By CagePotato.com contributor Mike Russell

Despite several unsubstantiated reports stating otherwise, a rumored match-up between former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin and former number one UFC middleweight contender Patrick Cote at UFC 113 (May 1st, Montreal) is not happening according to both Franklin’s longtime manager Monte Cox and “The Predator."

Cox told Cage Potato yesterday that Franklin plans to stay at light heavyweight when he returns to action following an estimated 6-8 week recovery from a hernia surgery that the Cincinnati, Ohio native has scheduled for next week, and that they have not been offered a fight on the May 1 card.

Responding to the rumor, which was propagated by a posting on The Fight Network website, Cote said he was as surprised as anyone to hear the fight was a go:

“I’m not sure where the Fight Network got the story from,” Cote said. “I mentioned on Facebook that I would like to fight Rich if he’s available for the show in Montreal in May, but I didn’t tell anyone it was happening.”

Here is the Facebook post in question:

A warm up fight is the most dangerous thing to do. Fuck it give me a big fight right away !!! I’ll be back on top soon !! Rich Franklin said than he want to take time off until May, hope he will come back at 185 and fight me here in Montreal !!! UFC 113 May 1st Cote vs. Franklin sounds good to me !!!

Sidelined since blowing out both his medial cruciate and anterior cruciate ligaments in his last fight against UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 90 in October 2008, Cote did confirm that he has been told by UFC brass that he will likely be fighting on the card and should know his opponent soon. The Quebec City native, who is 4-1 in his last 5 UFC outings, was originally scheduled to return to action last summer, but another MCL injury he suffered in training necessitated a second surgery.