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UFC's Franklin not looking past Lutter
Friday, April 18, 2008
Former middleweight champion Rich Franklin (22-3) isn't making any predictions about UFC 83's co-main-event fight with Travis Lutter (9-4) on Saturday, April 19.
Franklin's not making any predictions about where a victory would put him in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's middleweight title picture, and he's certainly not predicting when another shot at the belt might come.
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If there's one thing the West Chester Twp. resident has learned in eight years as a professional MMA fighter, it's that you don't waste time trying to figure out the future.
"This sport is just too hard to predict," Franklin said. "There are just way too many variables."
Franklin hasn't fought since October, when he lost a rematch with Anderson Silva, the famed Brazilian striker who first took Franklin's belt a year prior.
Knee surgery and the unexpected death of his father have kept Franklin on the sidelines for the past six months.
However, he returns Saturday at Montreal's Bell Centre. More than 22,000 fans are expected to attend Canada's first-ever UFC event, which features 11 bouts, including a main event of UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra (9-4) vs. interim title-holder Georges St. Pierre (15-2).
Franklin takes on Lutter, the winner of "The Ultimate Fighter 4" and a noted submission specialist. Although Franklin's a nearly 4-to-1 favorite in the fight, he isn't counting on anything.
"I fight Travis, and maybe I beat Travis," Franklin said. "Who knows for sure? You learn to go with the flow."
However, in a perfect world, how does Franklin want to finish his career?
"My version of a Cinderella story is like anyone else's," the 33-year-old fighter said. "I'd love to retire with the belt around my waist. I would win the belt, defend it a hundred times and leave on top. But I know that's not realistic, and time isn't on my side."
Even if Franklin becomes the clear-cut top middleweight contender, he wouldn't be guaranteed a title shot.
"I don't know if it would be a marketable fight (with Silva)," Franklin said. "I think a lot of fans have seen it twice and have no desire to see a third (fight). On the flip side, if I beat Travis, and then win the next three, the UFC wouldn't want me sitting around. And who's to say Silva still has the belt anyway?"
UFC 83: Serra vs. St. Pierre II
When: Saturday — Preliminary card at 7 p.m., televised main card at 10 p.m.
Where: Montreal's Bell Centre
TV: Pay per view ($44.95)
