An Ultimate Fighter coach goes down. A pay per view main event with a UFC legend is ruined.
Enter Rich Franklin.
The UFC’s human Swiss Army knife did it almost exactly two years ago in June 2010 when Tito Ortiz was forced out of a fight with Chuck Liddell due to injury. Franklin stepped in for Ortiz and knocked Liddell out in the first round – despite suffering a broken arm moments earlier. That marked the end of Liddell’s storied career.
Could Franklin have done something similar Saturday night?
The Cincinnati native filled in for Vitor Belfort to preserve the UFC 147 main event against Wanderlei Silva. There was no knockout this time, but Franklin fought back from a near-TKO in the second round to beat Silva soundly in an entertaining five-round decision. Silva’s career now is very much on the ropes.
This is what Franklin, nicknamed “Ace” for his resemblance to former Ace Ventura star Jim Carrey, has done over the last few years. At 37, he’s no longer a title contender. But he’s almost guaranteed to put forth an exciting fight against just about anyone. He can fight in two weight classes – light heavyweight and middleweight – and Saturday he took on Silva in his home country of Brazil in a catchweight of 190 pounds.
Simply, whatever the UFC asks of Franklin, he does. He’s the ultimate company man, ready to step in an emergency. Maybe you could liken him to a utility player in baseball, who always comes through when the starter goes down.
It wasn’t always that way. Franklin was the UFC middleweight champion – the last one before Anderson Silva defeated him in October 2006. Anderson Silva hasn’t lose since and is the longest titleholder in UFC history.
Franklin remains one of the sport’s best stories, though, the former high school math teacher with a Master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati who turned into a UFC champion. The character Brendan Conlon from the movie “Warrior” is based loosely on him.
His prime has long since passed him by and 40 is creeping up on Franklin quickly. But there’s no reason why he can’t remain in this utility role for the UFC for another year or two.