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A bout between UFC Hall of Famer and former Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell and former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin is in the works for UFC 115 in June, according to a report from MMAJunkie.com.
A previous report from the U.K. based Fighter's Only had pegged the matchup as the headliner for the UFC's rumored April 17th Strikeforce-countering event, though weeks out from that date it appears that it may not be coming to fruition.
Liddell has been filming the 11th season of The Ultimate Fighter, and while Tito Ortiz had been filming as well as the coach opposing him, the MMAJunkie report states Tito was unable to finish filming for an unknown reason and Franklin had been brought in.
That takes out the planned third bout between Liddell and Ortiz that would have headlined this 115 card, and Franklin once again becomes UFC's go-to guy for a fight in a pinch.
UFC 115 is expected to take place at the GM Place in Vancouver, B.C., Canada on June 12th.
Penick's Analysis: I'm extremely intrigued to find out what's going on with Ortiz. The MMAJunkie report brought up some cryptic Tweets from Ortiz where he talked about life getting harder and God giving him another challenge, and with him unable to finish the season and Franklin stepping into his place for a fight that's still months away there remains lots and lots of questions about not only his health right now, but the future of his career.
The Liddell-Franklin fight is actually a lot more intriguing than the third bout with Ortiz, in any case. For starters, they are two former Champions and big stars in the UFC and they've never fought each other. It makes a lot more sense for Franklin as well, and will give him a fight in the light heavyweight division after two fights at a 195 lb. catchweight. It's a big challenge for Chuck and chance for him to prove that he's still got it after devastating KO victories in his last two fights. This is a good fight and a good headliner for the Vancouver card.
[Rich Franklin art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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