"Ace" plays the cards he's been dealt

MONTREAL – Rich "Ace" Franklin was all but invisible during Thursday's UFC 83 press conference. And he wouldn't want it any other way.

The former UFC middleweight champion took in the scene on stage where Georges St. Pierre was bilingually bombarded by his hometown media leading up to his welterweight title main event against Matt Serra on Saturday night.

"This is just fine," Franklin said afterwards. "I can just focus on fighting and let the others handle all that stuff."

Franklin understood what St. Pierre was going through. It was just six months ago that the Cincinnati native felt the pressure of a main event in his hometown.

"I went out to Wyoming to train and get away from the distractions," said Franklin, who lost to Anderson Silva at UFC 77. "When you're home, and you're in the main event, you get a bump from the fans because they're all pulling for you. But you've get 10 times as many media requests, and every time you turn on the TV or pick up the paper you see yourself."

While it didn't get the attention showered on the main eventers, Franklin will step into the octagon on Saturday night to face Travis Lutter in the second-billed match at the Bell Centre. Although the match has major career implications, it was a noticeably loose Franklin who took the microphone Thursday. At one point, Franklin cracked a joke in which he pretended to lunge toward Lutter in mock anger. And as the two faced off for photos afterwards, Franklin's glare melted into a smile.

"I'm not the type of fighter who brings animosity to my fights," said Franklin. "I'll bring it, but I'm not going to act like I hate him."

Because Franklin lost twice to Silva in such a high-profile manner, losing the title via first-round TKO in 2006 before dropping October's rematch, it is almost easy to forget what a dominant fighter Franklin has been for the bulk of his career. Franklin used his brutally tough standup to impose his iron will on the middleweight division leading up to and during his 16-month reign as champion.

In between losses to Silva, the Franklin of old emerged, as he bulled his way to a win over Jason MacDonald and handed Yushin Okami his only loss in seven UFC fights.

But the 33-year old Franklin had to reassess his career standing after October's defeat, in which the former champ held his own through most of the first round before finding himself on the wrong end of a Muay Thai clinic in the second.

"The bottom line is, the UFC is my job and fighting is my job," said Franklin, whose only other career loss is to undefeated light heavyweight Lyoto Machida. "If you work as a salesman and all of a sudden you're the number two salesman in your company instead of number one, you don't just quit, you keep showing up and doing your job."

While Franklin is known as one of the larger middleweights on the scene, cutting up to 25 pounds for his fights, he doesn't see a permanent move to light heavyweight as a viable option.

"I'm just not big enough," he said. "Those guys walk around at 225, 230. If the UFC came at me and asked me to fight in some sort of novelty fight at light heavyweight as a one-time only thing, like they did when I fought (Ken) Shamrock (the nationally televised 2005 win that made Franklin a star), I'll do it, but I just don't see myself doing that on a regular basis."

If Franklin defeats Lutter on Saturday night, though, he's not sure what would be his next option, considering his losses to Silva and that he has already beaten Okami, the man many expect to get the next title shot.

"I mean, I don't know if there's interest in building up a third match with Silva," said Franklin. "I'd fight him again, but would the public want to see it? UFC hasn't told me they're not going to make the match again, but I assume it is not on the top of the list right now. All I can worry about right now is whether I win on Saturday night. The variables change depending on whether or not I beat Travis."

The match appears to be your classic standup vs. ground battle. Four out of Franklin's past five wins have come by way of KO or TKO, while Lutter (9-4), a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, has scored seven of his nine career wins via submission and has only won once on strikes.

"I think the game plan is obvious," said Franklin. "He's going to try to take me down, and I'm going to try to defend the takedown and keep it standing up and striking. But we've prepared for all scenarios."