ONE Championship has seen the departure of three senior figures: Vice President Rich Franklin, Senior Vice President of Competition Matt Hume, and Chief Operating Officer John Scheler. These changes represent a substantial restructuring at the top of the promotion, occurring in the wake of financial difficulties, event cancellations, and internal organizational adjustments.
Rich Franklin, Matt Hume, and John Scheler Depart ONE Championship
Rich Franklin joined ONE Championship as Vice President in May 2014, transitioning to an executive role after a notable MMA career that included a UFC middleweight title reign and victories over prominent fighters. Prior to his tenure at ONE, he advised the UFC’s leadership. For a decade, Franklin was instrumental in ONE’s expansion efforts in the United States, working with sports commissions to gain approval for the promotion’s unique ruleset. He also led the ONE Warrior Series, a talent development program that introduced fighters like Stamp Fairtex to the main roster. As recently as early 2025, Franklin was actively discussing plans for U.S. events and the growth of ONE’s presence in America.
Matt Hume was among the founding members of ONE, initially serving as Chief Official and head referee before moving into an executive position in 2012 as Vice President of Operations and Competition. His responsibilities included matchmaking, talent acquisition, and the oversight of ONE’s rules and regulations. Hume had a pre-existing relationship with Rich Franklin, having previously coached him. Hume’s tenure was not without criticism; in 2025, manager Ali Abdelaziz publicly accused him of negatively impacting fighters’ careers, and former champion Arjan Bhullar also voiced dissatisfaction with his practices on social media. Hume was one of the longest-serving executives at ONE, with a tenure spanning over 13 years.
John Scheler joined ONE in July 2020 as Senior Vice President of Events and Production Development, later being promoted to Chief Operating Officer in March 2022. His previous experience includes senior strategy and operations roles at the XFL and WWE, and he served as a captain in the Marine Corps before his career in sports.
ONE Championship has been facing significant financial headwinds, reporting a substantial consolidated loss of $90 million in 2023 and cumulative deficits exceeding $530 million since its inception in 2011. While recent financials for FY2024 indicated some surface-level improvement, approximately 93% of broadcast revenue was non-cash, leaving actual cash revenue for the year at an estimated $19.5 million, barely covering operational expenses. The promotion had a cash reserve of only $16 million at the close of 2024.
This latest wave of departures follows previous layoffs. In October 2024, ONE reduced its workforce by “a few dozen” employees across various departments, including its Singapore headquarters, as part of a strategy to achieve profitability. These cuts affected staff in broadcast, e-sports, finance, marketing, and public relations. Additionally, ONE Esports, the company’s gaming division, significantly reduced its staff in early 2025.
On the events front, ONE cancelled its planned return to Denver, Colorado, which had already been rescheduled once. The event was quietly removed from the website, alongside the discontinuation of the women’s strawweight MMA division and the release of its champion, Xiong Jingnan. ONE had only hosted two U.S. events since its American debut in 2023, both in Colorado. Reports indicate that Amazon Prime Video, which broadcast ONE’s Fight Night series in the U.S., did not renew its broadcast deal beyond 2025.
The recent executive departures align with a pattern observed over the past several years. In early 2024, reports emerged of the company losing three senior C-suite executives within a three-month period, with no apparent plans to fill those positions. In mid-2025, ONE relocated its global production hub from Singapore to Bangkok to centralize operations and reduce costs. The promotion has also experienced strained fighter relations, with former champions publicly requesting release from their contracts and one fighter initiating legal action for breach of contract.
Rich Franklin had consistently expressed enthusiasm for ONE’s U.S. ambitions until early 2025, viewing his work in securing approvals for the promotion’s ruleset from American commissions as a personal achievement. As of this report, neither Franklin, Hume, nor Scheler has issued a public statement regarding their departures.