Rich Franklin
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| Rich Franklin | |
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| Born | Rich Jay Franklin II October 5, 1974 Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Other names | Ace |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13.9 st) |
| Division | 185 & 205 |
| Reach | 76.0 in (193 cm) |
| Style | Freestyle Fighting |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Fighting out of | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Team | Team Extreme/AMC Pankration |
| Trainer | Matt Hume Jorge Gurgel (Jiu-Jitsu) |
| Rank | black belt in BJJ |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| MMA record | |
| Total | 32 |
| Wins | 26 |
| By knockout | 14 |
| By submission | 9 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Losses | 5 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 1 |
| Amateur career | |
| Total | 2 |
| Wins | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| Losses | 1 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| Other information | |
| University | University of Cincinnati |
| Spouse | Beth |
| Notable school(s) | William Henry Harrison High |
| Official website | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
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Rich Jay Franklin II (born October 5, 1974[1], in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion.
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[edit] Biography
Prior to becoming a full time MMA fighter, Franklin graduated from William Henry Harrison High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics and later earned a master's degree in education at the University of Cincinnati,[2] and taught mathematics at the Oak Hills High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.[3]
Franklin and American Fighter President Jeff Adler created The Keep It In The Ring Foundation to advocate non-violence and build character in youth. This is done through after school sports, martial arts, and life skills programs. His nickname "Ace" comes from his resemblance to Jim Carrey, who played the character Ace Ventura. Joe Rogan once called him "An angry Jim Carrey". Franklin made his acting debut in a film called Cyborg Soldier where he plays an escaped super soldier and partners with Tiffani Thiessen.
Franklin is a born-again Christian and quotes Psalm 144:1 on his webpage and fighter gear. February 21, 2006, was officially named "Rich Franklin Day" in Cincinnati by the city's mayor. He tested as a "Celtic Warrior" by Warrior Roots.
[edit] Martial arts background
According to Rich, he first learned submission fighting from instructional video tapes. He has been associated with and trained with Meat Truck Inc., and currently trains at facilities run by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Jorge Gurgel, (New Generation Martial Arts); Neal Rowe, a Muay Thai instructor (Sacan Martial Arts); and Rob Radford, a boxing instructor (Boxing 4 Fitness). Franklin is currently ranked as a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Jorge Gurgel. Since losing his title to Anderson Silva, Franklin has started training under Matt "The Wizard" Hume.
[edit] UFC career
[edit] Middleweight title
At UFC 53 on June 5, 2005, Franklin defeated Evan Tanner for a second time to win the UFC Middleweight Championship. The victory led to his being a coach (along with welterweight champion Matt Hughes) on the second season of The Ultimate Fighter.
At UFC 56 on November 19, 2005, Franklin defended his title against Nate Quarry, a competitor from season 1 of The Ultimate Fighter. Franklin won the fight via knockout in the first round.
At UFC 58 on March 4, 2006, Franklin defeated David Loiseau in a unanimous five round decision to retain his title. Franklin broke his left hand early on in the second round. The injury required surgery, including a metal plate and screws, and Franklin was out of action for seven months.
[edit] Losing the title
At UFC 64 On October 14, 2006, Franklin lost his title on his return fight after being defeated by Brazilian Anderson Silva. The fight was stopped at 2:49 of the first round after Franklin received a knee to the face. On October 19, 2006 Franklin underwent surgery due to the nasal fracture he received in his fight against Silva.
At UFC 68 on March 3, 2007, Rich Franklin defeated Jason MacDonald by TKO due to MacDonald's corner throwing in the towel in the break between rounds two and three. Franklin had mounted MacDonald in the closing seconds of the second round, causing significant injury and swelling around MacDonald's left eye. MacDonald's corner advised ending the fight, and Franklin was declared the winner. After the fight Franklin called Anderson Silva to the Octagon, and said that he and Dana White had agreed to a fight for the title in Franklin's hometown, Cincinnati.
At UFC 72 on June 16, 2007 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Franklin defeated top middleweight contender Yushin Okami to be announced the official number one contender for Anderson Silva's middleweight championship. The bout was only Franklin's second overall fight that went the full distance (due to being a non-title fight, it was three rounds). All three judges scored the bout 29–28 in favor of Franklin. Franklin was the first person to main event a UFC show in Northern Ireland.
At UFC 77 on October 20, 2007, Franklin faced Anderson Silva in a rematch for the middleweight championship, losing by TKO (Strikes) in the second round. Franklin had recently signed a new 6 fight contract with the UFC.
