Rich \"Ace\" Franklin Needs Surgery for Knee Injury

Rich "Ace" Franklin will not be able to fight Travis Lutter due to a knee injury. (MMAweekly.com Photo)

Former UFC middleweight champion Rich "Ace" Franklin (22-3-0) has been sidelined until June by a knee injury.

According to mmajunkie.com, the 33-year old fighter noticed his knee swelling during training. A doctor's exam and MRI of the knee found a tear in the meniscus as well as floating particles in the joint.

Due to the injury, Franklin has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight with Travis Lutter (9-4-0) which was originally scheduled to happen at UFC 82 on March 1, in Columbus, OH.

Surgery is scheduled for the first week of January in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This is not the first time Franklin has been forced to take a break from fighting due to injuries, as he suffered a broken hand in his title defense against David Loiseau (15-7-0) and a broken nose during his first match against Anderson Silva (20-4-0). Both times, Franklin needed surgery to correct the injuries.

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