'Rich Franklin's ONE Warrior Series' docu-series isn't 'TUF,' but it'll serve same purpose

ONE Championship official are searching for new talent, and Rich Franklin has been chosen as the head recruiter.

Officials today announced a new documentary series, “Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series,” in which former the UFC middleweight champion and ONE Championship vice president will travel throughout Asia to search for new fighters.

The series, which is expected to debut in the first quarter of 2018, will feature 30-minute episodes and include locales such as Bangkok, Manila, Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing. Chosen fighters could earn six-figure ONE Championship contracts and spots on future cards.

In each episode, Franklin, a 43-year-old fan favorite who joined the ONE Championship executive team in 2014, will check out the local culture and customs while scouting fighters (check out a trailer above).

Here are some details from the announcement:

The screening and tryouts process will consist of pad sessions, grappling demonstrations, conditioning exams, and an interview process, among others. Once selected, athletes will compete in trial exhibition bouts with a chance at earning a six-figure contract with ONE Championship based on performance.

It’s not totally unlike “The Ultimate Fighter,” the UFC’s long-run reality series that has launched the UFC careers of hundreds of fighters. Franklin actually served as a head coach on “TUF 2” (and had a short coaching stint on “TUF 11” after replacing Tito Ortiz). He also headlined the TUF 1 Finale, which proved to be on of the UFC’s most important events for MMA breaking into the mainstream.

However, unlike the tournament-based “TUF,” “Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series” is more like UFC President Dana White’s new series, “Dana White Lookin’ for a Fight,” in which the UFC executive scouts the country to recruit talent.

“Asia is the hotbed of the industry’s top martial arts prospects,” Franklin stated in the announcement. “It comes as no surprise, since martial arts has been home to the region for the past 5,000 years. Throughout my time in ONE Championship, I have been witness to some of the best martial arts talent I have ever seen. Stars today such as Angela Lee and Eduard Folayang came from the grassroots level of talent in Asia, and the next martial arts superstar is just waiting to be discovered. Follow me on this journey to showcase Asia’s greatest cultural treasure, and join me on the hunt to find ONE Championship’s new wave of superstars.”

For more on ONE Championship’s upcoming schedule, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

The Blue Corner is MMAjunkie‘s official blog and is edited by Mike Bohn.