Tag: rich franklin

Wednesday Morning MMA Link Club


(Meredith DiVita, the 10th hottest MMA chick of 2010, is back with a new Knoxx Gear photo shoot. For more pics of Meredith, check out her public Facebook page and KNOXXlifestyle.)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

– BJ Penn: The UFC Forced Me to Say Things About Nick Diaz (MMA Mania)

– Jason “Mayhem” Miller Explains Alleged Assault on Sister (5thRound)

– The Truth About Fighters and Sponsors (MMA Fighting)

– Strikeforce Ratings Way Down for ‘Barnett vs. Kharitonov’ (MMA Payout)

– Roger Ebert Reviews New MMA Movie, “Warrior” (TheFightNerd)

– Rich Franklin Done for 2011 With Torn Shoulder Labrum (Five Ounces of Pain)

– Photo Report: Alexander Shlemenko Training With Michael Bisping for Bellator 50 (LowKick)

– Rampage Jackson Wants His UFC/PRIDE Unified Light Heavyweight Belt Back (MMA Convert)

– Power Ranking Every Upcoming UFC Event (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

– Well at Least Kimbo Slice Has No Problem Attracting the Opposite Sex (MiddleEasy)

– Kurt Angle Explains Why Imitating Fedor Is Impossible (FightOpinion)

– Strikeforce Heavyweight Semifinals Recap With ‘Big’ John McCarthy and Lloyd Irvin (NBC Sports MMA)


(Meredith DiVita, the 10th hottest MMA chick of 2010, is back with a new Knoxx Gear photo shoot. For more pics of Meredith, check out her public Facebook page and KNOXXlifestyle.)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

– BJ Penn: The UFC Forced Me to Say Things About Nick Diaz (MMA Mania)

– Jason “Mayhem” Miller Explains Alleged Assault on Sister (5thRound)

– The Truth About Fighters and Sponsors (MMA Fighting)

– Strikeforce Ratings Way Down for ‘Barnett vs. Kharitonov’ (MMA Payout)

– Roger Ebert Reviews New MMA Movie, “Warrior” (TheFightNerd)

– Rich Franklin Done for 2011 With Torn Shoulder Labrum (Five Ounces of Pain)

– Photo Report: Alexander Shlemenko Training With Michael Bisping for Bellator 50 (LowKick)

– Rampage Jackson Wants His UFC/PRIDE Unified Light Heavyweight Belt Back (MMA Convert)

– Power Ranking Every Upcoming UFC Event (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

– Well at Least Kimbo Slice Has No Problem Attracting the Opposite Sex (MiddleEasy)

– Kurt Angle Explains Why Imitating Fedor Is Impossible (FightOpinion)

– Strikeforce Heavyweight Semifinals Recap With ‘Big’ John McCarthy and Lloyd Irvin (NBC Sports MMA)

Koscheck Asked For Silva, Franklin or Leben for Return Bout, Got Hughes Instead


(…and THAT’S what the Kos has cookin’.”

When Josh Koscheck mentioned back in July that he was interested in taking at least one fight at 185, speculation ran rampant about who the American Kickboxing Academy fighter wanted to face. We reported that there were early discussions with the UFC and Chris Leben’s camp for the two The Ultimate Fighter nemeses to square off at UFC 138 in San Jose, but the fight never materialized for various reasons and now Koscheck is slated to face former UFC welterweight champ Matt Hughes at UFC 135 on September 24 as a last-minute replacement for Diego Sanchez.

According to Kos, he asked for either Leben, Rich Franklin or Wanderlei Silva for his first bout back since losing to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 124. A broken orbital bone he suffered in the opening minutes of the bout required surgery and left him sidelined for the better part of the past year. The reason for the jump back up to middleweight — the class he competed in on The Ultimate Fighter — he says was because anyone of relevance in his own weight class was already tied up.


(…and THAT’S what the Kos has cookin’.”

When Josh Koscheck mentioned back in July that he was interested in taking at least one fight at 185, speculation ran rampant about who the American Kickboxing Academy fighter wanted to face. We reported that there were early discussions with the UFC and Chris Leben’s camp for the two The Ultimate Fighter nemeses to square off at UFC 138 in San Jose, but the fight never materialized for various reasons and now Koscheck is slated to face former UFC welterweight champ Matt Hughes at UFC 135 on September 24 as a last-minute replacement for Diego Sanchez.

