Rich Franklin says ONE Championship’s hydration protocol is best to protect athletes

Rich Franklin | Photo by ONE Championship
Rich Franklin | Photo by ONE Championship

ONE Championship Vice President Rich Franklin recently hopped on Demetrious Johnson's podcast to discuss a slew of interesting topics.

Among those addressed was the world's largest martial arts organization's innovative weight and hydration protocols which ensure that athlete safety is of paramount importance.

Apart from making the contracted weight, ONE athletes must also pass a urine-specific gravity test, which takes into account hydration levels in the body.

Weight-cutting, of course, is a huge part of combat sports. However, some fighters have resorted to going to extremes in terms of aggressive weight-cutting, with many documented negative effects over the years.

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Rich Franklin took the time to dissect the science behind the hydration protocols, particularly when it comes to dealing with a serious problem in the fight game —career-threatening concussions.

The MMA all-time great and UFC Hall of Famer explained in an episode of MightyCast with the former ONE flyweight MMA world champion:

"A part of the reason why ONE Championship implemented this is because when it comes to concussion protocols when you dehydrate the body, the last place that rehydrates is the brain cavity. It’s one of the last places that rehydrates. So when you deplete fluid, like when you’re depleting fluid from everywhere which means you have a reduced amount of fluid in your brain."

Rich Franklin says hydrated athletes have lower chances of getting concussed

After experiencing what MMA fighters go through himself, Rich Franklin has a deep understanding of the perils that come from depleting the human body.

While getting hit certainly comes with the job, lowering the chances of fighters getting severe concussions is a big part of ONE's hydration protocols.

Apart from urging athletes to fight close to their natural weight class, it's also a game-changer when it comes to overall brain health. 'Ace' added:

"And the brain floats, it’s not attached, like it floats and that's what causes concussion. Because that brain is floating and when the skull hits it, it’s banging back and forth. Even doing that shakes your brain around."

Watch the full Mighty Cast episode featuring Rich Franklin:

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Edited by Tejas Rathi
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