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Rich Franklin Bio
Rich Jay Franklin II (born October 5, 1974) is an American mixed martial artist and former UFC Middleweight Champion.
Background
Franklin was born to Richard Sr. and Vaila Franklin. The couple divorced when Rich was five years old. He has one biological brother, Greg, and five step-siblings.
Prior to becoming a full time MMA fighter, Franklin graduated from William Henry Harrison High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics and later earned a master's degree in education at the University of Cincinnati, and taught mathematics at the Oak Hills High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Franklin and American Fighter President Jeff Adler created The Keep It In The Ring Foundation to advocate non-violence and build character in youth. This is done through after school sports, martial arts and life skills programs. His nickname "Ace" comes from his resemblance to Jim Carrey, who played the character Ace Ventura. Joe Rogan once called him "An angry Jim Carrey". Franklin made his acting debut in a film called Cyborg Soldier where he plays an escaped super soldier and partners with Tiffani Thiessen.
Franklin is a born-again Christian and quotes Psalm 144:1 on his webpage and fighter gear. February 21, 2006, was officially named "Rich Franklin Day" in Cincinnati by the city's mayor.
Martial arts background
According to Rich, he first learned submission fighting from instructional video tapes. He has been associated with and trained with Meat Truck Inc. and currently trains at facilities run by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Jorge Gurgel, (New Generation Martial Arts); Neal Rowe, a Muay Thai instructor (Sacan Martial Arts); and Rob Radford, a boxing instructor (Boxing 4 Fitness). Franklin is currently ranked as a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Jorge Gurgel. Since losing his title to Anderson Silva, Franklin has started training under Matt "The Wizard" Hume.
UFC career
Middleweight title
Franklin began his UFC career with a perfect 3-0 start, including a victory over skilled MMA veteran Evan Tanner at UFC 42.
On April 5, 2005, Franklin fought in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale, which was the first live UFC card on free cable TV. He faced former UFC champion Ken Shamrock and won the fight via TKO due to strikes. Franklin was highly impressive in this fight as he was able to knock Shamrock out, something that no one else had done to that point in Shamrock's career. Franklin's win over a mixed martial arts icon like Shamrock propelled him into UFC stardom and established him as one of the organization's biggest stars. The win over Shamrock also ensured a title opportunity for Franklin.
This title shot came at UFC 53 on June 5, 2005. Franklin defeated Evan Tanner for a second time to win the UFC Middleweight Championship. The victory led to him being a coach (along with welterweight champion Matt Hughes) on the second season of The Ultimate Fighter.
At UFC 56 on November 19, 2005, Franklin defended his title against Nate Quarry, a competitor from season 1 of The Ultimate Fighter. Franklin won the fight via knockout in the first round.
At UFC 58 on March 4, 2006, Franklin defeated David Loiseau in a unanimous five round decision to retain his title. Franklin broke his left hand early on in the second round. The injury required surgery, including a metal plate and screws and Franklin was out of action for six months.
Losing the title
At UFC 64 on October 14, 2006, Franklin lost his title on his return fight after being defeated by Anderson Silva. The fight was stopped at 2:49 of the first round after Franklin received a knee to the face. Franklin, who was considered by many to be the favourite coming into the bout, was caught in a clinch by the Brazilian, with Silva delivering a flurry of knees and kicks that rendered the champion unconscious. On October 19, Franklin underwent surgery due to the nasal fracture he received during the fight.
Franklin made his return at UFC 68 against Jason MacDonald. Franklin showed superior striking during the fight, and mounted MacDonald in the closing seconds of the second round, causing significant injury and swelling around MacDonald's left eye. MacDonald's corner advised ending the fight and Franklin was declared the winner by TKO (corner stoppage) between rounds. After the fight Franklin called Anderson Silva to the Octagon and said that he and Dana White had agreed to a fight for the title in Franklin's hometown of Cincinnati.
