ONE Championship has dismissed three key executives from its leadership team: Vice President and former UFC fighter Rich Franklin, Senior Vice President of Competition Matt Hume, and Chief Operating Officer John Sehler. The firings come amid ongoing financial difficulties and event cancellations for the promotion. The organization has been experiencing a troubling trend of fighters leaving, remaining fighters being inactive, key staff departures, and cancellations of major fights and events. The post suggests ONE's future as a leading global MMA promotion is increasingly uncertain.
ONE Championship has parted ways with three senior figures from its leadership team, with the dismissals reported on April 16, 2026, as the Asian promotion continues to grapple with mounting financial pressure.
The highest-profile departure is Rich Franklin, the former UFC middleweight champion who had been serving as Vice President of the organization. Franklin, 51, is a United States native who compiled a professional MMA record of 29-7-0 during his fighting career, earning the nickname "Ace" for his well-rounded skillset. The six-foot-one southpaw carried a 76-inch reach and posted 4.1 significant strikes landed per minute across his career, a volume that made him one of the more active fighters of his era. Also dismissed were Matt Hume, Senior Vice President of Competition, and Chief Operating Officer John Sehler. Hume has long been a respected figure in MMA as both a referee and trainer, while Sehler oversaw day-to-day operations for the promotion.
Why it matters
- The simultaneous removal of three senior executives signals deep organizational instability at ONE Championship.
- Hume's departure in particular raises questions about competitive operations, including matchmaking and fighter relations.
- The firings compound an already difficult period marked by fighter attrition, prolonged inactivity among roster members, and the cancellation of high-profile bouts and events.
- ONE's ambitions as a top-tier global MMA promotion now appear increasingly fragile, with no clear public plan to address the underlying financial difficulties.
The executive departures arrive at a precarious moment. ONE Championship had positioned itself as the premier MMA organization in Asia and a legitimate worldwide competitor to the UFC, but the combination of financial strain and now a hollowed-out leadership structure calls that trajectory into serious question.
