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Exclusive: Rich Franklin on Muay Thai, Adrian Lee, "Dark Horse" Fight at ONE 168

The UFC Hall of Famer and ONE Championsip Vice President spoke to MMA KO ahead of ONE 168.

Drew Beaupre

(ONE Championship)

Rich Franklin etched his name in MMA history during a decorated fighting career that saw him reign as UFC Middleweight Champion and join the promotion's Hall of Fame in 2019. Even though his own fighting days have ended, “Ace” continues to influence the landscape of combat sports as Vice President of ONE Championship.

Ahead of a stacked ONE 168 card set to take place at Ball Arena in Denver, CO on September 6, MMA KO’s Drew Beaupré spoke to Franklin about everything from his "dark horse" matchup at ONE 168 to what he's learned as a former fighter now operating in an executive role.

Bringing ONE Championship Muay Thai To Denver

One of ONE Championship’s defining characteristics is the wide range of combat sports showcased on any given fight card, and a number of the promotion's athletes have taken full advantage of that by competing across multiple disciplines.

With five 4 oz. Muay Thai bouts scheduled for ONE 168 (including the main event between ONE Bantamweight Champion Jonathan Haggerty and Superlek), Franklin is excited for fans in Denver to see striking at the absolute highest level.

“Putting Muay Thai at the top of the bill – it’s just a matter of time, in my opinion, until our Muay Thai product really takes off here in the U.S. Classically, America has not been a kickboxing, Muay Thai, standup arts – other than boxing, for that matter. But the Muay Thai that we do is done in the 4 oz. gloves…I like to think of it as all the best standup parts of MMA, just without the grappling. So for the fans of mixed martial arts that maybe don’t care as much for the grappling, I believe that that product will appeal to them.”

Exclusive: Liam Harrison Promises "Ridiculous Fight" in Return at ONE 168

"I Like Being Part Of That Piece Of History"

MMA has come a long way since Franklin made his pro debut in 1999. When asked if he ever wishes he could have competed in the current era, “Ace” indicated he’s happy to have played a huge role in helping the sport develop during his own career.

Exclusive: Rich Franklin on Muay Thai, Adrian Lee, "Dark Horse" Fight at ONE 168
October 20, 2007; CIncinnati, OH, USA; UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (black) and Rich Franklin (orange) face off in their 5 round bout at the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati, OH. / Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

“I think about that all the time. Obviously, like pay has gone up in mixed martial arts, particularly on the top end. But I really like the era in which I competed in MMA. You look at the early days, and initially this was like boxing vs. jiu-jitsu and karate vs. judo, and so on and so forth it went. And then my generation was really that first generation of true mixed martial artists that came through at the point in time. And so I like being part of that piece of history, and now being on this side of things.”

Franklin's Advice To Young Fighters

There certainly wasn’t any sort of blueprint for achieving stardom in MMA when Franklin first began his career, and his current role as Vice President of ONE Championship has given him some unique insight into all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into building a fighter's profile.

“It’s interesting the perspective though that you gain, that way you perceive a business as an athlete and then the way you actually – like what you see happens as an executive… It does definitely give me perspective. Fortunately for me, when – and this is just, for any of the listeners that are competing, young listeners - it’s like, if you’re trying to make your way, and even when you’re in an organization like ONE Championship and you may be at entry level on the roster, do every bit of media that you can possibly do. Because that’s what’s going to establish your brand, so to speak, later on in your career.”

Adrian Lee's Return At ONE 168

ONE 168 is loaded with intriguing fights, and one of the biggest storylines heading into the card is Adrian Lee competing in his second pro bout against Nico Cornejo.

“The Phenom” is the latest member of the Lee family to make major waves in combat sports, and Franklin noted that Adrian’s debut performance was reminiscent of watching his older brother - ONE Championship two-division titleholder Christian Lee.

Exclusive: Rich Franklin on Muay Thai, Adrian Lee, "Dark Horse" Fight at ONE 168
Adrian Lee made his pro debut at ONE 167. / (ONE Championship)

"When Adrian Lee fought, I thought I was watching Christian. They’re just clearly cut from the same cloth…You see that way that he just seamlessly transitions from one thing to the next. And you see that kind of flow, and that’s the potential. I think that when you see someone like Adrian Lee and if you fast forward learning how to take his ability to just maneuver through this but then also learn how to manage like a pacing and things like that. There are tools that come with experience.”

Lee’s highly-anticipated pro debut at ONE 167 saw the "The Phenom" submit Antonio Mammarella in the second round, and the impressive victory was exactly what Franklin expected to see after scouting his previous fights.

“I wasn’t surprised. I had to do my research on him for that commentary work, so when he – like I saw a couple of his fights that were the pro-ams that he did, and I was like ‘Yeah, if this was a little grainier, I would swear it was his brother fighting.’ So I knew exactly what was gonna happen.”

18-Year-Old Phenom Adrian Lee Dazzles in Pro MMA Debut at ONE 167

"You're Not Gonna Be Disappointed"

Even after losing huge matchups between Jingnan Xiong and Stamp Fairtex as well as Kade Ruotolo vs. Mikey Musumeci, ONE 168 is still loaded with fights that promise fireworks.

With so much to draw fans in on September 6, Franklin made his pick for a “dark horse” matchup that may be flying under the radar and promised combat sports fans an incredible night of action.

“I think my pick of the night for my MMA fights is gonna be the Maurice Abévi/Samat Mamedov fight. Because Abévi style is just very unorthodox, he is fearless. Like he’s intrepid, particularly when it comes to taking risks. So that’s my dark horse fight and one that might be overlooked by the media or whatever. I think that’s one gonna be very entertaining on the MMA side.”

“This card - we have everything from MMA, submission grappling to Muay Thai. And if you’re unfamiliar with ONE and you’ve never seen the Muay Thai product, tune in and check it out. Because you’re not gonna be disappointed. It’s all the good standup of MMA, but without the grappling… So it’s gonna be a fun card – this is one of those cards that when you’re done watching it, you’re just gonna be like ‘Man, this was an amazing card. How’d they do it again?’”

ONE 168 takes place at Ball Arena in Denver, CO on Friday, September 6. Fans in the United States and Canada can catch the action on Prime Video, while viewers in the UK can watch the event on Sky Sports.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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