In a bout that would determine the top contender in the middleweight division, Franklin fought world ranked Yushin Okami at UFC 72 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Franklin defeated the top middleweight contender by unanimous decision to be officially announced as the number one contender for Silva's middleweight championship. The bout was only Franklin's second overall fight that went the full distance (due to being a non-title fight, it was three rounds). All three judges scored the bout 29–28 to Franklin. Franklin also became the first person to main event a UFC card in Northern Ireland.
Franklin fought Silva for a second time at UFC 77 on October 20, 2007. Prior to the bout, he had recently signed a new six-fight contract with the UFC. Much like their first fight, Silva was able to effectively neutralise Franklin in the clinch, eventually defeating the former champion via TKO (knees) at 1:07 in the second round.
After Rich's second loss to Anderson, he began making regular trips to Seattle, WA to train with Matt Hume of AMC Pankration and Joel Jamieson of 8WeeksOut and trained with both of them to prepare for UFC 83, where Franklin faced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Travis Lutter. During the bout Lutter was able to secure a tight high-level armbar, though Franklin was able to escape the hold and go on to win the bout via TKO (strikes) at 3:01 of Round 2. At UFC 88, Franklin made his return to the light heavyweight division against close friend and training partner Matt Hamill. Franklin won by TKO following a kick to the liver which prompted the referee to call a stop to the fight at 0:39 in round 3.
Franklin met with former PRIDE Fighting Championships welterweight and middleweight champion Dan Henderson at UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland. In a closely contested fight, Franklin ultimately lost by controversial split decision. The winner would gain the opportunity to coach Team USA on Season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter. Franklin became the first person to main event a UFC show in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
At UFC 99 in Cologne, Germany, Franklin defeated former PRIDE middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva via unanimous decision at a catchweight of 195 lbs. Franklin became the first person in UFC history to fight in four different countries, in four consecutive fights.
In another catchweight contest, Rich lost to former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort at UFC 103. This was Belfort's first bout in the UFC since February, 2005. After a lengthy feeling-out process, Belfort connected with a left hook that dropped Franklin, following up with a flurry of left hands that ended the contest via TKO at 3:02 in the first round.
Move to Light Heavyweight
Franklin was rumoured to face multiple-time UFC champion Randy Couture at UFC 115. After contrasting reports on who would be his opponent, Franklin eventually was confirmed to face long-time light heavyweight champion and UFC Hall of Fame inductee Chuck Liddell on June 12, 2010, following the withdrawal of Liddell's original opponent, Tito Ortiz. During the contest, Liddell showed improved striking from that seen in his recent fights, showing more proficient kicks. In the final seconds the opening round, Liddell connected with a head kick and moved forward to attack an arguably stunned Franklin, only to be knocked out by a compact counter right hand at 4:55 of round 1. During the post-fight press conference, Franklin confirmed that his left forearm had been broken by a head kick Liddell threw during the middle of the round. Fortunately, however, the forearm would not need surgery, allowing Franklin to recover faster.
Franklin faced former Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin on February 5, 2011 at UFC 126. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Franklin was scheduled to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 133 on August 6, 2011 in Philadelphia. Nogueira was forced out of the bout due to a shoulder injury. Unable to find a suitable replacement on short notice, the UFC pulled Franklin from the card as well.
Franklin was expected to be out for two to three months due to the tearing of his labrum that happened during grappling practice, However Franklin is now expected to return in the late summer of 2012 after having surgery on his injured shoulder.
Return to Middleweight
Franklin is now expected to return to middleweight with a bout against Cung Le at UFC 148.
Personal life
Rich has a wife named Beth who is a former English teacher at Reading High School.
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Middleweight Championship (One time)
- Two successful title defenses
- Knockout of the Night (One time) vs. Chuck Liddell
- Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Wanderlei Silva
Mixed martial arts record
See also
- List of current UFC fighters
External links
- Official website
- Team American Fighter official Myspace
- 8weeksout.com
- Official UFC Profile
MMA Shirts
