Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin set for UFC 127
The Ultimate Fighting Championships’ Super Bowl weekend card will feature two of the company’s best known and most-liked mixed martial artists. According to mmafighting.com, Rich 'Ace' Franklin
will be facing off against Forrest Griffin in a fight that should help vault one of them to fringe title contention.
The bout is planned and in the works, but bout agreements have not yet been signed. The fight will take place at the light heavyweight limit of 205lb. Franklin has been known to fight at
both middleweight (185lb) and light heavyweight.
Franklin is a long-time UFC star who captured the middleweight title in 2005 and defended it twice before getting crushed by Anderson Silva to lose his belt in 2006. But the fighter has remained
one of the most prominent ambassadors of the sport, thanks in no small part to his clean image (Franklin is a former math teacher and a devout Christian) and well-spoken demeanour.
He was on a bit of a skid recently, having lost two of three, with a devastating knockout loss in September 2009. But at UFC 115 in June in Vancouver, he knocked out fellow veteran Chuck
Liddell in impressive fashion, giving his career a much-needed boost in the process.
Griffin is another one of UFC’s poster boys for a different reason. He won season one of The Ultimate Fighter reality show tournament in the light heavyweight category. Known for his self-deprecating
sense of humour and blue-collar attitude, Griffin also captured a title in July 2008 when he took the light heavyweight strap from Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson. He got his title shot by beating Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua. What was notable about both fights is that
Griffin came in as a significant underdog for both fights, providing a Rocky-like story for the UFC.
He was knocked out in his two subsequent fights, but has since bounced back with a win over Tito Ortiz at UFC 106 in November 2009.
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