Franklin on Franklin

For weeks it has been rumored that the winner of Rich Franklin vs Dan Henderson would be the U.S. Coach for The Ultimate Fighter 9. Rich Franklin has heard the rumors, but according to him they are not true. The UFC has not approached him with an offer to coach and they did not include a stipulation in his fight contract with Dan Henderson that the winner would become the coach.

When the fight between Franklin and Henderson was announced, there was initial confusion because Franklin had recently began his second-life as a Light Heavyweight, while Henderson was hoping to avenge his loss to Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. Putting these two in a fight seemed counterproductive for the UFC. Then reports surfaced that the winner of the fight would be the U.S. coach for season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter. Well, this made even less sense because the UK coach was Michael Bisping. Why would Rich Franklin care about fighting Bisping, who is now firmly entrenched as a Middleweight?

Franklin's comments clear up a bit of the confusion. The fight with Henderson appears to be a one-off. They will fight to see who is the better man. A Franklin win would put him one step closer to title contention at 205 lbs. A Henderson win will set the stage for a stint on The Ultimate Fighter 9 as the coach of the U.S. team. He will likely be the coach win or lose, but a win would allow the UFC to market the season a lot better.

Got all that?