Former UFC middleweight champion, Rich “Ace” Franklin, has confirmed that he has been in talks with ONE FC about becoming their new vice president. Franklin posted on his Facebook page that he had been talking with ONE officials and that this decision to move to the small, Singaporean, mixed martial arts promotion had been supported by UFC president Dana White and co-owner, Lorenzo Fertitta:
“I have been in talks with ONE FC about taking a job with them. They offered me a position as VP. I will be heading to ONE FC headquarters in the next few weeks to work out the details. I met with Dana and Lorenzo at the end of last year and they gave me their blessing. I will keep you posted.”
Griffin has wins over UFC legends Chuck Liddell and Ken Shamrock. He was also the last man to hold the belt before Anderson Silva began his six-and-a-half-year reign as middleweight champion.
“Ace” is also no stranger to Asia. Even before his unfortunate loss to Cung Le in Macau, he did a an interview and seminar in Taiwan. He also participated in ONE’s Asia MMA Summit last year.
With his appreciation for Asia, experience as an athlete, and status as one of the biggest names in the biggest mixed martial arts promotion in the world, Rich Franklin would be a valuable asset to ONE FC. Bringing him on board would be a brilliant business move for Victor Cui.
Fight of the Night will keep fans posted on upcoming developments on Rich Franklin and ONE FC.
