weight,” Sityodtong said. “Angela has been a bit inactive, but I think this year she is going to fight more.”

The multi-division world title dream extends to her brother, Christian, who as lightweight champion will be a major part of the company moving forward.

“We have some big plans for Christian. He wants to try to be a two-division or even a three-division world champion,” Sityodtong said. “I think both Christian and Angela have the potential to be global superstars and some of the most famous martial artists in the world because they are still very early in their careers.”

His next challenger at 155 pounds could come from the winner of a lightweight grand prix that has reached the semifinals.

Ewa Beach’s Lowen Tynanes, who is 10-0 after scoring a first-round TKO of Honorio Banario in January to advance to the final four, has been forced to pull out of the tournament with a back injury that has limited him to just one fight since April 2016.

“I don’t know how long (he’ll be out), and it’s sad because he could be one of the best fighters in the world,” Sityodtong said.