At UFC 83 on April 19, 2008, Franklin defeated Travis Lutter via TKO (Strikes) at 3:01 of Round 2. This was despite Lutter locking in a tight armbar. Franklin exhibited a high level armbar submission escape, made even more impressive because Lutter is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt.
At UFC 88 on September 6, 2008, Franklin made his return to the light heavyweight division by defeating Matt Hamill by TKO with a kick to the liver.
At UFC 93 on January 17, 2009, in Dublin, Ireland, Franklin fought against former PRIDE Fighting Championships 183 lb. and 205 lb. champion Dan Henderson. He lost the fight by split decision to Dan Henderson. Franklin was the first person to main event a UFC show in the Republic of Ireland.
At UFC 99: The Comeback, on June 13, 2009, in Cologne, Germany, Franklin defeated former PRIDE Middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva via unanimous decision at a catchweight (195 lb) bout.
At UFC 103 on September 19, 2009, in Dallas, Texas, Franklin fought against Vitor Belfort for Belfort's first fight in the UFC since February 2005. Franklin lost the fight via KO (Punches) at 3:02 in Round 1.[4]
[edit] Personal life
Rich has a wife named Beth who is a former English teacher at Reading High School.[5] [6]
[edit] MMA Record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 32 matches | 26 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 14 | 4 |
| By submission | 9 | 0 |
| By decision | 3 | 1 |
| Draws | 0 | |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 26–5 (1) |  Vitor Belfort |
KO (Punches) | UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort | September 19, 2009 | 1 | 3:02 |  Dallas, Texas, US |
Catchweight of 195 pounds |
| Win | 26–4 (1) | Wanderlei Silva |
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 99: The Comeback | June 13, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 |  Cologne, Germany |
Catchweight of 195 pounds. Won Fight of the Night honors. |
| Loss | 25–4 (1) | Dan Henderson |
Decision (Split) | UFC 93: Franklin vs. Henderson | January 17, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 |  Dublin, Ireland |
Light Heavyweight bout |
| Win | 25–3 (1) | Matt Hamill |
TKO (Liver Kick) | UFC 88: Breakthrough | September 6, 2008 | 3 | 0:39 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
Light Heavyweight bout |
| Win | 24–3 (1) | Travis Lutter |
TKO (Punches) | UFC 83: Serra vs. St. Pierre II | April 19, 2008 | 2 | 3:01 |  Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
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| Loss | 23–3 (1) | Anderson Silva |
KO (Knees) | UFC 77: Hostile Territory | October 20, 2007 | 2 | 1:07 | Cincinnati, Ohio, United States |
For UFC Middleweight Championship |
| Win | 23–2 (1) |  Yushin Okami |
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 72: Victory | June 16, 2007 | 3 | 5:00 |  Belfast, Northern Ireland |
Became #1 contender in UFC Middleweight Division |
| Win | 22–2 (1) | Jason MacDonald |
TKO (Corner Stoppage) | UFC 68: Uprising | March 3, 2007 | 2 | 5:00 | Columbus, Ohio, United States |
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| Loss | 21–2 (1) | Anderson Silva |
KO (Knee) | UFC 64: Unstoppable | October 14, 2006 | 1 | 2:59 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
Lost UFC Middleweight Championship |
| Win | 21–1 (1) | David Loiseau |
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 58: USA vs Canada | March 4, 2006 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
Defended UFC Middleweight Championship |
| Win | 20–1 (1) | Nathan Quarry |
KO (Punch) | UFC 56: Full Force | November 19, 2005 | 1 | 2:34 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
Defended UFC Middleweight Championship |
| Win | 19–1 (1) | Evan Tanner |
TKO (Doctor Stoppage) | UFC 53: Heavy Hitters | June 4, 2005 | 4 | 3:25 | Newark, New Jersey, United States |
Won UFC Middleweight Championship |
| Win | 18–1 (1) | Ken Shamrock |
TKO (Strikes) | The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale | April 9, 2005 | 1 | 2:42 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
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| Win | 17–1 (1) | Curtis Stout |
Submission (Strikes) | SuperBrawl 38 | December 12, 2004 | 2 | 1:28 | Hawaii, United States |
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| Win | 16–1 (1) | Jorge Rivera |
Submission (Armbar) | UFC 50: The War of '04 | October 22, 2004 | 3 | 4:28 | New Jersey, United States |
