Rich Franklin could fight Tito Ortiz in 2012 return

Though fan-favorite Rich Franklin is out until at least the middle of next year after undergoing recent surgery for a torn shoulder labrum he already has an opponent in mind for his comeback bout – fellow former champion Tito Ortiz.

Franklin brought up the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” while discussing his health on a recent episode of Inside MMA where he mentioned the match-up likely would have been made had he not gotten injured while training.

Franklin’s Camp Comments on Shoulder Surgery

“Before my shoulder surgery I actually was approached by the UFC…and they were talking about Tito and I fighting, and I basically told them, ‘I’m gonna have to go get a MRI on my shoulder. If it’s non-surgical then I’ll take the fight, if it is we’ll have to look at other alternatives’,” Franklin explained. “That was an appealing fight to me so we’ll see where things are sitting come June time.”

Check out the entire clip below where “Ace” opens up on how his recovery is going and a handful of other topics:

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC