DaytonDailyNews.com

WEST CHESTER — There are any number of ways, Rich Franklin says, to train for a mixed martial arts competition.

"As many as your twisted-mind trainers can think of," Franklin said with a laugh. Franklin should experience all of them in the coming weeks as the West Chester resident and Ultimate Fighting Championship icon prepares for the UFC 77 event at US Bank Arena on Oct. 20, in which he will face Anderson Silva for the 185-pound championship.

Franklin will travel west, beginning Monday, for three weeks of preparation with his imaginative trainers.

"God's honest truth, we've gone from lifting weights to running sprints to flipping tires to pulling sleds to stretching bands to jumping," Franklin said. "You name it, and we do it. There's a mixture between being in this cage and training your butt off every day and getting worn down to the point where every few minutes you have a fresh guy throwing you around, to going to a gym where you're lifting weights and running sprints with a guy yelling at you until you feel like you're going to pass out."

Added motivation for such workouts comes from memories of Franklin's last meeting with Silva, when he lost his middleweight title last October. Despite heavy press for the hometown hero, Franklin said he remains the underdog.

"I'm training like I'm No. 2," Franklin said.

UFC 77

What: Cincinnati native Rich Franklin vs. middleweight champion Anderson Silva

When: 10 p.m. Oct. 20

Where: US Bank Arena, Cincinnati

TV: Pay-per-view