Rich Franklin Stops Travis Lutter for Win at UFC 83

After every major event, the UFC awards substantial bonuses for the top knockout, submission and fight of the night.

Unfortunately for Rich Franklin, the UFC doesn't award a bonus check for the night's best escape. Otherwise, he'd be $75,000 richer.

Franklin, from West Chester Twp., defeated famed ground fighter Travis Lutter on Saturday, April 19, at UFC 83: Serra vs St Pierre 2, an event that took place in front of a UFC record crowd of 21,390 at Montreal's Bell Centre. Georges St Pierre defeated Matt Serra and reclaimed the UFC's welterweight title in the main event.

While the maneuver may have looked like nothing special to the casual viewer, an arm-bar escape that Franklin pulled off during his co-main event fight was as expert a move as you'll find in mixed martial arts.

Lutter is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, and once he had the submission locked, it appeared Franklin's first fight back since an October 2007 loss to UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva was going to end in disaster.

Franklin, though, rolled out of the hold and stormed back to end the fight with a second-round TKO.

The victory pushes his career mark to 23-3. He's won 11 of his past 13 fights, and the two losses came to Silva.

While Franklin is arguably the No. 2 middleweight in the world — right behind Silva — he knows a third fight is unlikely.

"Many fans have seen it twice and have no desire to see it again," he said. "I don't know if it would be marketable. ... I've never picked an opponent, so I'll see what they (UFC officials) come up with next for me."

Source: www.daytondailynews.com