Franklin fueled by fighting

Butler County's Rich Franklin trying to recapture UFC's middleweight title.

MIDDLETOWN — Dr. David Youtsler was running around answering phones at his chiropractic business on a cold and snowy Monday morning. Periodically, he'd check in on his prized patient, former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title holder Rich Franklin.

"Where's your help?" Franklin asked while using a cold laser to reduce soreness on his arm.

"She said she was stuck in Indianapolis from the snow," Youtsler said.

While the snow might have kept others from work, Franklin is all about business. You see, the words "former middleweight champion" don't ring very well with him, and he's training harder than ever to get back to the top.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Franklin makes his return to the UFC's octagon-shaped caged ring March 3 for UFC 68: The Uprising at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. Franklin will take a 22-2 record into his non-title bout against fast-rising Canadian Jason MacDonald (18-7-0). Current heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia and former welterweight champ Matt Hughes also are on the card.

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