5 Things You Might Not Know About Rich Franklin

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder Rich Franklin was the tacit figurehead of the organization in incrementally reshaping the brand image from “human cockfighting.” Most of his peers embodied the archetype of a fighter to which the mainstream audience could not relate. Franklin, a former high school teacher lacking garish ink on his body or flamboyant hairstyle, became the distinctive figure fans could associate with and a common man they could look up to. The organization inducted him into the Pioneer Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame class in 2019. With 37 professional fights under his belt during a 13-year career, Franklin compiled a 29-7 record with one no contest. Wins over Ken Shamrock, Chuck Liddell, Evan Tanner and Wanderlei Silva anchor his resume.

Nearly nine years removed from Franklin’s retirement, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. He has a mathematical mind and a fighter’s heart.

Before Franklin became a professional prizefighter, he was a math teacher in his native Ohio. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in education from the University of Cincinnati, which led to his becoming an educator at Oak Hills High School. Franklin’s father warned him that he was potentially throwing away a secure career in teaching by pursuing a career in mixed martial arts. “On the weekends, I would take a fight here and there,” Franklin told UC Magazine. “I remember my first professional fight I made 200 bucks, and I thought to myself, ‘Wow, I can make money fighting?’ I thought for a while that I wasn’t going to be able to make it in this sport, and I really started questioning myself. I considered going back to teaching, back to the security of my job, my retirement plan and my health benefits, but you have to learn to have a little bit of stick-to-itiveness.”

2. He was driven by the need to shatter the stigma around fighting.

UFC CEO Dana White and several others have fought an uphill battle trying to destigmatize preconceived notions surrounding fighters and their backgrounds. White has emphasized many times that many of the fighters are high school graduates with brilliant minds, routinely pointing to Franklin as an example. Franklin claims that competing inside the cage requires intelligence, dedication and sharp mindedness, just like any other occupation. “It takes a high amount of intelligence and savviness to be socially adept and understand the concepts of this job,” he said. “A lot of people perceive that I have gone from a job that required a high amount of intelligence to a job that does not in fighting. If you want to be a successful fighter, you better surround yourself with some highly intelligent people, or you better be a highly intelligent person yourself and understand marketability, how to speak in public and exactly what the fans want and need.”

3. He has an entrepreneurial spirit.

Franklin started an athletic clothing brand in 2002 with business partner Jeff Adler, focused on a full line of athletic training clothing, casual wear and training gear for martial arts. In 2012, they achieved a huge milestone when Affliction Clothing expressed interest and acquired the majority of their company. They also brought the brand to mainstream retailers, and it has flourished ever since. In 2013, Franklin also launched Ze/Lin Organic Juice & Fusion Cafe in Beverly Hills, California, along with business partner Billy Zebe. Unfortunately, the cafe was shut down in nine months. The company has since focused on wholesale and distribution of bottled juices.

4. He has been a warrior on the big screen.

Besides fighting and his business ventures, “Ace” has also appeared on the silver screen, making his acting debut in the 2008 film “Cyborg Soldier.” Franklin played a cyborg prototype of a top-secret military program. Following that, he starred in the 2010 movie “The Hammer”—a story inspired by the life of deaf UFC fighter Matt Hamill. In addition, Franklin played Coach Billings in the 2014 comedy “Mantervention.”

5. He wants to empower the next generation.

Franklin has a soft spot for kids who grew up in bad neighborhoods, and he wants to be the guiding light to show the underserved communities that hope endures. In his vision to empower the next generation of MMA talent, he signed on as the vice president of ONE Championship in May 2014, serving as the face of the brand and traveling throughout the United States and Asia. Moreover, he also hosts ONE Warrior Series, a talent scouting platform to recruit surging talent.