First, UFC 147‘s main event was supposed to be between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen, where Brazil would have the opportunity to root against the country’s ultimate villain.
When that got pushed to Las Vegas, the main event was supposed to be Wanderlei Silva vs. Vitor Belfort.
But when Belfort broke his hand, we all of a sudden had a rematch between Wanderlei Silva and Rich Franklin.
And what a fight it was. Silva vs. Franklin on Saturday was proof that no matter what goes wrong before a UFC event, the UFC always wins.
With 44 seconds left in the second round on Saturday, Silva connected with a right hand that sent Franklin to the mat. Would Silva get his revenge? Silva proceeded to wail on the man who had defeated him back in 2009, throwing a flurry of left hands as Franklin sat helpless on the floor.
But it was not to be. Franklin built on his reputation of being able to withstand punishment when he weathered Silva’s barrage, and went on to win via unanimous decision after a technically-sound last three rounds, using jabs and body kicks to outclass Silva.
And while it was ultimately a disappointing result for Brazil, it was a win for the UFC. Franklin showed great class in lifting Silva up in the air after the fight, even though both competitors knew who the true victor was. And as Brazil roared its approval, we were treated to a sentimental moment, one of many the UFC has treated us to throughout the years. We not only saw a fight worthy of being a main event, we saw why the UFC connects with so many fans.
The main event on Saturday could have been relatively disappointing. But what transpired on showed that the UFC can’t lose, even when everything falls apart before an event. It’s further proof that the UFC either has an overwhelming amount of inspired fighters, or it’s simply riding a wave of success that cannot crash down to earth.
Maybe it’s both.
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