According to Kos, he asked for either Leben, Rich Franklin or Wanderlei Silva for his first bout back since losing to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 124. A broken orbital bone he suffered in the opening minutes of the bout required surgery and left him sidelined for the better part of the past year. The reason for the jump back up to middleweight — the class he competed in on The Ultimate Fighter — he says was because anyone of relevance in his own weight class was already tied up.

“You probably saw that I was considering going to middleweight, and the reason I wanted to fight at middleweight was everyone at 170 pounds who meant anything was already locked up with a fight.To be honest, and mentioning no names, the people the UFC wanted me to fight just didn’t interest me at all. The names they offered me were just “paydays” — fights to get on a card and have a fight, take a shower get a payday and go home and I don’t want to fight those guys,” Koscheck explained on his first TUF 14 blog for Sportsnet.ca. “After the GSP fight, I needed to come back and remind everyone what I am all about and if I couldn’t do that at 170 pounds I figured maybe as a one-off just to have a major fight to come back with, I’d take a fight at 185 pounds. Realistically, I asked to fight Wanderlei Silva, Chris Leben and even Rich Franklin at 185.”

As far as Hughes, whose relevance in the welterweight division is questionable, Koscheck says he wanted to fight him for a while, but “Country Breakfast” has been ducking him for a while.

“But then last week I got word Matt Hughes, who has avoided me for years, needed an opponent for UFC 135 in Denver on Sept. 24. I’ve called out Hughes for so long but he’s always avoided me. When he was on top and one of the top in the division, he used his position to avoid fighting me and all the AKA guys,” Koscheck explained. “But when Diego Sanchez pulled out hurt with three weeks to go, I knew the UFC would have no choice but to try to talk Hughes into fighting me. Like I knew he would, he tried to suggest fighting Jon Fitch instead, knowing full well Fitch is still recovering from shoulder surgery. I tweeted that I’d accepted the fight and was ready, just to put pressure on Hughes to quit bitching and take the fight. I wanted to make it so that if he did turn the fight down, all the fans would know that he bitched out. He had nowhere else to go and I’ve finally got my fight with Matt Hughes.”

Rich Franklin To Undergo Shoulder Surgery

According to MMAJunkie.com, UFC light heavyweight Rich Franklin has suffered a shoulder injury that will require him to undergo surgery next week.Franklin, who was rumored to face Tito Ortiz on the upcoming UFC on FOX event, suffered a torn right labru…

According to MMAJunkie.com, UFC light heavyweight Rich Franklin has suffered a shoulder injury that will require him to undergo surgery next week.

Franklin, who was rumored to face Tito Ortiz on the upcoming UFC on FOX event, suffered a torn right labrum and is expected to go in for surgery next Tuesday. 

“The timing of this shoulder injury is unfortunate considering my fight was pulled from the UFC 133 card, but I know everything will go as planned and that I will recover quickly,” Franklin said.

“I promise to get back in the octagon and fight again as soon as possible.”

Franklin was originally scheduled to meet Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 133 until an injury forced the Brazilian out of the bout, leaving the UFC veteran without an opponent and ultimately taking him off the card. His last bout was against Forrest Griffin at UFC 126, in which he lost via decision.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Shoulder Injury Will Require Surgery and Layoff for Rich Franklin

Filed under: UFC, NewsA shoulder injury suffered in training has been diagnosed as a torn labrum, and will require surgery for UFC light heavyweight Rich Franklin.

According to a news release distributed by his publicist, Franklin was engaged in grapp…

Filed under: ,

A shoulder injury suffered in training has been diagnosed as a torn labrum, and will require surgery for UFC light heavyweight Rich Franklin.

According to a news release distributed by his publicist, Franklin was engaged in grappling practice when the injury occurred. The corrective procedure is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 13.

Franklin has reportedly been told by his doctor that he can expect a full recovery in two to three months, and return to training shortly thereafter.

Franklin (28-6) last fought at UFC 126 in February, where he lost a unanimous decision to Forrest Griffin. He’s alternated wins and losses in his last six fights.

