Rich Franklin has never hesitated to take his mixed martial arts career on the road, with the goal of spreading his sport while chasing another UFC title.

The former math teacher from Cincinnati with a master’s degree in education has fought in Belfast, Montreal and Dublin in the past two years, all in front of eager fans in otherwise skeptical nations that didn’t know exactly what to make of MMA. He’ll take on Wanderlei Silva on Saturday night in UFC 99 in Cologne, Germany — the UFC’s first show in the newest territory for its sport.
Franklin sees it all as part of his job. While MMA still is viewed ambivalently by much of North America, what little is known and said about the sport in large parts of Europe is still mostly negative. Franklin is hoping a compelling card at Lanxess Arena will be the first step in changing that.
“I’ve always been one of those fighters that whatever the organization needs from me, I’m pretty much willing to do anything,” Franklin said.
UFC president Dana White knew the obstacles he faced in taking his sport to Germany, but he embraced them in his zeal to sell his sport everywhere. Only fans over 17 will be allowed into the show, but White and British executive Marshall Zelaznik have tried to rebut concerns about the sport from German media and politicians.
“It’s a process, and it takes time,” White said. “We have to get in there and educate people about what we do, and everybody always asks me if I’m frustrated or aggravated. I’m used to it. It’s what we do. We get in there and educate people. We’ve got Germany done, and we’re going for France next.”
White vehemently argues with those who criticize his sport’s violence, yet MMA obviously reaps some benefit from those bloodthirsty perceptions: Silva’s nickname is “The Axe Murderer,” after all. The Cologne show should be a sellout, and the controversy surrounding its move into Germany should tantalize the young men who comprise the bulk of the sport’s fan base.
They’ll get to see another effort from the seemingly tireless Franklin (26-4), who’s one of the sport’s most durable competitors, even on the back side of his career. The former middleweight champion also has a lengthy list of injuries and scars from his reign, most recently developing scar tissue on his eye from a nasty injury in his split-decision loss to Dan Henderson in January.
He has never fought Silva (32-9-1), who has been among MMA’s most exciting fighters for most of the past decade. Silva has lost four of his last five bouts, most recently getting knocked out by Rampage Jackson in December, but he’s well known for putting on memorable shows no matter the outcome.
“I wanted to fight with all fighters in all divisions,” Silva said of his previous move up from middleweight, where he fought most of his career in the Pride promotion in Japan. “In my life, I wanted to fight with the best guys in the world at the time. I fight with tough guys my whole life, and here in the UFC, I have the opportunity to fight with the other tough guys. I want to try them all.”
If Silva wins this 195-pound catch weight bout, he’s likely to take on Anderson Silva (no relation), who already has beaten Franklin twice. Wanderlei Silva and Anderson Silva are both Brazilian stars, but they dislike each other intensely.
UFC 99 also features the return of Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, the internationally beloved kickboxing star who struggled in his first three UFC fights in 2007; and a potentially entertaining welterweight bout between Dan Hardy and Marcus Davis, whose nonstop trash talk in recent weeks has drawn attention away from the respectful main-event fighters.