A pay-per-view fight is slated in Cincinnati.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Rich Franklin could tell you how to figure the number of square feet in an octagon, or explain the Pythagorean theorem of right triangles.
He spent four years teaching math at a suburban high school before following his heart to the Octagon, the eight-sided cage where combatants punch, kick and wrestle opponents to unconsciousness or submission.
One of the stars of the Ultimate Fighting Championship league, Franklin hopes to regain his middleweight title Oct. 20 in his hometown.
He says the mixed martial arts sport — wildly popular in some parts of the country — has been slower to catch on here but should get a boost from his pay-per-view fight in a riverfront arena.
Franklin (23-2) will fight Anderson Silva (19-4), who broke Franklin's nose and took the title a year ago in Las Vegas, at sold-out, 17,000-seat U.S. Bank Arena.
Articulate and animated, Franklin is making the most of his stature as one of UFC's best-known fighters.
He is spokesman for Maxus, a hometown company that makes contractor tools such as air compressors. He has his own American Fighter line of clothing and a TV pilot he's trying to sell, and he co-wrote a book, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Ultimate Fighting," published in September.
"I have other avenues I can pursue when I'm done fighting, as long as I don't get too mangled between now and then," the 33-year-old said.
In a UFC bout, fighters start from a standing position like boxers but may kick or wrestle an opponent to the mat. Once there, fighters may continue to punch — this is known as "ground and pound" — or wrestle an opponent to submission, which could include use of a choke hold.
Head butting, biting, eye gouging and hair pulling are prohibited.
Franklin, who left the classroom in 2004, hasn't strayed far from his modest upbringing, refusing the temptation of flashy cars and expensive homes, although he could afford them.
He will earn about $500,000 in purse money this year, and about as much in endorsements, his business manager, J.T. Stewart, said. But his earning power largely is determined by the UFC and how many fights he wins, since fighters are contract players and cannot promote their own bouts as pro boxers do.
Monday, October 15, 2007
A pay-per-view fight is slated in Cincinnati.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Rich Franklin could tell you how to figure the number of square feet in an octagon, or explain the Pythagorean theorem of right triangles.
He spent four years teaching math at a suburban high school before following his heart to the Octagon, the eight-sided cage where combatants punch, kick and wrestle opponents to unconsciousness or submission.
One of the stars of the Ultimate Fighting Championship league, Franklin hopes to regain his middleweight title Oct. 20 in his hometown.
He says the mixed martial arts sport — wildly popular in some parts of the country — has been slower to catch on here but should get a boost from his pay-per-view fight in a riverfront arena.
Franklin (23-2) will fight Anderson Silva (19-4), who broke Franklin's nose and took the title a year ago in Las Vegas, at sold-out, 17,000-seat U.S. Bank Arena.
Articulate and animated, Franklin is making the most of his stature as one of UFC's best-known fighters.
He is spokesman for Maxus, a hometown company that makes contractor tools such as air compressors. He has his own American Fighter line of clothing and a TV pilot he's trying to sell, and he co-wrote a book, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Ultimate Fighting," published in September.
"I have other avenues I can pursue when I'm done fighting, as long as I don't get too mangled between now and then," the 33-year-old said.
In a UFC bout, fighters start from a standing position like boxers but may kick or wrestle an opponent to the mat. Once there, fighters may continue to punch — this is known as "ground and pound" — or wrestle an opponent to submission, which could include use of a choke hold.
Head butting, biting, eye gouging and hair pulling are prohibited.
Franklin, who left the classroom in 2004, hasn't strayed far from his modest upbringing, refusing the temptation of flashy cars and expensive homes, although he could afford them.
He will earn about $500,000 in purse money this year, and about as much in endorsements, his business manager, J.T. Stewart, said. But his earning power largely is determined by the UFC and how many fights he wins, since fighters are contract players and cannot promote their own bouts as pro boxers do.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Rich Franklin could tell you how to figure the number of square feet in an octagon, or explain the Pythagorean theorem...
