Former UFC champ Rich Franklin officially retires at age 40

Rich Franklin last competed in 2012, where he suffered a tough loss against Cung Le during the UFC's first event in Macau, China. Since then, he has focused on other business ventures, but has always stated that he considered finishing his UFC career by fighting out the last bout on his contract.

For a couple of years, Franklin has been hesitant to make retirement official, but he did just that today. Ace finally decided to announce the news a week before he turns 41, although he didn't use the 'retirement' word up until the end of his essay.

"This comes at a time when I have to accept that I am no longer 25," Franklin wrote at The Players Tribune. "The body has slowed down, and while ever so slightly, those fractions of a difference determine victory or defeat at the top level."

"So, where do I go from here? In my mind, the sky is the limit! I decided I didn’t want to announce "retirement", rather, I am announcing that I have closed one chapter of my life and begun another."

Apart from a couple of other businesses, Franklin also took a position outside the UFC and to an extent will be continuing what he did during his last bout, by promoting the sport in Asia.

Franklin is a former UFC middleweight champ with who has compiled a 29-7 (1 NC) record on a career that started in 1999. He had two successful title defenses in his career, and holds quality wins over top fighters from different eras and weight classes such as Evan Tanner, Ken Shamrock, Wanderlei Silva, Chuck Liddell, Nate Quarry, and Yushin Okami.

Known for stepping in every time the UFC needed someone, Rich also had notable bouts against former champs Anderson Silva, Forrest Griffin, and Dan Henderson.