Thread: Couture vs. Franklin

A matchup between former light heavyweight champions and rival TUF 11 coaches Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, expected to headline UFC 115 on June 12 in Vancouver, is reportedly off, and Liddell will instead face Rich Franklin on April 17 in the main event of UFC Fight Night 22.

Rumors of the matchup first surfaced last night on The Underground andFighters Only today reported the news, adding that Ortiz is not injured but was forced to withdraw for undisclosed reasons “that may significantly impact his future as a fighter.”

Liddell (21-7) briefly retired after suffering a first-round TKO to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in his most-recent fight last April, his fourth loss in his last five fights, but the 40-year-old UFC hall of famer has opted to return for at least one more fight.

Franklin (26-5), a former UFC middleweight champion, moved up to light heavyweight in 2008 with a win over Matt Hamill before dropping a split decision to Dan Henderson last January. After bouncing back with a win over Wanderlei Silva in June, Franklin suffered a first-round knockout to Vitor Belfort in September. After undergoing abdomen surgery in January, Franklin was not expected to return until May.

UFC Fight Night 22 has yet to be officially announced, but is expected to air on Spike TV opposite Strikeforce’s CBS-televised “Nashville” event, and may also take place in Nashville, Tennessee.

For the latest UFC Fight Night 22 rumors and UFN 22 fight card check out MMAFrenzy.com’s UFC rumors section, and stay tuned for complete UFN 22 coverage.

ni kan ju ändra ämnet...

In the wake of reports that Chuck Liddell would not be fighting rival Ultimate Fighter 11 coach Tito Ortiz and would instead return to action against Rich Franklin, likely at June’s UFC 115, UFC President Dana White took to Twitter on Saturday afternoon to deny the rumors and confirm that Franklin will likely fight Randy Couture next.

“Not true! We are doing couture vs franklin not chuck. Nothing happened to tito. Tito and I are cool,” wrote White.

The matchup between Franklin and Couture was first reported last month and was originally believed to be in the works for UFC 115 on June 12 in Vancouver, but later reports indicated it would likely take place in August.

The status of the previously-announced bout between Liddell and Ortiz, expected for UFC 115, is uncertain.

According to earlier reports, Ortiz was unable to complete taping for TUF 11, which debuts on March 31 on Spike, and Franklin was reportedly brought in as a replacement.

For the latest UFC news and UFC rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

Dana White skriver på sin twitter att det är Couture vs Franklin...

Går rykten om att Ortiz kickats som TUF tränare och ersatts av Franklin, Fattar ingenting just nu.