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| Win | 15–1 (1) | Ralph Dilon |
Submission (Leglock) | Alaska Fighting Championship | July 14, 2004 | 1 | 0:56 | Alaska, United States |
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| Win | 14–1 (1) | Leo Sylvest |
Submission (Strikes) | SuperBrawl 35 | April 16, 2004 | 1 | 1:13 | Hawaii, United States |
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| Loss | 13–1 (1) | Lyoto Machida |
KO (Head Kick And Punches) | Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003: Inoki Festival | December 31, 2003 | 2 | 1:00 | Kobe, Japan |
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| Win | 13–0 (1) | Edwin Dewees |
TKO (Strikes) | UFC 44: Undisputed | September 26, 2003 | 1 | 3:35 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
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| Win | 12–0 (1) | Roberto Ramirez |
KO (Piledriver) | Battleground 1: War Cry | July 19, 2003 | 1 | 0:10 | Illinois, United States |
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| Win | 11–0 (1) | Evan Tanner |
TKO (Strikes) | UFC 42: Sudden Impact | April 25, 2003 | 1 | 2:40 | Miami, Florida, United States |
UFC Debut |
| Win | 10–0 (1) |  Antony Rea |
TKO (Punches) | UCC Hawaii: Eruption in Hawaii | September 17, 2002 | 1 | 2:46 | Hawaii, United States |
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| Win | 9–0 (1) | Yan Pellerin |
Submission (Armbar) | UCC 10: Battle for the Belts 2002 | June 15, 2002 | 1 | 3:23 | Quebec, Canada |
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| Win | 8–0 (1) | Marvin Eastman |
Submission (Armbar) | World Fighting Alliance 1 | November 3, 2001 | 1 | 1:02 | Nevada, United States |
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| Win | 7–0 (1) | Dennis Reed |
Submission (Strikes) | Extreme Challenge Trials | August 5, 2001 | 1 | 1:38 | Ohio, United States |
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| Win | 6–0 (1) | Chris Seifert |
Submission (Strikes) | Extreme Challenge 41 | July 13, 2001 | 2 | 1:45 | Iowa, United States |
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| Win | 5–0 (1) | Travis Fulton |
TKO (Broken Hand) | RINGS USA: Battle of Champions | March 17, 2001 | 1 | 5:00 | Iowa, United States |
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| NC | 4–0 (1) | Aaron Brink |
No Contest (Accidental Injury) | IFC: Warriors Challenge 11 | January 13, 2001 | 1 | 2:42 | California, United States |
For IFC Light Heavyweight United States Championship. |
| Win | 4–0 | Dennis Reed |
Submission (Armbar) | Extreme Challenge 35 | June 29, 2000 | 1 | 1:56 | Iowa, United States |
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| Win | 3–0 | Gary Myers |
KO (Kick) | WEF 9: World Class | May 13, 2000 | 3 | 0:59 | Indiana, United States |
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| Win | 2–0 | Rob Smith |
TKO (Punches) | Extreme Challenge 31 | March 24, 2000 | 1 | 2:30 | Wisconsin, United States |
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| Win | 1–0 | Michael Martin |
KO (Kick) | World Extreme Fighting 6 | June 19, 1999 | 1 | 0:21 | Wheeling, West Virginia, United States |
[edit] References
- ^ "Fighter Profile at Fightline.com". http://www.fightline.com/fighters/rich_franklin.shtml.
- ^ Dhoot, Jatinder. "Rich Franklin Talks About the Unseen Side of MMA". Kickboxing.com. http://www.kickboxing.com/Articles/Rich-Franklin-the-mental-game-of-mma-mixed-martial-arts.html. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
- ^ "My Most Dangerous Opponent". http://www.richfranklin.com/my-most-dangerous-opponent-2009-01. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
- ^ "UFC 103 Fight Card". http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=EventDetail.FightCard&eid=2277. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
- ^ Lancaster, Marc (September 25, 2003). "Ultimate Fighter". The Cincinnati Post (E. W. Scripps Company). Archived from the original on September 25, 2003. http://web.archive.org/web/20070224120342/http://www.cincypost.com/2003/09/25/ultimate09-25-2003.html.
- ^ "Married to the Sport The beautiful Beth Franklin reveals what it's like to be the wife of an Aco Stakuraca fighter". MensFiteness.com. 2009-12-20. http://www.mensfitness.com/advice/hot_women/274. Retrieved 2009-12-21.
[edit] External links
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