Rich Franklin entered the UFC ranks as a light heavyweight prospect with a wealth of steam behind his name but little “big league” experience. After brutalizing the late, great Evan Tanner at UFC 42, Franklin’s career would change dra…
Rich Franklin entered the UFC ranks as a light heavyweight prospect with a wealth of steam behind his name but little “big league” experience. After brutalizing the late, great Evan Tanner at UFC 42, Franklin’s career would change dramatically.
In less than two weeks, “Ace” will return to the Octagon (for the 20th time) as a seasoned veteran and former champion with some amazing wins under his belt. The only major question that hangs above the head of the 38-year-old Franklin is, how much is left?
Wars with Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Forrest Griffin, Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva and YushinOkami have certainly taken there toll on Rich. A man who’s struggled to regain an identity in the sport, bouncing around from 205 pounds to 185 pounds to 195 pounds, it seems the former champion has lost his footing.
On November 10th, we’ll learn whether or not Franklin has taken strides to reinvent himself as a middleweight contender. But when facing a striker as dangerous as Cung Le, reinvention is no guarantee.
Unlike Rich, Cung Le enters this bout as a universal question mark in general. A stellar San Shou career (in which he went undefeated in 17 bouts) prepared Le for the landscape of mixed martial arts.
After bursting onto the scene in 2006, Le amassed a perfect 6-0 record before falling to Scott Smith in December of 2009. All of those bouts took place under the Strikeforce banner.
Le would bounce back and avenge the loss to Smith just six months later. Shortly thereafter, Le was recruited by UFC brass. He made his promotional debut at UFC 139 in a highly anticipated bout that saw the once beaten kickboxer challenge former Pride king, Wanderlei Silva.
For a round, things looked good for Le. But a fading gas tank enabled “The Axe Murderer” to take over the bout, eventually stopping Le with a plethora of vicious strikes (including some true vintage Wanderlei knees) before the second frame expired.
Since that bout, Le has yet again battled his way into the win column, handily outworking Patrick Cote at UFC 148. But a win over Patrick Cote isn’t a win over Rich Franklin, and to be blunt, it didn’t do too much to improve his divisional positioning.
Cung Le is still an enigma.
UFC on FUEL TV 6 offers Le a chance to change that status and bully his way into top-10 consideration once more. Toppling a former champion of Franklin’s caliber will provide a much clearer idea of the man’s capabilities.
And let’s be honest, at 40 years old, those capabilities deserve to be called into question. Le’s taken a strong fancy to the acting world (in fact, you can catch him in The Man with the Iron Fists, which opens in theaters tomorrow), and with three films shot inside this calendar year alone, one must wonder how much time he has to focus on MMA.
It’s tough to cut it as an elite mixed martial artist when all you do is eat, sleep, breathe and bleed the sport: Attempting to get a grasp on the additional challenges that come when moonlighting as an actor seems impossible.
Just the same, if Cung Le can prove that cinema hasn’t stolen his stride, and he can put Rich Franklin down and out, we’ve got a marquee name who will have reached a career pinnacle in a division with plenty of extremely relevant and intriguing matchups to be made.
For Le, it’s a chance to prove he’s capable of living up to the promise he’s long boasted. For Franklin, it’s an opportunity to remind fans that he’s one of the world’s finest competitors at 185 pounds.
A win for either man ensures more treacherous fights in the future. With Michael Bisping, Chris Weidman, Alan Belcher, Tim Boetsch and VitorBelfort clogging the contender list, there will be further “gimme fights” for either man.
The middleweight division has become a serious shark tank over the last few years. Whoever wins this bout, be it Le or Franklin, they’ll be forced to collide with the other killers who tip the scales at 185 pounds.
Interestingly enough, the loser of this match may find himself forced to tangle with the elite beasts as well. Franklin and Le put asses in seats, and that means big fights.
