Rich Franklin's father Passes Away from a Heart Attack

From thefightnetwork.com

UFC middleweight mainstay Rich Franklin's father died of a heart attack Tuesday, the fighter's manager, Monte Cox, confirmed. No other information is available at this time.

The former champion underwent surgery last week in Las Vegas to repair a torn medial collateral ligament in his knee following his second loss to current titleholder Anderson Silva at UFC 77 in Cincinnati in October. The surgery went well, according to Cox, and Franklin is already putting weight on the leg.

Recently re-signed with the UFC, Cox said Franklin (24-3) aims to step back into the Octagon on Saturday, April 19 against Travis Lutter at an event planned for the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada. Rehabilitation and Franklin's loss of his father could effect that timetable, Cox said.

Franklin, 33, collected seven victories in the UFC before falling to Silva via a first-round TKO at UFC 64 in October 2006. Franklin (22-3) nursed his career back into title contention with victories over Jason MacDonald and Yushin Okami before facng Silva a second time.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Lutter (9-4) has been inactive since his loss to Silva at UFC 67 nearly a year ago, suffering from neck and back injuries. The 34-year-old Lutter opted to forgo surgery in favor of natural recovery.