ONE Championship has dismissed three senior executives: 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 for the organization, which has been canceling events. The post suggests ONE Championship's future as a leading global MMA promotion is uncertain, citing departing fighters, inactive rosters for those who remain, executive departures, and cancelled major fights and events. The author specifically advised Anatoly Malykhin to leave the organization.
ONE Championship has parted ways with three prominent senior executives, signaling deepening organizational turbulence at the Singapore-based promotion.
The dismissed executives are Rich Franklin, vice president and former UFC middleweight champion; Matt Hume, senior vice president of competition; and John Sehler, chief operating officer. The departures follow a period of financial difficulty that has already forced the organization to cancel events, and observers have raised questions about ONE Championship's ability to maintain its standing as one of the world's premier MMA promotions.
Franklin, 51, brought considerable credibility to his executive role. The American southpaw compiled a professional record of 29-7-0 during his fighting career, standing six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach. Known as "Ace," the Team Extreme product was a reliable volume striker, averaging 4.1 significant strikes landed per minute at 44 percent accuracy, while also contributing on the ground with 1.31 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- The simultaneous loss of three senior figures leaves a significant leadership vacuum at a promotion already navigating financial headwinds.
- Canceled events and inactive rosters have frustrated fighters on the ONE Championship payroll, raising retention concerns across the roster.
- One report specifically called on heavyweight champion Anatoly Malykhin to seek opportunities elsewhere, underlining how far confidence in the promotion has eroded among those close to it.
- Hume's departure is particularly notable given his long influence over competitive matchmaking and fighter development within the organization.
The convergence of executive exits, event cancellations, and roster unrest presents ONE Championship with perhaps its most serious institutional challenge since establishing itself as a global MMA brand.
