Name: Rich “Ace” Franklin
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Record: Sherdog | MMA.tv
As a former UFC middleweight champion, Rich “Ace” Franklin stands as one of the most successful Ohio MMA fighters in the history of the sport. A surefire future Hall of Famer, Franklin is a veteran of nearly 40 fights with nearly 30 wins.
Prior to entering MMA, Franklin earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in education before becoming a math teacher in the Cincinnati area.
In MMA, Franklin trains under Jorge Gurgel at the JG Academy in Southwest Ohio. Upon winning the middleweight title over Evan Tanner at UFC 53, Franklin became a coach on The Ultimate Fighter 2, where he coached opposite Matt Hughes and actually coached Gurgel, who was a contestant on the show. He lost the UFC middleweight title to Anderson Silva in 2006, and then was defeated by Silva in their rematch in 2007.
In a career that has spanned more than a decade, Franklin has earned victories over Tanner, Ken Shamrock, Yushin Okami, Matt Hamill, Wanderlei Silva, and Chuck Liddell.