Rich Franklin Turns Down Cincinnati Bout Against ‘Lil Nog’

Former UFC middleweight champion and Cincinnati resident, Rich ‘Ace’ Franklin, hasn’t seen the inside of The Octagon since his 2012 first round KO loss to Cung Le.

Since then, Franklin, has been enjoying life on the sidelines and mixing up juice cocktails in LA, as part of a new business venture he owns, called, Zelin Juice and Fusion Café.

With so much energy being required from this new business, ‘Ace’, is content with his recent stint of fighting inactivity.

Last night on FOX Sports 1, the ‘UFC Tonight’ team confirmed that Rich declined an offer to face ‘Lil Nog’ in front of his hometown crowd in Cincinnati, later this year. Unfortunately for fight fans, UFC President Dana White stated that his former champ is too busy juicing to dedicate the time required to perform.

The UFC returns to Cincinnati on On May 10. The event is going down from the U.S. Bank Arena and features a spectacular 12-bout fight card with Matt Brown vs. Erik Silva in the headlining slot.

It will be the UFC’s first trip back to the tri-state since UFC 77 in 2007.