“I would say [my foot is] 80% now. I’ve kicked a couple of my training partners in the head, [and] it still hurt a little bit, but I’m hoping by the time the fight comes on it’ll be 100 percent…whether I’m 80 or 100, I’m gonna fight…if [this fight] wasn’t in Macau, China, I’d give myself the right amount of time so my foot could really heal…I feel like martial arts basically started from China and my roots are the Chinese martial arts, and of course the UFC needed me to fight…I was not even cleared yet, [and Dana White] was like, ‘Cung’s gonna fight.’ So, a little bit of pressure, but pressure’s good.”
“I would say [my foot is] 80% now. I’ve kicked a couple of my training partners in the head, [and] it still hurt a little bit, but I’m hoping by the time the fight comes on it’ll be 100 percent…whether I’m 80 or 100, I’m gonna fight…if [this fight] wasn’t in Macau, China, I’d give myself the right amount of time so my foot could really heal…I feel like martial arts basically started from China and my roots are the Chinese martial arts, and of course the UFC needed me to fight…I was not even cleared yet, [and Dana White] was like, ‘Cung’s gonna fight.’ So, a little bit of pressure, but pressure’s good.”
Injured foot or not, Le was the most credible option to have an Asian (preferably non-Japanese) face headline the UFC’s first show in China, so he kind of had to go through with it. But in light of his difficult recovery, the danger is that he’ll put on a lackluster performance which could turn off local fans. We touched on this a little yesterday — the UFC’s emphasis on “hometown heroes” headlining international events sounds perfectly logical, but the strategy might not be as effective as simply putting on a badass fight between exciting (and healthy) stars in the main event, no matter what part of the world they’re from.
Side note: When a fighter admits that a part of their body is “80%” before a fight, you can automatically downgrade that to like 50%, at best. If you haven’t put cash on Ace yet, you might want to consider it.
Once again, the injury bug has struck a UFC headliner. But this time, caution is being thrown to the wind as Cung Le is vowing to face Rich Franklin anyway.Under normal circumstances, this fight wouldn’t be happening.In the last year alone, several mai…
Once again, the injury bug has struck a UFC headliner. But this time, caution is being thrown to the wind as Cung Le is vowing to face Rich Franklin anyway.
Under normal circumstances, this fight wouldn’t be happening.
In the last year alone, several main-event fighters have been declared unfit to compete with ailments varying from strained elbows to torn knee ligaments. And yet, Le has spent his training camp suffering from a broken foot, meaning he’ll enter the Octagon in Macau at a distinct disadvantage.
As Le recently told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, the pain is bad enough that he regularly hurts himself practicing his signature kicks:
I’ve kicked a couple of training partners in the head and that hurt, but was OK. I’m hoping by fight time I’ll be 100 percent. Definitely, if this fight wasn’t in Macau, China, even if I was in a main event somewhere else, I’d give myself the right amount of time so my foot could really heal. I feel like martial arts basically started from China and my roots are the Chinese martial arts. This is why I do it.
With so many main events falling apart in 2012, you can bet that Dana White and the UFC brass are secretly glad that Le is “toughing it out” for the fans. And realistically, there’s nothing else that they can do but silently cross their fingers.
It’s extremely irresponsible on the part of everyone involved, and the situation drastically favors Franklin, who seems as healthy as ever.
But what choice does Zuffa have?
Regardless of the fact that the former Strikeforce middleweight champion is a South Vietnamese-born American, Le is the best draw that the UFC has for Macau right now.
With some star power generated from roles in American and Chinese films, a bronze-medal effort at the 1999 World Wushu Championships in Hong Kong, plus his track record as an undefeated kickboxing competitor, he’s pretty much the only man in the UFC who’s tailor-made to headline a card in the Chinese region.
Additionally, the MMA scene isn’t exactly brimming with Chinese talent. One-dimensional submission specialist Zhang Tiequan is the only Chinese-born fighter in the UFC roster, but limps into the bottom of the main card with a disappointing 1-3 record in his last four fights.
On paper, the rest of the night looks rather weak, a typical symptom of the UFC’s recent events. From bottom to top, the main card and preliminaries are filled with a lot of matches that seem like potential “loser-leaves-town” fights. Aside from the headliner, only Thiago Silva vs. Stanislav Nedkov and Dong Hyun Kim vs. Paulo Thiago carry any major interest.
