Calling all UFC fans ...

[themurf]

I'm supposed to interview former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin within the next 24 hours. I've got some good questions for him, but I figured since I've always loved my ES brethren, I'd give folks a chance to help out.

If you have a question for Rich, post it here. If it's a good one, I'll ask it. If it's a really good one and I get a good response, then I'll post his reply here.

Cheers,

murf.

[Destino]

How do you think Silva will do at 205?

[RabidFan]

Silva is said to walk around at 215, what do you walk around at and would you ever consider moving up?

[SkinsOrlando]

What do you see yourself doing after retiring from MMA?

[#98QBKiller]

Dan Henderson's dropped to 185...do you see a fight with him in the near future?

[herrmag]

You've fought Anderson Silva twice, and both times lost a fairly one-sided bout. You've also stated that essentially you are not interested in fighting him a third time. With that being the case, what are your future aspirations/goals if fighting the champion is not one of them?

[StillUnknown]

with the growing success of the sport, do you feel MMA fighters should be making more money?

[lovetoaster]

That's awesome Murf.

I wonder if he ever misses teaching and if so, is it something he would consider doing after leaving MMA? If not, being known as a very intelligent guy with a great academic background, does he ever think about what he would do post-MMA? He has a lot left obviously, but it seems like he would have limitless options outside of the cage.

[#98QBKiller]

*Also:

You made a very successful switch from a 9-to-5 to an MMA career....what advice do you have for fans that would like to do the same?

[PleaseBlitz]

If you could beat the **** out of one historical figure who would it be and why, and how would you go about beating their face in?

Hey, at least its a question he probably hasnt been asked 1000 times before. :)

[PleaseBlitz]

At what point did you know that MMA was something that you could compete in at a world class level?

[lovetoaster]

He fought once in Japan against Lyoto Machida. Did he ever think about fighting overseas more often? And what are the differences in Japanese and North American fans, seeing as how they are really the two major MMA areas in the world. You can tell that they are much different from watching UFC and then organizations such as Pride and Dream.

Also can he comment on the difference in the production between Japanese and American shows. Japan seems to focus a lot more on making it more of an event, which has failed with some U.S. promotions, such as WFA (and it seems like the Affliction event and EliteXC might be heading in that direction as well). UFC seems to focus more on the fights and fighters themselves.

I know...long-winded question(s)...

[lovetoaster]

Dan Henderson's dropped to 185...do you see a fight with him in the near future?

Hopefully!

:applause:

[themurf]

with the growing success of the sport, do you feel MMA fighters should be making more money?

Time magazine estimated last year that the UFC is valued at over $1 billion, and they smashed the all-time pay-per-view record by bringing in more than $200 million last year. Don't feel too bad for them - the big names are making money.

[themurf]

What do you see yourself doing after retiring from MMA?

Rich is actually working on a movie called "Weapon." From the IMDB page:

"Weapon" centers on a lonely U.S. border patrol agent, played by (Tiffani Thiessen), who captures a genetically engineered super-soldier, played by (Rich Franklin). It begins as the soldiers creator, played by (Bruce Greenwood), attempts to hunt them down. Based on a screenplay by John Flock and Christopher Warre Smets, the film is produced by Joshua Gray and directed by John Stead.

Can you say award winning?

[RVAbrendan]

What is your opinion on other martial arts? More traditional ones? Would they be more effective in the UFC ring and in sport-fighting in general if they were trained at full contact?

[SkinsOrlando]

Would you want to travel back in time and face a young Chuck Norris?

[StillUnknown]

Time magazine estimated last year that the UFC is valued at over $1 billion, and they smashed the all-time pay-per-view record by bringing in more than $200 million last year. Don't feel too bad for them - the big names are making money.

i should've clarified my original question. the big names are certainly making enough money. my question was directed more to the guys who are only getting 3k to fight with a 3k win bonus. training can be kind of expensiver and sponsors certainly provides an additional source of income, but with the UFC being a billion dollar company, i would think that any fighter who steps in the cage should be making more than 3k to fight.