UFC 126: 5 Reasons Griffin vs. Franklin Winner Is the UFC 'People's Champ'

Tomorrow night, former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin will step into the Octagon fresh off of a 15-month layoff to face former UFC middleweight champion-turned-light-heavyweight-threat Rich "Ace" Franklin in a bout that is being perceived by many as one of the consensus choices for the Fight Of The Night.

Not only is it an exciting fight, but it also serves as a clash of two men perfectly qualified to be known as the "People's Champion."

Why is that?

After analyzing both Ace and Forrest, I've come up with a reason, but knowing me, I refuse to address merely one reason why that's the case—I'm just a guy who takes pride in being a pain-in-the-ass like that.

So rather than give you one reason, I'll be the guy that gives you FIVE—yes, five reasons why the winner is the unrecognized yet undisputed UFC "People's Champ."

* Cecil Peoples was not harmed in the making of this slideshow. He was properly disposed of afterward however

5. Their Styles Equal In-Cage Excitement

Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

LAS VEGAS - NOVEMBER 21: Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin congratulate each other after Griffin wins their Light Heavyweight Fight at the UFC 106 at Mandalay Bay Events Center on November 21, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

Granted, Rich Franklin is a tad more technical than Forrest Griffin in the striking department, but it's not like Forrest's brawling style, as less-than-intelligent as it may seem, doesn't keep people standing from bell to bell.

The fact is that neither of these two men have ever truly opted to do "just enough to not lose the fight."

They know they have to win the fights or face the proverbial chopping block, but they also know that the average patience span in today's mixed martial arts fan (unless they're from Japan) is only about 15-30 seconds.

When you see Rich Franklin or Forrest Griffin fight, you always remember it regardless of the result.

They give you the price of the ticket every time.

4. Longevity

Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

DALLAS - SEPTEMBER 19: UFC fighter Vitor Belfort (R) battles UFC fighter Rich Franklin (L) during their Catch weight bout at UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort at the American Airlines Center on September 19, 2009 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Get

Being any kind of champion—whether the title is recognized or not—does take a bit of earning to achieve, and you don't get it by having four badass fights in the UFC (sorry, Matt Mitrione).

You get it throughout the span of a long career, fighting local "Joe Somebody"-type fighters in the smaller shows and working your way toward being one of the guys that Dana White calls "the best fighters in the world."

Griffin and Franklin have each earned their hype, they've earned their respect, and, as far as their place on many top-10 lists, they've earned their rank among the best in the world—that's the best that Strikeforce, DREAM, and any other organization can offer in terms of established light heavyweights.

Of course, Forrest has been out for much of 2010, so his actual rank is a bit unsettled, but with the number of people predicting a win over "Ace," it's not ridiculous to think he'll get his spot back come Saturday.

3. Personality

Now, that's not to say that if you interview Forrest Griffin or Rich Franklin, you can interview the hell out of them about random, nostalgic stuff and expect them to act all silly about it—but you're not exactly dealing with two mean, pissed-off muscleheads who lack a sense of humor either.

Griffin and Franklin are two of the nicest guys in the sport—two prime examples of fighters who are really as blue-collar as they come in the sports world. Ace was a math teacher and Forrest was a cop, for crying out loud (go figure).

Not only that, but they have enough of a sense of humor that, in reality, the biggest question coming into this fight—aside from the question of whether it'll be a successful return for Forrest or whether it'll be Ace that continues rolling on towards the top of the 205-pound division—isn't, "Which of these two is closer to a shot at either Shogun or Rashad Evans?"

The biggest question is, "What type of ink will we see on the loser of this fight the next time we see them?"

They've both been known to fit the "People's Champ" image—a tattooless person who doesn't need to party, drink, or toke up to draw attention to themselves.

If it's any consolation to the man who loses on Saturday, Dwayne Johnson was called "The People's Champ" during the WWE's Attitude Era, and he had a Brahma Bull tattooed on his right arm.

Just saying fellas, it ain't all bad if you get some ink after the fight... unless you really do get a tramp stamp.

Then you'd better be doing it just to fulfill your end of the wager.

2. They're Not Pound-For-Pound Kings, But They're Gamers, So Who Gives a Damn?

Forrest Griffin said it himself: He's not that good, but he'll fight anybody.

At no time in his career did Forrest ever say he deserves to be the pound-for-pound king of the division, and at no time in his career did he ever claim that he was "The Best EVA!"

It's funny we say that, because we never heard Franklin talk sh*t about anyone or toot his own horn either.

We'll get to their humility in a moment, but the truth is that these two men never back down from a challenge, even if the only people who believe they can at least squeak out a decision-loss are themselves.

They're gamers through and through—of course you've heard them having to back out of fights due to injuries, but you never once heard them say, "I'd never fight this guy" before a fight in his own division.

Typically, if you did hear that from Forrest, there's a 98 percent chance he was messing around with you to see if you had a sense of humor.

Otherwise, these two are hungry enough to where they'd fight anyone.

Seriously, look at Ace's career and note that Franklin is the only fighter to have gotten a rematch with Anderson Silva. Franklin even agreed to fight Wanderlei Silva at a 195-catchweight (winning by unanimous decision).

How many guys do you know in the sport that actually dare to challenge the guy that decisively wrecked his face the first time out?

1. Humility

Note the video, and note how all they talk about is how they want to pull out the win at all costs—even when well aware of what type of fighter the other is.

I tell ya, if these two were master chefs, Humble Pie would be their specialty.

These guys have been in tough fights, and they've certainly looked at past opponents thinking, "Sure, I'd fight this guy again if I could"—but doesn't almost everybody say that about one opponent or another?

They're not motivated to go after one specific fighter; that's not how MMA works, and they know that.

They get in the cage with whoever they have to, and they also realize trash-talk is a waste of time and energy, as it does not elevate them to the pound-for-pound status fighters strive for.

Again, that's their humility—they don't put themselves above anyone else. They also know that even if they were pound-for-pound kings, they're both still far from the best fighter ever.

At UFC 126, it's not going to be a battle of "Who is the best fighter in the 205-lb. division aside from Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua?"

At UFC 126, this battle is all about which of the two surefire future hall of famers is the better fighter.