Rich Franklin Pulled from UFC 133, What's Next for "Ace"?

It was recently announced that former UFC middleweight champion Rich "Ace" Franklin has been scratched from UFC 133.

Rich was originally scheduled to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in the co-main event of the evening, but Nogueira was forced to withdraw from the fight due to a shoulder injury.

The UFC scrambled to try to locate a new opponent for Franklin, but to no avail.

Now that "Ace" has been pulled from the event, people are wondering what will be next for the fan favorite.

Rich could wait for Nogueira's injury to heal and fight him at a later event, but that doesn't seem practical. It's unknown how long the injury will take to heal and since Franklin is already in shape, he will probably want to fight soon.

A fight with Lyoto Machida is probably the most lucrative match up the UFC could offer, in terms of getting Rich closer to a title shot and the fight does make sense for both guys.

Machida is 1-2 in his last three fights, so he can't really afford another loss right now. The UFC needs to give him a fighter that's near the top of the heap, but not one of the division's elite. Rich fits that description.

Franklin is 36 years old and likely close to retirement. If he wants to make one last run for the title, he needs to do it quickly. A win over Machida would propel him into title contention.

Lyoto and Rich have fought once before, outside the UFC. Machida won by knockout.

Phil Davis is another feasible opponent for Franklin.

Phil is a rising star in the light heavyweight division and a win over Rich would prove to the UFC that Davis is ready for the division's elite.

Davis was also supposed to compete at UFC 133, but was forced off the card with an injury. So, whether or not he could fight Franklin depends on how long that injury keeps him out of action.

Rashad Evans and Tito Ortiz will meet in the main event at UFC 133. It would make sense for Rich to take on the loser of that fight. Whether he fought Rashad or Tito, it would be a marketable fight and would help Rich advance his place in 205 lbs weight class.

Other than that, the only fight I would recommend Franklin to take is Mauricio Rua, if Rua loses to Forrest Griffin at UFC 134. It would be an awesome fight and defeating a man who was so recently champion would do a lot for "Ace." A match up with Griffin would not be ideal because the two have recently fought.

Some other potential match ups for Franklin could be Brandon Vera, Vladimir Matyushenko and Stephan Bonnar. However, none of those fights do much for Rich in terms of advancement.

Franklin's time in this sport is nearing an end. He needs to be choosing his fights very carefully.