If Le turns up injured, the UFC’s first event in the China is essentially wasted.
But for his own good, Le should’ve pulled out of the fight weeks ago.
Either way, it’s a no-win situation—and due to corporate pressure, a potential bonus check for company loyalty or perhaps just stubborn pride, the UFC is willingly letting an injured man walk into a cage to face one of the middleweight division’s most well-rounded strikers.
Le should be mindful of whether or not his decision will wind up turning his foot injury into a career-ending catastrophe. As long as he shows up to fight, it’s pretty clear that his employers aren’t terribly concerned.
[McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and FightFans Radio writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld and PC World. Talk with him on Twitter.]
Rich Franklin has given a lot to mixed martial arts.Over his 13-year career, the former UFC middleweight champion has amassed a diverse resume, stepping up to trade leather with a list of the world’s best time and time again. His journey across the spo…
Rich Franklin has given a lot to mixed martial arts.
Over his 13-year career, the former UFC middleweight champion has amassed a diverse resume, stepping up to trade leather with a list of the world’s best time and time again. His journey across the sport’s ever-changing landscape has featured numerous highs and a handful of lows, but through it all, the 38-year-old Franklin outlasted many of his contemporaries and has accomplished the difficult task of remaining relevant in sport where time is unforgiving.
Not to say there hasn’t been rough patches for the Cincinnati native. The 185-pound title he once proudly held has drifted out of reach over the past five years, but Franklin’s willingness to alter courses has kept him on the short list of “go-to-guys” when issues arise under the UFC banner.
No matter the situation, Franklin always shows up to scrap and his reputation as a class act is etched into the organization’s history.
While his career may be moving into the latter stages, “Ace” isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. After spending the past four years bouncing between light heavyweight and catchweight bouts, Franklin will return to the division he once ruled when he faces former Strikeforce champion Cung Le in the main event of UFC on Fuel 6 in Macao, China. Whether this chapter of his career is the next or the final, the former math teacher-turned-UFC champion has definitely made a lasting impression.
A Rising Star in Zuffa’s UFC
As the days of Royce Gracie and Dan Severn faded and the Zuffa takeover got underway, the organization was in desperate need of marketable stars. In order to accomplish this feat, the UFC was banking on a wave of rising talent, mixed with a batch of proven veterans, to get the brand to the next level.
In a group which included the likes of Hall of Fame fighters Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Matt Hughes and Randy Couture, Franklin helped to elevate the visibility of the organization. Much like his peers, Franklin quickly developed a reputation for putting on action-packed throwdowns as he claimed victory in seven consecutive outings, with all but one coming by way of finish.
Over this run Franklin also became the middleweight champion by defeating Evan Tanner, following it up with a brutal knockout victory at the expense of Nate Quarry at UFC 56. A straight left hand down the pipe, a dead-on connection as Quarry went stiff, and an eternal loop into the UFC’s highlight reel was made.
As the post-TUF surge hit the MMA world, Liddell, Franklin and Hughes ushered in a reign of dominant champions for the UFC. The organization’s visibility was rising at a rapid rate and the three fighters became stars in the process. In 2005 “The Iceman” was settling the opposition in style, Hughes looked untouchable and Franklin’s output overwhelmed everyone the UFC put in front of him.
Their collective successes came at a crucial time during the UFC’s growth, but unfortunately for all three champions, a new wave of superstars were hungry to get their turns. Over the next year and a half Franklin, Liddell and Hughes were dethroned and Anderson Silva, Quinton Jackson and Georges St-Pierre were crowned.
Looking For Answers
Following his loss to Silva at UFC 64, Franklin was eager to get back on track. He worked hard to earn acclaim as one of the best middleweights in the world and quickly set about regaining his momentum.
In his first outing since losing the title, Franklin battered veteran Jason MacDonald for two rounds causing “The Athlete’s” corner to stop the fight before the start of the third. The win reinvigorated the former champion and earned Franklin a slot in a title eliminator bout with Yushin Okami.
He would also find success against Okami as he brought “Thunder’s” six fight win streak to a halt at UFC 72. Following back-to-back victories, the UFC gave Franklin the opportunity he had been asking for, as a rematch with Silva was scheduled for UFC 77 in his hometown of Cincinnati.
In the first fight, Silva mauled Franklin in the clinch, as he landed devastating knees at will. For the second go-round, Franklin knew it was a situation he had to avoid, but once the action got underway, “The Spider’s” muay Thai was simply too much. Franklin once again found himself on the business end of another brilliant Silva performance and, following a second loss to the current champion, suddenly found himself on the outside looking in at a division he once ruled.
Franklin would compete once more at 185 pounds in a fight where he bested Travis Lutter at UFC 83. Despite the victory, Franklin realized the sea change of the division had already taken place, and having already competed numerous times at light heavyweight, decided to try his hand in a new weight class.
At the expense of training partner and friend Matt Hamill, Franklin made a strong statement in his new division when he slammed a body kick into the TUF alum’s liver, resulting in a fight-ending TKO.
Legends Collide and the Birth of the “Fun Fight”
The victory over Hamill was a solid notch in the win column but an increase in divisional depth meant Franklin was going to have to knock off a few more contenders before getting a title shot. At this time the light heavyweight title was on a merry-go-round as “Rampage” Jackson, Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans all took turns holding the strap, with only Jackson successfully defending the belt on at least one occasion.
In his next outing, Franklin was matched up with former Pride two-divisional champion Dan Henderson at UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland. The bout was an interesting pairing, as both men had risen to prominence at similar times but in separate organizations. Henderson’s arrival in the UFC following Zuffa’s purchase of the Pride organization was highly touted, but after coming up short in two out of three outings under the UFC banner, the buzz around the former Olympian Henderson began to slide.
That being the case, Franklin versus Henderson still had all the makings for fireworks, as both brought proven power into the Octagon. Despite being rocked early and out-wrestled for the most of the first two rounds, Franklin’s cardio came through in the third as he poured it on as the fight came to a close. But the late effort wasn’t enough to change the tide on the judges’ cards and Franklin came out on the losing end of a split-decision.
The bout with Henderson kicked off a four-fight run where Franklin would face fellow legends of the sport. With none of the fights having title or even contender implications, Franklin suddenly found himself as the go-to-guy for fan-friendly matchups.
With each of his next three fights headlining a pay-per-view card, Franklin’s place as one of the organization’s cornerstones became crystal clear. He found victory in two out of three showings, earning a unanimous decision nod in a war with Wanderlei Silva, getting stopped via TKO against Vitor Belfort, and knocking out former champion Chuck Liddell at UFC 115. The bout with the former 205-pound king was another example of Franklin’s willingness to come to the rescue.
When Ortiz was forced to withdraw from the trilogy bout with Liddell due to a neck injury, the UFC called on Franklin to step in. It was an important bout for both fighters as Liddell was desperate to prove he still belonged in the UFC and Franklin was looking to bounce back from the loss to Belfort.
While Liddell looked strong throughout the opening round, he was caught in an over-aggressive charge late in the frame and Franklin scored the knockout victory. The defeat would mark the final appearance for Liddell inside the Octagon as he suffered losses in five of his last six outings. It was an end of an era for the future UFC Hall of Famer, and despite being injured in victory, Franklin marched on.
The Next Chapter
The bout with Liddell would be his only appearance in 2010 and a throwdown with another former champion, Forrest Griffin, his only fight in 2011. Several surgeries kept Franklin on the shelf for a lengthy stretch but when the main event collapsed at UFC 147 in Brazil, the promotion once again came to call. Franklin would return for another dust-up with Wanderlei Silva. Much like the first fight it was a back-and-forth scrap, with “Ace” claiming the unanimous decision victory in the end.
Over the past few years he has voiced his intentions to make one more run toward title contention. Whether this will come to pass remains uncertain, but the one guarantee will be Franklin’s unique drive and preparation that put him in the position to give his best. He is a notorious gym rat a legendary training regiment, and an impressive body of work that has entertained MMA fans for over a decade.
