MMA Fighter Profile: Rich Franklin
The former UFC Middleweight champ is looking for another title shot.
In a sport that is rapidly growing in popularity Rich Franklin is one of its rising stars. In the world of Mixed Martial Arts he is known as an excellent striker.
Psalm: 144- Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight. So it says on Rich Franklin's official website, perfectly describing this mixed martial arts fighter. Franklin is known for having probably the best work ethic of any fighter, a true legend in the gym. His workouts are so intense that an ex-Navy Seal who sometimes trains with him says he has never seen anything like it. Born on October 4th, 1974 in Cincinnati, Ohio he originally set out to be a football star. Not gifted with the size to be a football star, Franklin decided to take Karate. He first learned submission fighting from instructional videos.
After watching his first UFC fights he was stunned to see that stand-up fighters could not keep the fight on its feet, so he started to train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. While he was training he had also landed a teaching job after getting his degree. After victories over Dennis Reed, Travis Fulton and Marvin Eastman he made the decision to quit his teaching job and train for MMA full-time. In this time he also met his wife who is still married to today.
After fighting in lesser known promotions like SuperBrawl and Rings USA, he finally got his chance at the bright lights of the UFC on April 25, 2003. Franklin rose to the occasion, stopping well-respected UFC veteren Evan Tanner with punches in the first round. After taking the Middleweight title with a later fight against Tanner, he was offered to be a coach on the popular Spike TV reality show "The Ultimate Fighter".
Defending his 185 pound belt at UFC 58 , fighting David Loiseau, Franklin broke his left hand in the second round and still managed to win via a unanimous five round decision. Needing surgery, Franklin took some time off and returned at UFC 64 to defend his title against a UFC newcomer Anderson Silva, who had been fighting in the rival Japanese promotion Pride. Franklin wasn't prepared for the world class Muay-Thai skills of the Brazilian. In a brutal assault, Franklin was caught many times in a Muay -Thai clinch taking an amazing amount of knees. The fight caused a nasal fracture which required Franklin to have another surgery.
With a no quit attitude he came back to perform at UFC 68 and stopped his opponent, Jason Macdonald, after Macdonald couldn't answer the bell for round 3. Franklin is still considered one of the most dangerous fighters in the world and is looking to regain his title from Silva. Franklin's next fight is on June 16 against a very strong opponent in Yushin Okami.
