UFC 133: What to Do with Rich Franklin

Rich Franklin is the latest fighter to be affected by the injury bug that has hit UFC 133. No, Franklin isn’t hurt.

His opponent Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is, however.

Little Nog pulled out on Saturday with a shoulder injury, leaving “Ace” without a fight. There does not seem to be a set return date for Nogueria yet.

With only three weeks left until the event, Franklin has been pulled from the event as well. There simply isn’t anyone free. Little Nog’s withdrawal marked the third light heavyweight to pull out of UFC 133.

Vladimir Matyushenko had to pull out with his fight with Alexander Gustafsson and was replaced by Matt Hamill. And of course we all know that Phil Davis has been replaced by Tito Ortiz to main event UFC 133 alongside Rashad Evans.

The question that remains is what to do with Rich Franklin. Every other top 205-er is booked, and Franklin hasn’t fought since a February loss to Forrest Griffin. Do you rebook him ASAP or wait for the division to sort itself out?

Having Franklin wait until Forrest Griffin/Shogun Rua, Rashad Evans/Tito Ortiz, Jon Jones/Rampage Jackson fight is not the best idea.

Almost every fighter becomes medically suspended for at least 30 days for precautionary reasons and injuries after a fight. It could end up being a full year before Franklin fights by the time any one of these fighters gets medically cleared and completes a full training camp. Keeping one of your biggest stars on the sidelines when he is healthy is not a good business decision for the UFC.

However, there is one fighter who is free and apparently very eager to step into the cage. A fighter who almost stepped up to fight Rashad Evans at UFC 133 before demanding “Anderson Silva money.”

Why not match Franklin with Lyoto Machida? Machida is healthy and the only other top light heavyweight who does not have a scheduled fight.

Now I know this fight breaks away from conventional UFC wisdom. Machida is coming off a win and Franklin is coming off a loss. But with the state the division is in, neither man has a lot of options.

Machida vs. Franklin would be a rematch from early in both men’s careers. Machida actually gave Franklin the first loss of his career. Machida vs. Franklin could easily co-main event any PPV or even headline an international show.

Some fans may not think a win over Franklin does much for Machida. This writer disagrees. A win over Franklin is a win over a top 12 fighter who most casual fans know. All of Franklin’s losses are to former champions, so he isn’t exactly losing to scrubs.

Also, I would go out on a limb and say that beating Franklin ranks equal or higher than beating a 48-year-old Randy Couture.

Franklin vs. Machida could be made as early as October/November. All of the upcoming events seem to be incredibly stacked, but the UFC could use all the profile fights it can make with how its luck has been running lately.

Timing-wise and marketability-wise, this fight just makes sense.

Joe Silva, make it happen.