Former UFC middleweight champ Rich “Ace” Franklin tells Sportsnet.ca that he has a hernia which will be taken care of before it becomes a larger issue.

“I’m taking some time off,” he said. “I have hernia surgery scheduled next week. I have a slight tear in my upper stomach. I need to get it taken care of. Once I do that, then I’ll get back to a normal training regimen.”

The injury is the type that can progress to something much worse, so Frankilin is looking to fix it as soon as possible.

“It’s a smaller tear so I’m taking care of it before it becomes a bigger problem.”

Hernias are no joke and can become plaguing ailments if not properly attended to. He’ll likely be out of training for 6-8 weeks so we may expect the dual-division fighter (185 and 205 lbs.) to enter the Octagon in late Spring.

Source: Sportsnet.ca