Ultimately, a television star is born
The Cincinnati Enquirer, John Fay, 15th November 2005
Mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championships and former math teacher Franklin has fought his way into the spotlight.
Rich Franklin is sort of a made-for-TV athlete. Franklin’s rise to stardom has coincided with the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s climb to prominence on Spike TV.
Franklin, a former math teacher at Oak Hills, was the perfect fighter for the UFC to market. He’s clean cut, soft-spoken and thoughtful. A good-guy counter to the UFC’s bad-boy image.
Ultimate Fighting is a brand name for mixed martial arts competition. Fighters compete in a caged octagon in a mixture of wrestling, boxing and kick-boxing.
Franklin is one of the UFC’s stars and he’s quickly becoming just a plain star.
“The Spike series has helped the UFC move toward the mainstream population,” he said. “No matter what you make it, it’s only going to appeal to a certain segment of the population. Some people are never going to be interested in any kind of combative sport. We’re trying to tap into the people who would potentially be interested.”
That strategy has worked.
The Nov.5 finale of the Ultimate Fighter 2, drew 2.6 million viewers. As far as UFC’s core 18-to-24 male audience, the finale drew more viewers than any telecast that day - including the Miami-Virginia Tech and Notre Dame-Tennessee football games.
Franklin was a coach on the series and his upcoming title defense against Nate Quarry, a pay-per-view bout Saturday in Las Vegas at UFC 56, (cq) was promoted about 96 times during the telecast.
Franklin is no longer the anonymous athlete he was for most of his mixed martial arts career.
“[The TV series] made a big difference,” Franklin said. “I’m one of the most recognizable athletes in the sport.”
Franklin still blends in here, his training base.
“At home, I’m not that recognizable,” he said. “There are a lot of fight fans in Cincinnati. But there’s not that concentrated amount like in Las Vegas.”
Franklin, 31, is one of the least likely guys to end up in the UFC.
Franklin brings a cerebral style to what can be a brutal sport.
“The No.1 thing with Rich is he’s a smart fighter,” said Jorge Gugel, his training partner. “He keeps control of his emotions. He always is thinking and finding a way to win.”
Franklin was an athlete growing up and took karate as a kid. But he wasn’t a wrestler - the most common background for UFC fighters.
He played football at Harrison High School, or as he corrects, “I tried to play football. I wasn’t a notable athlete back then.”
He wanted to continue in sports but didn’t have an outlet.
“I got into martial arts - something to keep me busy, a hobby,” he said. “I had no intention of fighting professionally. But after a couple of amateur fights, I quickly realized this was something I could be good at. One thing led to another. The next thing I know, I’m quitting my job and training full-time.”
The UFC picked up on Franklin early. His first fight for the organization was in 2003.
The UFC changed mixed martial arts fighting by adding rules and getting it regulated by state boxing commissions. Franklin was a good fit for UFC’s move to the mainstream. He was 14-1 by the time be signed with UFC. UFC signed him to a nine-fight contract. He’s 6-0 so far.
“That was unprecedented at the time,” he said. “What they did was make an investment in me.”
Again, the Spike series fueled Franklin’s rise. The series takes 18 fighters in two weight classes and puts them in a house in Las Vegas. Each show culminates with a fight. The loser goes home.
The winners in each weight class are awarded six-figure contracts with the UFC.
Franklin was a headliner on the final card for first season of the show. He knocked out UFC legend Ken Shamrock that night.
“They wanted a name like Shamrock and someone else who they planned on building up,” Franklin said.
Mission accomplished. Franklin’s name was suddenly much more recognizable.
His next fight was with Evan Tanner for the 185-pound title.
Franklin won by knockout. The kicker was the winner would get to be one of the coaches of the Ultimate Fighter 2.
Franklin spent six weeks shooting the show in Las Vegas. He learned what a lot of reality stars do: It’s not what you do or say, it’s how it’s edited that makes your image.
Franklin’s portrayal?
“Lazy,” he said.
“I honestly didn’t mind that the show portrayed be that way,” he said. “I know I train hard. The people who know me know I train hard.”
“It was inaccurate but humorous.”
Franklin works out at three different facilities in order to hone all the disciplines - boxing at Boxing 4 Fitness, jiu-jitsu at New Generation Martial Arts and muay thai at Sacan Martial Arts. He supplements that with weight training at the PowerStation in Middletown.
There are several noted mixed martial arts camps around the country, but Franklin prefers his home base.
“I’ve been training here my whole MMA career,” he said. “I have five or six I count on. I believe I have a good formula here in Ohio. It’s more conducive to training. I don’t have to worry about distractions.”
If he gets much more airtime on Spike, that may change.