If there is one thing MMA fans suffer from it is the knee jerk reaction to a KO loss on a fighter’s record. Is it going to happen after Rich Franklin got KO’d by Cung Le in UFC’s Macau show?
History would say yes, but is it warranted due to his fight results or for another reason?
When BJ Penn KO’d Matt Hughes at UFC 123, MMA fans, rightly or wrongly, become very vocal in pushing for Matt’s retirement.
They only become louder when Koscheck beat him in a similar fashion at 135 (by the way, Matt Hughes did announce his retirement during the week).
It would have been hard for to Matt to come to that decision but I think he accepted he would no longer be the WW champion a long time ago.
When Chuck Liddle started his slide I think nobody wanted to admit that his best days were behind him. We all knew it but if Chuck could go out with just one more win we would be satisfied.
He fought and lost in five of his last six fights (four by some form of KO) and personally I believe he leveraged his friendship with Dana to stay for the ‘one last fight’ and to go out with a win.
But when Rich made Chuck eat a right hand that dropped him like a bag of potatoes, even Dana had to say enough was enough.
It was sad, but time caught up with Chuck. And what makes it worse, Chuck still had to have his card punched.
He didn’t want to stop fighting after that loss.
Rich has lost two of his last seven fights by KO. Cung Le got him because Rich was lazy.
He didn’t put his left hand up to block after a thigh kick and thus ate a punch when his head was slightly turned.
His previous loss to that it was to Vitor, where I personally believe he was struck in the back of head, back in September 2009 and should have won the fight due to disqualification.
Before that we need to go back to A. Sliva in 2007. Think about that for a second. I know he’s probably been concussed during a fight or at training but to go five years with only three losses due to a KO in the UFC is pretty impressive.
Personally I think Rich was caught in limbo the second Silva beat him a second time, similar to Hughes with Georges St-Pierre. They both knew they couldn’t beat the divisional champ and have found it hard to move onto the next challenge (Hughes less so).
I don’t think Rich has ever been able to move past the beating he got from Sliva and he’s lost that killer drive to hurt people. It sucks, but I think Rich should seriously consider retirement, not because of his loss but because of his age.
Rich is recently 38 and he is going to have to win at least four fights, and all in impressive fashion, to be considered for a title shot in either the MW or LH division.
Unless Rich starts taking lessons for Chael in how to promote a fight, I just don’t see him ever challenging for a title again.
It’s time for one of the best Mixed Martial Arts Middle Weight UFC fighters to hang them up before he tries to leverage any friendship with Dana.
Sam Brown
Roar Guru
I think the ball is in Rich's court with this one. His recent record is win, loss, win, loss. Sure he is getting a little long in the tooth but it is hardly the record of someone who has totally lost it. True he will never again be champion but that doesn't mean he can't put on a good fight and be a very respectable gatekeeper for either the MW or LHW division.
CBDoggz4lyfe
Guest
So true about the 2 defeats that Franklin suffered at the hands of the spyder! FUnny also that since then AS has never used that game plan of the clinch again. Franklin in his time was a force but since then played a gatekeeper role or a fill-in guy if the UFC needed someone to head a card either overseas or nationally (USA) when other headliners dropped out. I hope he considers hanging up the gloves but more than likely he will look for maybe 1 or 2 more fights.
whitey2024
Guest
I couldn't agree more with the point that Rich's championship will was forever taken from him when Silva destroyed him... Not once, but twice.. He absolutely has not had the same killer instinct/win at all cost mentality since 07... Anybody can get caught with a punch that they don't see coming, but it couldn't have come at a worse point for Franklin's career.. Had the older, less experienced MMA fighter been clipped with the same shot, then people would be labeling Franklin as the man who beat the man with the iron fists... And, simultaneously calling for Le to hang it up... Goes to show you how quickly the tide can turn in MMA...
Ronnie Liddle
Roar Rookie
yep, my bad. needed a line edit but was in a rush before i left for a BBQ.
Jeff
Guest
Decent article however a lot of little mistakes here and there. LHM division?