1 + 1 = Franklin vs. Ortiz

Found this on Rich Franklin’s Twitter about an hour ago: “Ive heard the ufc pulled my fight off the website for 103. I dont kno y. They hvnt spoken to me @ this, n i assume the fight is still on.”

Franklin was slated for a rematch with Dan Henderson at UFC 103 on September 19. But he’s right, that fight is no longer listed on the official UFC 103 site. Add to that the very real likelihood of Tito Ortiz’s return to the UFC, it doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to do the math.

The only thing that gives me pause is that Ortiz hasn’t fought since May of 2008 when he lost to current light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida and he’s been recovering from back surgery. A bout with Franklin certainly wouldn’t be the tune-up fight you’d expect the UFC to hand him. Franklin is a bruiser, a bit softer in the head thanks to Anderson Silva’s knees, but still no walk in the park. Maybe this is UFC president Dana White’s way of welcoming his former friend-turned-bitter enemy back into the fold, settling their grudge. White’s going to let Franklin bury the hatchet for him. Could be. Then again, I never was very good at math.