Rich Franklin Teaches Us How to Lose

Rich Franklin Teaches Us How to Lose

Rich “Ace” Franklin is a true mixed martial arts legend and the former UFC Middleweight World Champion. Over the years, he has become a familiar face at Evolve MMA, holding two training camps with the Evolve Fight Team and its World Champion instructors.  Recently, Rich was introduced as the new Vice President of ONE FC.

Growing up, Franklin had dreams of playing American football in college, but ultimately decided to continue with his karate practice. Eventually, he moved on to submission fighting, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, boxing, and ultimately into the MMA legend that we know him as today.

What most people don’t know about Rich Franklin, is that before becoming a professional MMA fighter, he was a high school mathematics teacher. He currently works with children through the Keep It In The Ring Foundation, an after school martial arts and life skills program that focuses on character building and nonviolence for the youth.

In this recent TEDxUChicago speech, Franklin teaches the audience the importance of dealing with defeat and moving forward. After his crushing loss via TKO to Anderson Silva at UFC 77, Franklin felt hopeless. It was during this time that he discovered the meaning of being an “effective loser” and how to rise from failure -  a significant lesson that he had to learn the hard way.  By having this mindset, Franklin was able to successfully redeem himself and bounce back with a TKO win over Travis Lutter at UFC 88.

Losing is something that we all must deal with at some point in our lives. However, it is the way that we react to defeat that makes all the difference. Without defeat, we may never learn from our mistakes, causing us to remain stagnant and unable to adapt to change. 

By overcoming defeat, we open ourselves up to new experiences, which allow us to prepare wisely for the future. We start to realize the mistakes we have done in the past, and it is up to us to prevent them from happening again. Rich Franklin’s experience is proof that losing should never be a hindrance; it is a chance to harness your warrior spirit and learn from your mistakes.  

Check out Rich's inspiring speech below, and remember his words the next time you find yourself faced with defeat.

Evolve Mixed Martial Arts® is Asia's premier championship brand for martial arts. With World Champions in Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Mixed Martial Arts, Boxing, Wrestling, and No Gi Grappling, Evolve MMA is the top martial arts training organization in Asia. It ranks among the best martial arts academies in the world.