ONE Championship has terminated 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 Schieler. The dismissals come amid ongoing financial difficulties and event cancellations for the promotion. The post suggests ONE Championship's future as a leading MMA organization is uncertain, citing fighter departures, inactivity among remaining fighters, executive layoffs, and cancellations of major fights and events. The author advises Anatoly Malykhin to leave the promotion.
ONE Championship has dismissed three high-profile members of its executive team, with the departures of vice president Rich Franklin, senior vice president of competition Matt Hume, and chief operating officer John Schieler confirmed as of mid-April 2026.
Franklin, the 51-year-old American known throughout his career as "Ace," transitions out of ONE Championship having previously built one of the more accomplished UFC records of his generation. The southpaw from the United States stood six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach and compiled a professional record of 29-7-0, landing significant strikes at a rate of 4.1 per minute across his fighting career. He had served the promotion in a vice presidential role after retiring from competition.
The firings arrive against a backdrop of mounting pressure on the Singapore-based promotion. Reports point to ongoing financial difficulties, event cancellations, and the departures of notable fighters as compounding factors straining the organization. Matt Hume, a respected figure in MMA coaching and matchmaking circles, and COO John Schieler are also gone, representing a significant hollowing out of ONE's operational leadership.
The report also singles out heavyweight champion Anatoly Malykhin, advising him to seek opportunities elsewhere given the promotion's instability, though no formal departure has been announced.
Why it matters
- The simultaneous loss of three senior executives raises serious questions about ONE Championship's near-term organizational stability.
- Fighter inactivity and event cancellations, when combined with executive departures, could accelerate roster attrition as athletes explore free agency.
- Rich Franklin's exit removes a recognizable face who bridged ONE's fighter relations and public profile in the North American market.
- If champions such as Malykhin do depart, ONE's marquee divisional credibility would take a further hit at an already difficult moment.
