A middleweight bout that has “fun” written all over it was announced by UFC officials on Sunday evening, as former UFC champion Rich ‘Ace’ Franklin (28-6, 1NC) and former Strikeforce champ, Cung Le (7-2), have verbally agreed to meet at this July’s UFC 148 show in Las Vegas.
An official announcement for UFC 148 is expected soon.
UFC 148 is expected to take place on July 7, 2012 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is also expected to host the UFC bantamweight championship bout between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, who are both currently coaching opposite one another on “The Ultimate Fighter on FX” this season.
Franklin had shoulder surgery after suffering an injury during training. The former champ returns to middleweight for this fight after competing at light heavyweight, and 195-lbs catchweight bouts, over his last six matches. ‘Ace’ last saw action over a year ago at UFC 126, losing a decisoin to Forrest Griffin at the Vegas event. His last win was a knockout victory at UFC 115 against Chuck Liddell.
Le will look for his first Octagon victory versus Franklin after suffering a second round TKO finish at the hands of Wanderlei Silva at UFC 139 last November. It was Le’s first match in almost 17-months after taking the time off to pursue his acting career. His last fight saw him knockout Scott Smith in their rematch in June 2010 at the Fedor vs. Werdum event. The victory avenged Le’s loss to Smith in their previous bout in December 2009.