UFC 115: Rich Franklin - “Ace in the Hole”

Rich Franklin faces Chuck Liddell in the main event at UFC 115 on June 12th

> Don't miss our UFC 115 predictions and find the official UFC 115 fight results after the fights are complete here at Pro Fighting Fans!

Although he doesn’t have a full season of The Ultimate Fighter 11 behind him as fuel, former UFC middleweight champ Rich “Ace” Franklin need not look too hard for motivation at UFC 115 against his friend Chuck Liddell.

Franklin , like Liddell, has scuffled as of late putting out spirited efforts but coming up short in the win column. Franklin has lost two of his last three including a September 2009 (195-lbs.) catch-weight bout against Vitor Belfort, which he lost via 1st round TKO.

Find great unique MMA style t-shirts & clothing online from Intimidation Clothing!

Franklin , 35, is at that “veteran” stage of his career where he could veer in one of two different directions. A victory could steer his career into a future light-heavyweight bout with a significant contender, similar to what Randy Couture’s victory over Brandon Vera did for him. At the very least, it gives him that one last push in a positive direction towards that search for a title opportunity. A defeat to a struggling Liddell would limit Franklin to spot duty as a main card attraction against hand-picked marginal stars.

It would seem as if Franklin would be at a disadvantage in the conditioning department, due to him being a late replacement. That, in fact, will not be the case as Franklin is always in tip-top shape whether he has a fight scheduled or not. Rumor has it that his UFC 115 opponent, Liddell, is also in solid condition, but it’s hard to go against Franklin in this area. I would have to give a slight advantage to Franklin in this area of the fight.

It will come to nobody’s surprise that this will be a stand-up battle. Franklin usually takes some time to warm up and get into his rhythm, so he will have to avoid Chuck’s big shots early on in order to be successful. However, as time goes by, he becomes the better fighter of the two and will look to use his strengths. He will be able to utilize his speed advantage to combat Liddell’s power edge as the fight grows in its length.

I can’t even imagine a “Liddell vs. Franklin” grappling main event, in fact the only way I see this fight going to the ground at all is out of desperation. If either fighter gets winded or rocked by a big shot, it may temporarily go to the ground, but it’s just not likely. Both of these fighters are skilled on the ground, jiu-jitsu is Franklin’s strength and Liddell has a wrestling base, to me however, neither gets the edge in this facet; it is pretty even in the ground department.

> Look to Pro Fighting Fans for the official UFC 115 results after the fights are complete and check out the expanded selection of UFC clothing & merchandise available online!

Franklin has been making a living lately of starring in supporting roles where he matches up against names of old, but where is he going in his career? A win over Liddell, which he will be the odds on favorite, would help him escape that role and steer him in a more definite direction. With two losses in his last three bouts, he doesn’t have much room to spare, he will need to use his “ace in the hole” to pick up a win and give some more definition to his status as a present day star.

> Don't miss our UFC 115 feature on Chuck Liddell: “He can dish it out, but can he take it?”

By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Senior MMA Staff Writer