UFC 68: Rich Franklin vs. Mike Swick?

So much for former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin getting a tune up in his first fight after recovering from a serious nose fracture.

MMAWeekly.com is reporting that "Ace" is tentatively (big emphasis on that word) scheduled to tangle with Mike "Quick" Swick on March 3, 2007, at UFC 68 in Columbus, Ohio.

Naturally, the winner of this match would earn the right to face current UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva for the title. Swick has made public pleas to Dana White and the UFC recently, saying he has earned his opportunity to fight for the 185-pound belt.

Check out this interview yesterday (great sound bytes) with Swick over at the Houston Chronicle for more.

A victory over the former champion would certainly pave the way for Swick-Silva.

We recently theorized that Franklin would face the winner/loser of the Chris Leben-Jason MacDonald fight at UFC 66 on December 30. The thinking behind that was that the UFC wouldn't make the same mistake twice and put Franklin in the Octagon with the cream of the division so soon after an injury like it did at UFC 64.

Of course, that evening Franklin returned to the cage after a long layoff and was crushed by Silva.

If Franklin-Swick holds true, it means that we are in store for an amazing fight.

Sometimes it's good to be wrong.