The former UFC middleweight champion had been scheduled to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 133, but after an injury forced Nogueira out of the match, Franklin was eventually pulled from the card. Since then, rumors of a bout with Tito Ortiz materialized, but now it appears the injury will at least temporarily derail that possibility.

“The timing of this shoulder injury is unfortunate considering my fight was pulled from the UFC 133 card, but I know everything will go as planned and that I will recover quickly,” Franklin said in a statement. “The UFC is being supportive, and I hope my fans also will be understanding. I promise to get back in the octagon and fight again as soon as possible.”

 

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Ortiz vs. Franklin In the Works for UFC On Fox 1


(Two former champs who are in need of new nicknames.)

According to a report from Tatame, a clash between former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz and former middleweight champion Rich Franklin has been verbally agreed to for the un-televised portion of the UFC’s inaugural event on Fox November 12.

The event, which will take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California and will be headlined by a heavyweight championship bout between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, will also feature a number one light heavyweight contenders match-up between Ben Henderson and Clay Guida.


(Two former champs who are in need of new nicknames.)

According to a report from Tatame, a clash between former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz and former middleweight champion Rich Franklin has been verbally agreed to for the un-televised portion of the UFC’s inaugural event on Fox November 12.

The event, which will take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California and will be headlined by a heavyweight championship bout between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, will also feature a number one light heavyweight contenders match-up between Ben Henderson and Clay Guida.

Ortiz’s jiu-jitsu coach Ricardo Abreau revealed the news of the potential fight this afternoon.

“Ortiz’s next fight will be against Rich Franklin, at UFC on FOX 1,”said. “He’s out of town travelling and I haven’t spoken with him for a couple days. As far as I know that’s the fight, but it’s not signed yet”.

1-5-1 in his last seven outings, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” was handily beaten by Rashad Evans in his last bout at UFC 133 last month after stepping in for an injured Phil Davis on short notice. He bought himself more time in the Octagon when he snapped a three-fight losing streak by defeating Ryan Bader by first-round guillotine at UFC 132 one month earlier.

Franklin, who stamped Chuck Liddell’s retirement papers with an impressive first-round knockout of the UFC Hall-of-Famer at UFC 115 in June 2010 will be hungry for a win after dropping a unanimous decision to Forrest Griffin in the TUF 1 winner’s first fight back from a year-long layoff due to injury.

Main Card (On Fox)
Heavyweight Championship Bout
Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos

Preliminary Card
Rich Franklin vs. Tito Ortiz
Ben Henderson vs. Clay Guida
Dustin Poirier vs. Pablo Garza
Cub Swanson vs. Ricardo Lamas
Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto vs. Darren Uyenoyama

Rich Franklin Talks Jon Jones’ Future in the Light Heavyweight Division

“The only person who can beat Jon Jones at this point in time is Jon Jones.”Former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin spoke very highly of current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones when asked if he thought there was anyone who could dethron…

“The only person who can beat Jon Jones at this point in time is Jon Jones.”

Former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin spoke very highly of current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones when asked if he thought there was anyone who could dethrone the UFC’s youngest ever champion.

Franklin seems to feel that, given Jones’ physical gifts and his natural talent, there is no one in the light heavyweight division right now who could take him out as long as he stays focused.

“He’s a young guy. The world is coming at him fast and I think his game is going to be whether or not he can maintain focus,” Franklin said.

From there, Franklin went on to talk about Jones’ size, communicating how unusual it is for a light heavyweight to be that big.

“I remember the first time that I met Jon in person. I was down in Miami doing some Super Bowl promotions for the UFC. There were a group of fighters standing in a group and I was walking up to the group and Jon’s back was to me. As I walked up to him, I was looking at him and I thought, ‘Who is this heavyweight?’. I kept walking around and then I was like, ‘Oh my word, he’s enormous’.”

To give fans a better idea of just how big Jones is, Franklin compared him to former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia.

“He [Jones] has an 84-inch reach. Tim Sylvia, who is four inches taller than him, has an 80-inch reach and I’ve sparred with Tim many times and to deal with that kind of reach is just insane, so I think if he can keep his head straight, he’ll be able to run that division for a while.”

We’ll find out how accurate Franklin’s forecast for Jones’ career is on September 24, when Jones defends his light heavyweight championship for the first time against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com