Rich Franklin, along with two other top executives, has been fired from ONE Championship as part of a roster purge. This marks the end of Franklin's nearly 16-year tenure with the promotion.
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HONG KONG - NOVEMBER 07: Rich Franklin speaks during a UFC press conference at Harbour City Mall on November 7, 2012 in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) | Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
For nearly 16 years, Rich Franklin has served as Vice President for ONE Championship.
Unfortunately, âAceâ has been removed from the promotionâs executive roster, along with Senior Vice President (SVP) of Competition Matt Hume and Chief Operating Officer (COO) John Scheler.
Tim Wheaton first reported the news on Thursday.
ONE has been steadily downsizing over the last few months, releasing talent and canceling shows. How much longer it continues to operate outside of its weekly âFight Nightâ cards in Bangkok is unclear, but itâs become pretty clear in recent years that ONE will never reach its goal of becoming the âUFC of Asia.â
Rich Franklin was removed from ONE Championship as part of a broader executive purge within the organization.
Along with Rich Franklin, Senior Vice President Matt Hume and Chief Operating Officer John Scheler were also let go.
Rich Franklin served as Vice President for ONE Championship for nearly 16 years before his dismissal.
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âItâs not looking good for ONE at the moment,â former ONE titleholder, Reinier de Ridder told MMA Fighting. âUnfortunately you are right but weâll see how they bounce back. Hopefully, but Iâm not sure.â
The No. 8-ranked De Ridder is one of several ONE fighters to transition to UFC.