Rich Franklin on ONE 167 & If Anatoly Malykhin Could Defeat Jon ...

Later tonight, ONE Championship embarks on an incredibly important summer.

That begins with ONE 167 on Prime Video, which features the MMA debut of Kade Ruotolo–as well as matchups that include Rodtang, Mikey Musumeci, and Adrian Lee. The main event is a featherweight Muay Thai bout pitting Tawanchai against Jo Nattawut, with Nattawut seeking to avenge his loss a year ago to Tawanchai.

ONE Vice President Rich Franklin, who fight fans know well from his Hall of Fame run in the UFC, is on the broadcast for tonight’s ONE 167 card. He connected with Sports Illustrated to discuss ONE 167, as well as the upcoming ONE cards in America that will take place in Denver this September and then in November in Atlanta.

Justin Barrasso: Kade Ruotolo is making his MMA debut at ONE 167 in a bout against Blake Cooper. This is a jump from jiu-jitsu. Do you think Kade’s transition to MMA is going to be successful?

Rich Franklin: When you look at Kade as a grappler, he’s in a completely different class of grappler. Kade and his twin brother Tye, they’re super explosive. Kade isn’t a typical wrestler that stands in front of somebody to set up a takedown. He’ll pick an ankle just to get you off-balance, and that’s all he needs–he’ll jump on your back. He’s not a traditional wrestler or a traditional grappler. It’s as if Kade is in constant transition when he’s grappling, and it’s hard to get a beat on someone like that. Kade isn’t going to stand in front of Blake Cooper. I think he’s going to close the distance very quickly, and he can dominate the clinch.

When I think of Kade in MMA, Garry Tonon comes to mind. His grappling is so good that he’s confident to do things others wouldn’t be confident or capable of doing in the cage. I don’t know if Cooper has ever grappled with someone like this. Cooper does have a heavy right hand. Will Kade perform with punches coming at him? Or will he have a gun-shy approach the way grapplers do their first-time transitioning over to MMA?

Barrasso: In terms of what we’ll see at ONE 167, what are the biggest differences from last week’s UFC 302 card?

[Editor’s note: This interview took place before the Liam Harrison-Katsuki Kitano bout was removed from the card after both athletes missed weight and could not come to terms on a catchweight.]

Franklin: Our ruleset is really designed for people to finish matches. That’s why I believe we have such a high finish rate. Our global ruleset looks at the entire match and judges it in its entirety. There is no such thing as stealing a round with a takedown. We have very clean judging criteria, set up to push a fighter to finish a fight. And when you look at some of these matchups, like Mikey [Musumeci] and Gabriel Sousa, whether this goes the distance or someone gets caught in a submission, that match will be very dynamic, particularly with the history of Sousa beating Mikey.

Tawanchai and Jo Nattawut, they’re in a rematch for gold. This is a five-rounder, and from bell-to-bell, they’re going to push the pace. Rodtang and Denis Purić, that’s two rams colliding. So back to your original question, when you combine our ruleset with these athletes, there are going to be some incredible matchups.

Barrasso: If you loved Dustin Poirier-Islam Makhachev this past Saturday, what’s a ONE 167 fight you think will resonate with fight fans?

Franklin: As the American audience becomes more and more familiar with ONE’s product, our Muay Thai fights with MMA gloves are really going to resonate.

Historically, when you watch MMA and an MMA fight goes to the ground, a lot of fans check out. When two people are on their feet throwing strikes, everyone understands it–that’s a fight. You don’t need to know the nuances like with submissions or positions, it’s about who lands the best punches. Our level of strikers in Muay Thai is excellent, and more exciting than anything you’ll see in MMA. It’s MMA without any of the grappling. It’s the perfect sport for the American audience.

Tawanchai and Jo Nattawut, that’s really going to resonate. Kade Ruotolo is going to be exciting to watch. We haven’t even mentioned Sitthichai against Masaaki Noiri. This card, from top to bottom, is stacked with great matchups.

Barrasso: ONE 167 features Adrian Lee, who will make his professional debut against Antonio Mammarella at ONE 167. Is this an indication we will see Christian Lee compete this year, possibly in America?

Franklin: There’s a lot to look forward to. Adrian is making his debut and Christian is coming back this year, and that’s a huge story American fans will jump all over if he returns to fight in America.

Barrasso: Anatoly Malykhin is another ONE star who would be an outstanding fit for either of the U.S. cards. Incredibly, he is undefeated–and the reigning ONE heavyweight, light heavyweight, and middleweight champion. Could he beat Jon Jones?

Franklin: Could Malykhin beat Jon Jones? For sure, I believe he could. I’m not saying he’d walk through him, I’m not making that kind of statement. I’m saying Malykhin is on the level, and it would be an amazing fight to watch.

Barrasso: Is there a good possibility we see Anatoly Malykhin on one of the two U.S. cards this year?

Franklin: The American audience gravitates to the heavyweights, so it would be spectacular. My fingers are crossed it happens. The American audience will cling to Anatoly Malykhin. He has superstar capability.

Barrasso: Does Malykhin remind you of anyone? Perhaps shades of Chuck Liddell?

Franklin: Chuck makes the most sense. He’s a great striker with heavy hands, but he was also a really good wrestler. Chuck didn’t take guys down a lot, but he used wrestling defensively to stop you from taking him down. Look at fights against Randy or Tito, two guys who depended heavily on their wrestling. Chuck would stop the takedown. Anatoly, strategically, fights the same. Like Chuck, Anatoly has good topside pressure. It would be a nightmare to have him on top of you. You have to put him on his back. And I don’t see anyone putting him on his back.

Barrasso: What should fight fans expect at ONE 167?

Franklin: The pacing of the show is quick. We go from one fight to the next pretty quickly. It’s not like boxing where the card drags. This is going to deliver. If you’re a combat sports fan, you’ll be a ONE fan by the end of the night.