“We’ll get there” - Rich Franklin teases list of more states to approve ONE Championship rule set

Mixed martial arts legend and ONE Championship vice president Rich Franklin tells fans they don't need to be surprised when the world's largest martial arts organization hits their area.

According to the former UFC champion, he has been hard at work getting various state athletic commissions to approve the ONE Championship rule set.

Speaking to equal legend 'Mighty Mouse' Demetrious Johnson on his Mighty Cast YouTube show, Franklin teased that ONE could appear in several states in the near future.

'Ace' said:

"We’re not in Florida yet, but we’ll get there. I have a list of about eight states that have approved the rule set."

Franklin added:

"Anytime I’m talking to somebody and if you’re a spectator watching the sport, the elephant in the room when you’re talking about fighter safety with commissions or whatever is the knees to the head of a grounded opponent. It all boils down to that."

ONE Championship made its on-ground United States debut in May 2023 with ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III on Prime Video. That event took place at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado.

The promotion then returned to Colorado in September of this year, nearly selling out the Ball Arena in Denver with ONE 168.

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Rich Franklin says ONE Championship's weight and hydration system is the safest for athletes

One major area that ONE Championship does better than every other promotion, according to Rich Franklin, is the way it conducts its weight and hydration.

ONE encourages athletes to compete at their natural walking weight, and prohibits dehydration at weigh-ins by testing urine-specific hydration gravity. This allows athletes to be at their physical best.

He added:

"And the thing about it, this is the one thing, a part of the reason why ONE Championship implemented this 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. 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."