Image via MMA Forte
UFC middleweight Rich Franklin has always put on entertaining fights, and he truly is worthy of his UFC Hall Of Fame status. Before Anderson Silva came along, Franklin was the premiere champion in the middleweight division. Back in his prime, he defeated some quality opponents in Evan Tanner, Nate Quarry, and David Loiseau.
All things were going smoothly for Franklin until he met the dominant force that is known as Anderson Silva. In their first meeting which took place back in 2007, Silva would put on a Muay Thai clinic which left Franklin beaten and battered. From that point on, Franklin was never the real dominant force that he used to be.
Despite losing his championship status in the division, Franklin has put on some exciting bouts over the years and would defeat the likes of Wanderlei Silva, Chuck Liddell, and Matt Hamill. Now, it appears he wants to fight the always interesting Michael Bisping, which would be a compelling fight in many regards.
A win for Franklin would certainly make him relevant again in the division, which has long been reigned by Silva. In an interview with MMA Weekly, Franklin would say the following:
“I look at my Twitter and a lot of people talk about (Michael) Bisping. That would be an exciting fight and something the fans would want to see. I’m an exciting fighter, he’s an exciting fighter, and we both like to throw down. Since my ultimate goal is not to go back and capture the 185-pound title, it doesn’t really matter to me if it’s at 185 or a catchweight or 205. Wherever the UFC needed me, I would fight, as long as the fight made sense.”
Whoever Franklin faces next inside the octagon, it’s clear that he’s not yet ready to hang up the gloves. Which fighter would you like to see him face next? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.
