Rich Franklin Has An "Ace" Up His Sleeve for the Light Heavyweight Division?

A 25-3 (11-2 UFC) mixed-martial-arts record. A former Middleweight champion. Defeated a legend in Ken Shamrock. Most fighters would love to boast such a record. Somehow, I think Rich Franklin isn’t satisfied.

He could have easily retired after his second defeat to Anderson Silva. His two loses were devastating, and one was in front of his hometown crowd. But Franklin is a fighter and, at 33, couldn’t imagine retiring.

But the UFC didn’t want him at 185. They know how much of a threat he could be, mainly at knocking out contenders for their champion Silva. Self-preservation forced his move to 205. So far, so good in his handling of a bigger, stronger, and younger Matt Hamill.

Franklin hasn’t convinced anyone he will be challenging for the belt anytime soon, but Franklin is taking it one fight at a time. This may lead many Franklin fans and those closely following the light heavyweight division to ask: Who is next in his climb to the top of another division?

Hamill was considered to be a top 10-15 ranked fighter (by most) in the talent-laden division, so you would expect Franklin to get a matchup with someone equal to or better then that.

Let’s preview some potential matchups.

1. Franklin vs. winner of Jardine/Vera:

The winner of the Jardine/Vera fight will establish some traction in the light heavyweight division. Jardine is still considered a top-10 contender, while Vera is on the outside looking in.

Both of these fighters would be a good matchup for Franklin, and a fight with Jardine could create some fireworks. All three fighters have good strikes and kicks, and would mostly be a stand-up war.

Vera may take it to the ground if he was unable to withstand Franklin’s standup assault. I see Franklin winning either fight, although you can’t count out a guy that has beaten both Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin. Also, Vera has the ability to win standing or with submission. He just looked so lackluster in his win over Reese Andy and it’s hard to know where his head is at.

2. Franklin vs. Liddell

This one would be a classic stand-up war. Both of these guys have wresting backgrounds, yet they  prefer to stand up and strike. Both have good kickboxing, although Liddell seems to have to have abandoned it as of late.

This could be considered a super fight of fallen champions and would have huge pay-per-view draw. With a win over Liddell, Franklin would be 2-0 in the light heavyweight division and move him self into the top 10.

It would also add to his lore in the UFC. I would give the edge to Franklin in this one, and it could be the beginning of the end for Liddell. Franklin already took out one Hall-of-Famer in Shamrock; why not another.

3. Franklin vs. Machida

This would be a rematch of their 2003 fight in which Machida laid Franklin out in the second round. If you think Machida can’t throw gloves, check out the fight on YouTube. While this would be an interesting fight, it doesn’t seem to make sense for either fighter at the moment.

Machida seems to be at the top of his game and wants to fight the top of the food chain. Franklin still needs to assert himself in the division, and Machida might be biting off more then he can chew right now. Still, it would still be an intriguing fight.

4. Franklin vs. loser of Silva/Jackson

While the winner of the Silva/Jackson fight will ascend towards a title fight vs. Griffin/Evans, the loser will need a place to land. That could be a fight with Franklin. Again this would be another stand-up war with whomever he faced.

This one feels harder to predict. The viciousness of Silva and Jackson make it seem like they could overwhelm Franklin, although he is much more of a tactical fighter, and if he withstood the initial barrage, he could establish his game and outpoint both in a decision.

The loser of Silva/Jackson might be cherry picked to fight Liddell, so perhaps Franklin can fight the loser of Griffin/Evans.

Either of those fighters might actually be a better matchup for Franklin. Something about Franklin vs. Forrest has a great ring to it.

After writing this article, I have convinced myself that Franklin belongs at 205. Heck, he can also belong at 185, fighting the likes of Bisping, Marquardt, and Henderson. The guy flat-out belongs in the UFC, and he still has many great fights ahead of him.

While Franklin may never fight Silva again, he has a “fighter’s chance” to compete for the belt in the light heavyweight division, and when it’s all said and done, I think Franklin will establish himself as a UFC Hall-of-Famer.

Perhaps there is a matchup that makes better sense for Franklin to kick off 2009. Any thoughts?