Rich Franklin is 1/3 favourite with Sky Bet to defeat Cung Le in the main event of UFC on Fuel TV 6.
Franklin seeking return to title contention
Rich Franklin is
1/3 favourite with Sky Bet to defeat Cung Le in the main event of UFC on Fuel TV 6 in China as he aims to get back into contention for a Middleweight title shot.
Franklin was last seen in the Octagon at UFC 147 where he defeated Wanderlei Silva, but this fight is the first since his return to the Middleweight division, where aside from two losses to current UFC Middleweight champion Anderson Silva, he is otherwise unbeaten.
While Franklin is aware that victory against Le would not result in an immediate title shot, the former middleweight champion hopes that defeating Le will at least steer him in the right direction.
"I have a fight against Cung and I'm not really thinking beyond that fight. I don't think about title shots, this and that, and I don't think, well, if I win or if I lose," Franklin told
MMAWeekly Radio.
"I have to be motivated to beat Cung and that's it. It doesn't matter what comes after that, and it's not important.
"What's important right now is winning that fight because if I didn't win that fight those opportunities aren't going to come anyway."
Le is 9/4 with the online betting company to win his second successive fight after his unanimous decision victory over Patrick Cote at UFC 148.
During that fight, the former kickboxer broke his foot, and rather than planning for championship opportunities, for now Le is simply grateful to be cleared to compete.
"I'm lucky to be here," he told
UFC.com. "It's been a long training camp but I'm here and I'm ready to put on a show.
"My focus is solely on the fight. I'm going to fight my heart out and leave it all out in the Octagon."
See all of Sky Bet's UFC betting markets here