The sport he helped build will continue to evolve, and Franklin will give his all to stay stride for stride with the process. When the time comes where he can’t keep up with the opposition, then it will be a decision he has to make. Until then, he is a man who never fails to deliver an exciting fight, and no matter the time or circumstance, Franklin is always a fighter that can be counted on.
It is what he does and he’s done it well for a long time.
I wonder if cultural factors are at work here. Keep in mind that I’m completely talking out of my ass, but maybe the local Chinese audience would be turned off by two fighters acting like conceited assholes, as we expect our fighters to act during pre-fight promos. That could be a stretch, but it’s worth noting that the promo also describes Le as a “kung fu master,” when his background is actually in Taekwondo, wrestling, and Sanda/Sanshou (which only has a loose connection to kung fu), so I think there might be a little pandering going on here.
And I’m going to let you in on another secret: Cung Le? Vietnamese, not Chinese. I’m just saying. Follow the money.
The current lineup for “UFC on FUEL TV 6: Franklin vs. Le” is after the jump.
I wonder if cultural factors are at work here. Keep in mind that I’m completely talking out of my ass, but maybe the local Chinese audience would be turned off by two fighters acting like conceited assholes, as we expect our fighters to act during pre-fight promos. That could be a stretch, but it’s worth noting that the promo also describes Le as a “kung fu master,” when his background is actually in Taekwondo, wrestling, and Sanda/Sanshou (which only has a loose connection to kung fu), so I think there might be a little pandering going on here.
And I’m going to let you in on another secret: Cung Le? Vietnamese, not Chinese. I’m just saying. Follow the money.
The current lineup for “UFC on FUEL TV 6: Franklin vs. Le” is after the jump.
MAIN CARD
Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le
Dong Hyun Kim vs. Paulo Thiago
Tiequan Zhang vs. Jon Tuck
Thiago Silva vs. Stanislav Nedkov
Takanori Gomi vs. Mac Danzig
Alex Caceres vs. Kyung Ho Kang
PRELIMINARY CARD
John Lineker vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani
Tom DeBlass vs. Riki Fukuda
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Jeff Hougland
David Mitchell vs. Hyun Gyu Lim
UFC 64 was aptly named “Unstoppable.” Anderson Silva would become unstoppable after walking through the very good middleweight champion Rich Franklin.Silva entered the contest as a relative unknown to MMA fans despite having a good career international…
UFC 64 was aptly named “Unstoppable.” Anderson Silva would become unstoppable after walking through the very good middleweight champion Rich Franklin.
Silva entered the contest as a relative unknown to MMA fans despite having a good career internationally and wrecking Chris Leben in his UFC debut.
It wouldn’t take long for fans to realize the immense talent possessed by “The Spider.” It took barely three minutes for Silva to assume the mantle of champion.
Since defeating Franklin, Silva has become one of the best fighters in the history of MMA and continues to set numerous UFC records in the process. The fact that he’s gone undefeated throughout his entire UFC tenure is an outstanding feat.
Just think of some of the names Silva has had to overcome. Guys like ChaelSonnen, VitorBelfort, Dan Henderson and Forrest Griffin among others all fell to the champion Silva. “The Spider” has had a few throwaway fights like those against Thales Leites and Demian Maia. Silva was so much better than his competition that he basically took 25 minutes to clown around like it was Monday evening sparring practice.
He’s also had some amazing performances like the ones against Sonnen and Griffin. Silva came back from the brink of defeat at UFC 117 to submit Sonnen with a miraculous triangle attempt. Against Griffin, Silva utilized his physical gifts to avoid every strike thrown at him and dropped the former UFC light heavyweight champion multiple times.
The list of accomplishments are almost as long as the man’s record. He’s done it all in MMA, yet he continues to amaze us each time he steps into the Octagon. UFC 153 looks to provide another “Oh s***!” moment courtesy of the UFC middleweight champ.
Rich Franklin entered the UFC ranks as a light heavyweight prospect with a wealth of steam behind his name but little “big league” experience. After brutalizing the late, great Evan Tanner at UFC 42, Franklin’s career would change dramatically.