White fears for Franklin's future...
 

So IF Franklin loses where does it put him?...what do ya do with him???

Lets hear some opinions.

Probably will solidify "Ace" as the new David Loiseau of 185.

The experienced, talented veteran who will basically be used as a measuring stick.

I dunno, hes still easily one of the top middleweights in the UFC, so far hes been able to beat anyone BUT Silva at 185, if he loses again he will probably go on another winning streak and hope Silva makes a mistake in his next fight, and the fight after that, and the fight after that, AND if Franklin is still on a winning streak when and IF Silva finally makes a mistake losing his belt that puts Franklin in line for a title shot..

It's a long shot and probably unlikely but, he can hope. :dunno:

Franklin's a popular fighter with a big fan base, whos got skills and is usually pretty exciting. Dana knows this and probably won't boot him out of the UFC. Moving up to 205 wouldn't make sense for him because that division is stacked and I don't see Franklin as a contender in the LHW division. They could put him in the WEC to boost the fanbase over there or keep him around in the UFC fighting at 185 against the other guys, maybe someone beats Silva down the road and Franklin will get another shot at the belt if he strings enough wins together.

The WEC would make the most sense for him, he could move up to 205 and fight Marshall for the belt.

If Franklin loses, keep him around until Silva loses the belt (which I hope isnt for a long time) then have Franklin fight the new title holder

I hope Franklin loses badly and goes away. :thumb02:

The old guard is sometimes too babied by the UFC - home advantages and what not.

Win or lose, Franklin is still an exciting fighter, he is a top-10 MW and should not be cast away just because he can't beat 1 guy.

I know it's uncool around here to support "The American Poster Boys", but Franklin is a classy guy and is good for the sport. Chances are he won't beat Anderson but I really don't see anyone else beating him anytime soon. Right now Franklin is "The best of the rest".

Fighting in your hometown isn't an advantage and he wasn't babied. He's a top 5 MW, class guy and exciting fighter. If you don't like fighters of that calibre then you should keep loving Andy wang or whoever you want.

Franklin could very well bulk up and move back up to 205lbs, I could see him doing ok there although he'd have trouble with the size disadvantage since he's usually so used to having the advantage in size. Another option is that he could possibly lose some muscle/weight and try drop down to 170, although that is a very big stretch.

No shot of that happening, Franklin walks around at about 210-220 naturally. he is huge for a MW and has had problems cutting down to 185 in the past. It would be physicly impossible for Rich to make 170, he would have to amputate something to get down that low.