Rich Franklin is the former UFC middleweight champion. Career wins include Chuck Liddell, Yushin Okami, Nate Quarry, Evan Tanner, and Wanderlei Silva. Tanner and “The Axe Murderer” he beat twice.
Like every great fighter in the history of mixed martial arts, he also knows what it is like to lose. The UFC G.O.A.T. Anderson Silva beat Franklin twice.
The first time, “The Spider” knocked Franklin out with a knee in the first round, taking his title. Franklin battled back, winning two in a row to earn another title shot. This time he did better – he lost 67 seconds into the second round. Again the loss was to knees.
Franklin retired 29-7-1. And he went out on a brutal first round loss to Cung Le. Like most champions, Rich Franklin is something of an expert at losing.
At TEDxUChicago he brought that expertise to an appreciative audience and explained how to be an “effective loser.” Learning how to respond to defeat and learn from defeat is one of the great life lessons that combat sports and martial arts can impart.
Listen carefully to this talk. There is wisdom here, and you don’t have to get kneed in the face by Anderson Silva to appreciate it.
Franklin began his fighting career in 1999 with a KO of Michael Martin, via head kick. At the time, he was a high school math teacher.
Franklin debuted in the UFC at 12-0, against the late Evan Tanner. He first experienced a loss against future Light Heavyweight UFC Champion Lyoto Machida, at a catchweight of 214 lbs in Kobe, Japan.
Regrouping from the loss he went on an eight-fight win streak which saw him rematch Evan Tanner at UFC 53 for the Middleweight Championship, and earned him a spot as a coach on the second season of The Ultimate Fighter.
Known as “Ace” for his resemblance to Jim Carrey character, Ace Ventura, Rich has come extremely far from his roots watching instructional videotapes while earning his master’s degree in Education at The University of Cincinnati. The Southpaw from Cincinnati has never been submitted during his professional career. Outside of the cage, Rich is a practicing Christian and the co-founder of the Keep It In The Ring foundation, an organization dedicated to building character in America’s youth and advocating non-violence outside of the competition floor.
He currently serves as Vice President of ONE Championship.
