By Chris Howie
MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer

Former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin at 38 years old isn't getting any younger and while he is still competitive in the Octagon he has in past interviews been open to the option of using Testosterone Replacement Therapy to prolong his career.

That was until fan backlash towards him via Twitter and Facebook left Franklin, who fights Nov. 10th against Cung Le, explaining where he stood on the topic.

“The public perception of TRT is that it’s cheating,” Franklin told ESPN.com. “The moment I said I was actually thinking about it, I started getting quite a bit of backlash.”

“I don’t believe I’ve dropped off with my speed or strength or any of that,” Franklin said. “You can’t look at my last fight and say, ‘Yeah, Rich has lost a step and is looking older.’

“When that day comes, perhaps I will consider quitting or possibly taking TRT. More than likely, in my mind, I’ll choose retirement over the necessity of TRT to continue.”

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