It was with great satisfaction that I watched Vitor Belfort defeat Rich “Ace” Franklin in UFC 103. Not because I don’t like Franklin. Quite the contrary. It’s just…who really wants to watch Rich Franklin fight Anderson “The Spider” Silva again for the third time?
Not me.
I admire Rich Franklin very much as a person and as a fighter. I admire his intelligence and his total commitment to the sport. I feel that he is a class act and definitely has earned the right to call himself one of the greatest martial artists in the world.
With that being said, however, I still fail to see how Franklin possesses the necessary skills to defeat the current middleweight champion, Silva. To me, having to watch these two men fight again (with what I assume would be another easy victory for Silva) would be a completely useless and boring fight for the fans.
Wasn’t the reason that Franklin ended up fighting Belfort was because the ‘Fans’ dictated that another fight between Franklin and Dan Henderson would be too boring?
Rematches only work when two fighters leave unfinished business between them.
Perhaps there was cheating or poor sportsmanship involved, thus creating bad blood and hatred between two fighters? Perhaps an unrelated injury prevented one fighter from being able to give his best performance? Or perhaps the fight was so close on the judges’ score cards that the fight could have been decided either way in the eyes of many fans?
Whatever the reason, no scenario will change the fact that Rich Franklin got annihilated by Anderson Silva on two separate occasions. No cheating. No bad blood. Not even close.
How will Vitor Belfort fare against the ‘Spider’?
Belfort’s fight against Franklin did not convince me that he could beat Silva. I’m not saying that he can’t beat him. I’m just saying that I don’t feel that he showed enough of himself to give the fans a true determining ability to decide. At the very least, it will be exciting just to see two men at the top of their game fight each other for the very ‘first’ time.
You can bet that when Belfort and Silva eventually step into the octagon to face each other for the title, I will be as excited as a circus monkey trapped inside of a banana factory to see who wins.
Good article. I agree.
Realistically I don't see anyone in the 185 weight class in all of MMA that has the skills, power or confidence to take the belt away from Silva. He is in a class all to himself.
He has in essence all but destroyed the middleweight division. It has become somewhat boring due to his being head and shoulders above the rest. He is 34 yrs old so he could remain champ for sometime to come.
I heard rumors that either he would drop or GSP would come up for a PPV fight. I guess the only thing we may have to excite us about this division is side show fights like that.
Do you think he would give Lesnar are run? Just kidding. But the man is the most dominating fighter ever pound for pound.
Thanks for the article.
Franklin wants to stay at 205, so another shot at the middleweight belt was never going to happen, regardless of outcome.
Additionally, the two (Franklin and Silva) have become friends since The Spider helped Franklin prep for Wanderlei earlier in the year…
Regardless, neither of those fights were boring IMO – boring is Silva vs. Thales Leites. Watching a master dominate another top level fighter is always entertaining to me, though I too had no interest in a hypothetical third match.
Belfort has the hand speed to challenge Silva, if that is at all possible. While we've seen Silva duck and dive punches from fighters before, none have come with the power / speed combo Belfort is offering.
I think we'll see them headline UFC 108.
Good article James.
If you recall seeing Franklin getting taped up pre fight, the look of defeat was already set in his face. He seemed reluctant with the camera. Now I know that not everyone is a showboat or gloryhound, but that nervous, almost timid look said to me that he wasnt ready for the fight mentally. To fall so far from the top as Franklin has done must be a real shot to his ego. Try as you may, try as you might, you'll have a hard time putting things in perspective, a once idolized, revered fighter; now just a stepping stone on the way for the new talent to rise up. Love Franklin, dont get me wrong, (Evil Jim Carey and all of that), but it is obvious that he is on the rapidly approaching downside of his carrer.
Geoff Smith
Thank you. I know that you are a large contributor on the Bleacher Report and I really appreciate you taking the time to read my article and leave a comment.
Much appreciated.
Cheers
James
Ray Jag,
I give it to Lesnar LOL
Thanks for reading.
James
I don't know about giving it to Lesnar, apparently he doesn't have any competition in the light HW division either!
I will say this about the UFC; at least they are committed to giving the fans the fights that they want to see the most. Silva (or Machida) vs. Lesnar is not as far fetched as I think some people might think.
Boxers jump weight classes all the time. So long as a fighter could match the weight class requirement (Lesnar vs Penn could and should never happen), why not match up the best with the best? Particularly if they are dominant in their own weight class.
Cheers
Agree totally with you. That's why I would love to see Silva go against GSP
Hi Geoff,
I did think at the time that he looked a bit defeated, but then as he was walking down towards the ring, I thought that he looked a bit more confident. I don't think that Franklin fought poorly. He just needed to apply more pressure onto Belfort and stay to his inside. He waited too long and allowed himself to stay at Belfort's striking distance. You never want to stay too far from a powerful and aggressive striker like Belfort. Better to tie him up.
Not a great fight though in my opinion. I would have liked to have seen more from Belfort (both men were a bit too tentative). He is a big question mark moving forward against Silva or Henderson in my opinion.
Franklin i belive doesnt deserve to be fighting in the same ring as Anderson Silva ever, The spider is the Number 1 pound for pound figher in the world other then Fedor who i think would destroy anyone who wanted him.. As soon as i heard My man Vitor was coming back to UFC and his first fight be Franklin? why? Vitor is way to good to be fighting a nobody luike Rich “ACE” Franklin .. give us a show at least ? i say even though Vitor is my man i think Silva is to good and explosive at his stand up his accuracy is off the charts i can see silva taking it in Decision if that
P.S Silva and GSP will never happen unless the 2 come to an agreement weight to meet at having 1 fighter drop or move up that much wieght would kill them and would leave them no chance.. As for lesner i hope My man Shane Carwin dummys him 6.3 260 Jacked to the max i hope he kicks LESNERS a** he dont deserve no belt ….. As for Next UFC Im feeling Lyoto Machida taking out Shogun in 2nd round Any takers ???
Hi Qwerty,
I'll take Machida in the FIRST round LOL
Thanks for reading and leaving a post. Agree with most of what you say, although I don't see anyone beating Lesnar for a while yet.
Cheers