ONE Championship Vice President Rich Franklin, the MMA legend, discussed Muay Thai in ONE and admitted that it was a great idea. Muay Thai and Kickboxing were added to ONE in 2018 and at first 'Ace' was not a huge fan.
In an interview on Food Truck Diaries, hosted by Brendan Schaub on his YouTube channel, Thiccc Boy, Rich Franklin revealed his initial thoughts on Muay Thai in ONE. He said:
"That was Chatri [Sityodtong]’s idea. To be honest with you, I wasn’t a fan. We’re in this meeting and I thought ‘who wants to go to an MMA event to watch Muay Thai?’ Soon, I was watching the first event with Muay Thai in it and I was like, ‘that was good.’ But I don’t want to like it, I try to still not like it."
However, over time, ONE Championship has boasted some incredible Muay Thai fights and amazing World Champions. It is hard to imagine ONE Championship without the inclusion of fighters such as Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Stamp Fairtex, who both started in the ONE Super Series.
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ONE kickboxing and Muay Thai grew on Franklin. So much, in fact, that he wishes it was his idea. He continued:
"It was just so good, man. The Muay Thai that we do with 4oz. gloves, and then we just kept adding things. So the whole concept of it, [that was Chatri’s] brainchild. Now that it’s unfolded, I’m like, ‘ok, yeah, it was a great idea. I’d like to pretend that I was the guy [who came up with the idea with him].”
See the full interview with Rich Franklin below:
More than MMA says Rich Franklin
'Ace' Rich Franklin, the former Mixed Martial Arts World Champion, recently explained that ONE Championship is a lot more than just MMA. ONE has already introduced itself to US audiences with its event ONE on Prime Video 1, and will soon be looking to host an event on American soil.
While discussing this prospect with The Schmo, Franklin gave a heads-up to US fans on what to expect from ONE. He said:
“Over this course of time, we’ve watched ONE Championship just completely dominate that side of the globe. Now we’re here in the US, we’re introduced to the US audience, bringing a unique product that they’ve never seen before from an entertainment perspective. But it’s not just MMA, we’re talking about grappling, kickboxing, Muay Thai.”
ONE Championship will host an event on American soil in the future, likely in 2023. Fans should keep an eye out for upcoming ONE events including ONE 161 on September 29, and ONE on Prime Video 2 on September 30.
Watch the interview below: