Ending nearly three years of speculation about his future as a mixed martial artist, former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion Rich Franklin officially announced his retirement Monday morning on his Twitter account.
The 40-year-old had competed in 37 professional fights and one amateur bout, and stepped away from the sport with a 29-7 (1 NC) record.
Franklin debuted with the UFC on its historic “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 Finale card on April 9 2005, which was the stage of Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar’s epic three-round war. The Cincinnati native’s final bout took place on Nov.