Mma Profile: Rich Franklin

By Author: Isiah Dunlap
Total Articles: 381
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Rich Franklin has arguably the most unique personality and fighting style in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Franklin has a master's degree in education and discovered the world of MMA while working as a math teacher. He didn't focus on any one particular fighting style and instead formed his own.

Franklin was born on October 10, 1974, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was given the nickname Ace because of his resemblance to actor Jim Carey, who played the role of Ace Ventura. He graduated from William Henry Harrison High School and earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics and a master's degree in education at the University of Cincinnati. He subsequently taught mathematics at Oak Hills High School in Cincinnati.

Franklin's childhood dream was to play college football. He didn't believe he was big enough and instead turned to karate. His father enrolled him in karate at the age of 12, where he became good friends with the instructor's sons, Josh and Shawn Raftery.

While working as a math teacher, Franklin and the Raftery's watched a local MMA show. They were so impressed with the product that they began ...
... to train to fight MMA themselves. His first professional fight was against Rob Smith, whom he defeated via TKO in the first round. He reeled off 10 consecutive fights without a loss (one no decision) and was eventually given a chance to fight with UFC.

Franklin started his UFC career about as well as he started his MMA career, winning his first four fights. His first UFC fight was against Evan Tanner, whom he beat by TKO in the first round. His first loss came to Lyota Machida by way of TKO (head kick and punches).

It wouldn't take Franklin long to bounce back after the loss to Machida, however. He defeated veteran Ken Shamrock on national TV. The win gave him a chance to fight at UFC 53 against UFC Middleweight Champion Evan Tanner. As was the case in their first fight, Franklin prevailed, although not nearly as easily. He won by TKO in the fourth round, earning him the title of UFC Middleweight Champion.

In the second season of The Ultimate Fighter, Franklin's teaching skills were put to good use as he served as a coach. Matt Hughes coached the other team. Franklin was able to coach season 2 heavyweight winner Rashad Evans.

In 2006, Franklin returned to the ring to defend his Middleweight title at UFC 64 against Anderson Silva. Unfortunately for Franklin, the fight did not last long with Silva ending up as the winner. It was stopped at 2:49 of the first round after Franklin received a knee to the face. Five days after the fight, Franklin underwent surgery due to the nasal fracture he received courtesy of Silva's knee.

Since losing the Middleweight title, Franklin has fought in numerous UFC events. At UFC 77, he fought in a rematch against Anderson Silva, but the end result was in Silva's favor for the second time. Most recently, he fought against Chuck Liddell at UFC 115 after the withdrawal of Tito Ortiz. Franklin won the fight by knockout (punch) at 4:55 in Round 1, despite sustaining a broken forearm earlier in the round when Liddell landed a kick.

Franklin is beloved by his hometown of Cincinnati. February 21, 2006, was officially named Rich Franklin Day in Cincinnati by the city's mayor. He is married to a former English teacher named Beth. He is a born-gain Christian who quotes Psalm 144:1 on his webpage and fighter gear.

AUTHOR:-
Isiah Dunlap writes reviews on various sporting events including the MMA betting odds. In this piece of write up, the author highlights one of the most popular sports MMA and MMA betting tips. The author also takes the readers opinion on how Mixed martial arts betting online occurs.