With the likes of Jon Jones, Jose Aldo, and some of the other rising talent, we might have forgot how dominant Franklin was before running into the buzz saw that is Anderson Silva.
In what could be his last time in the octagon, Franklin is set to take on the intriguing Cung Le at UFC 148.
Evidently, it came as somewhat of a surprise to the former champion.
"I'm sitting there, my phone goes off on Sunday night and I found out via Twitter that my fight was signed."
"The great Cinderella story would be for me to drop to 185 and make a run for the title. I can't say I haven't thought about that. But I don't want to put the carriage before the horse. I have a tough opponent in front of me, and I really need to focus on that fight first and get some momentum going."
The fact that Le possesses some of the most unorthodox striking ever seen in the cage is not the only obstacle Franklin will be facing.
"This is not an easy fight," he said. "He's southpaw, and I've historically had problems with southpaws. So this will be a good challenge for me to come back at 185."
After suffering a shoulder injury, Franklin feels like he's ready to go.
"I suffered a torn labrum from a shoulder dislocation. While in the shoulder, the doctor did some minor repair to the rotator cuff as well.
"As the shoulder gets better, you're given more permission of things you're allowed to do. So even though I had the surgery in October, I was already doing some stuff in December."
Watch for full betting lines, breakdown, and results from this event.
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