Rich Franklin’s Role at ONE Championship
ONE Championship executive and former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin discussed the promotion’s U.S. event and its striking rules before ONE 168, held September 6, 2024, at Ball Arena in Denver.
Franklin on the card
The scheduled main event was a ONE bantamweight Muay Thai title fight between champion Jonathan Haggerty and Superlek Kiatmoo9. Franklin previewed the card and discussed his transition from fighting to an executive role. His pre-event interview covers those topics.
Event result
ONE 168 went ahead as scheduled. Superlek stopped Haggerty by elbow at 0:49 of round one to win the ONE bantamweight Muay Thai title. The result was a dramatic title change, not merely the striking showcase anticipated in previews. ONE’s report confirms the finish.
Franklin’s perspective
Franklin has also publicly praised ONE’s rules, judging and scoring criteria. Those statements are his view as an executive; comparisons between promotions should be attributed rather than presented as settled fact. MMA Fighting reported his comments.
The change in roles is visible in the way Franklin spoke about the card: he was previewing the matchup and explaining the promotion’s approach, not preparing to compete. Superlek’s quick finish then turned the event into a title-change story. Franklin’s comments about judging and rules should remain clearly identified as his own perspective.
Sources
Tags: MMA
