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Middleweight Rich Franklin inks six-fight UFC deal
Monday, December 10, 2007
Rich Franklin, a former middleweight champion and the region's most notable mixed martial arts fighter, won't be leaving the Ultimate Fighting Championship anytime soon.
The Harrison High School and University of Cincinnati graduate signed a new six-fight deal with the UFC that goes into effect for his next fight.
Extras
Franklin, who's a remarkable 22-3 (including 9-2 in the UFC), last competed in October at Cincinnati's UFC 77 event, where he was unable to win back the middleweight title from current champ Anderson Silva. The famed Brazilian first took his title in October 2006.
So what's next for 33-year-old Franklin?
He's been offered a fight with veteran Travis Lutter at UFC 82, which takes place March 1 in Columbus. However, Franklin's currently filming the movie "Weapon," in which he has a starring role with Bruce Greenwood and Tiffani Amber Thiessen. Throw in the holidays, and he may not have enough time to properly train for the March UFC event. In fact, his return could come as late as June, according to his management.
Hamill on the mend
Matt Hamill, another area fighter competing in the UFC, recently lost a controversial — a very controversial — split decision to Michael Bisping at UFC 75 in September.
Hamill (3-1), a three-time NCAA Division III national wrestling champion and one of the world's most famous deaf athletes, had minor knee surgery after the loss but has already returned to full-time training.
Those in the know say that Hamill will likely return for a UFC fight in March or April — likely during a live Spike TV event (to capitalize on his fame as a cast member on Spike TV's "The Ultimate Fighter").
Stephan Bonnar (11-4) and Eric Schafer (7-3-2) have been mentioned as possible opponents, though the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.
HDNet to carry Fedor fight
Fedor Emelianenko (26-1), arguably the world's No. 1 fighter, will next fight at a special New Year's Eve event in Japan.
Last week, HDNet executives announced that the channel will carry the event live — a major coup for the fledgling all-high-definition cable channel. The event features Emelianenko and many other of the sport's top international talent.
HDNet, which plans to broadcast 24 events in 2008, hopes to become the top destination for televised MMA — whether it's part of the "HDNet Fights" brand or other fight promotions.
Dann Stupp is editor-in-chief of MMAjunkie.com, a content partner site of Yahoo! Sports. For the latest MMA news and rumors, go to www.mmajunkie.com.
