It’s time to be honest. No one, including Rich Franklin’s parents, was looking forward to UFC 147. It was simply a lackluster card with no spice or depth. The fight card’s roster found itself filled with prospects many of us have never heard of before,…
It’s time to be honest.
No one, including Rich Franklin’s parents, was looking forward to UFC 147. It was simply a lackluster card with no spice or depth.
The fight card’s roster found itself filled with prospects many of us have never heard of before, with names such as Hacran Dias, Godofredo Pepey, Rony Bezerra, Sergio Moraes, and Cezar Ferriera.
You might ask yourself, “who are these guys?” My point has already been made.
Nonetheless, somehow, someway, UFC 147 and its roster managed to deliver in an unexpected way. While the total buys were certainly down from past events, those who tuned into Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva saw a night full of action and upsets.
UFC 147 came at just the right time despite its mediocrity. In fact, the fight card compares to UFC 139 where the world saw arguably the greatest fight in UFC history as Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua battled it out in five grueling rounds. UFC 147 is compared to UFC 139 in the sense that many were not excited for it.
In approach to UFC 139, fans looked ahead to the most anticipated bout of the year where Brock Lesnar would meet Alistair Overeem at 2011’s last event and seemingly turned a shoulder to Henderson vs. Rua.
But UFC 139 delivered, as did UFC 147 in ways we never thought it would.
While UFC 147 certainly won’t be remembered as an all time great by any stretch of the imagination, it provided a spark plug for things to come.
On July 7, the world will get to witness the most anticipated rematch in UFC history when current UFC middleweight Anderson Silva meets his heated rival, Chael Sonnen in a 185-pound showdown at UFC 148.
Tito Ortiz will also say farewell to a long-lived career when he meets Forrest Griffin for a third time.
While many of us already had our sights set on UFC 148, UFC 147 did the unexpected and gave us all an appetizer for what’s to come.
Thanks, UFC 147.
For additional information, follow Garrett Derr on Twitter.
Last evening we witnessed Rich “Ace” Franklin return to winning fashion in his unanimous decision victory over Wanderlei Silva at UFC 147 in Brazil. But now that Franklin captured his first win since UFC 115, the real questions start to flood in. What …
Last evening we witnessed Rich “Ace” Franklin return to winning fashion in his unanimous decision victory over Wanderlei Silva at UFC 147 in Brazil.
But now that Franklin captured his first win since UFC 115, the real questions start to flood in. What does this win mean for Franklin’s career? Is he back? Is he a legitimate contender for the middleweight belt? All of these questions are valid as Franklin has proven time and time again that he is in fact, an all-time great.
However, as the years go by, we rarely see Franklin, who’s fought just three times in the last three years. Like many aging stars, the injury plague has haunted Franklin, causing him time away from the Octagon.
But, if last evening’s win over Silva proved anything, it proved Franklin still has a lot left in the tank, right?
Not exactly.
In fact, Franklin’s time away from the Octagon has greatly affected his placement in the middleweight rankings, along with his caliber of opponent. In order to keep his reputable name alive, the UFC has matched Franklin with fading stars in Silva, Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin, who hasn’t taken the center stage in nearly a year.
Franklin’s skill set and will to succeed still allows him to hang with “the best of the the best.” But, that doesn’t necessarily mean defeat “the best of the best.” There’s no denying that if Franklin wants to hang around for a few more years, he can.
The UFC loves him, and so do the fans and members of the media. However, no one should expect Franklin to return to championship fashion.
Franklin’s best days are long gone and they aren’t coming back.
For additional information, follow Garrett Derr on Twitter.
Since being dropped in just one minute and 21 seconds to current UFC heavyweight champion, Junior dos Santos at UFC 90, Fabricio Werdum has been on a fast-track for a rematch. It all happened so fast that Werdum couldn’t even blink. He was dropped…
Since being dropped in just one minute and 21 seconds to current UFC heavyweight champion, Junior dos Santos at UFC 90, Fabricio Werdum has been on a fast-track for a rematch.
It all happened so fast that Werdum couldn’t even blink. He was dropped by a raging punch that ultimately ended his night by a then, fairly unknown dos Santos. Nonetheless, Werdum continued to put the hours in the gym, and he saw his hand raised in five of his next six fights, with his only loss coming to the suspended Alistair Overeem.
Since his loss to dos Santos, Werdum has shown us a different side. We’ve seen a man who is determined and willing to do anything to succeed.
We saw him pick apart Roy “Big Country” Nelson at UFC 143 in a blood bath and we saw him make quick work of Mike Russow last evening.
The only question that remains: How would a rematch between Werdum and dos Santos end?
Well, we’re not entirely sure, but we do know this—it would be longer than one minute and 21 seconds.
If Werdum were granted an opportunity to fight for the UFC’s most exciting title, he’d enter with caution and maturity. Unlike many fighters in the heavyweight division, Werdum would approach his opponent with a well-established game plan. Instead of swinging for the fences from the get-go, he’d more than likely test dos Santos’ unseen wrestling game.
It’s obvious Werdum will hold the edge in the submission game as he’s submitted eight opponents in 16 of his wins. While dos Santos certainly holds the advantage in the stand-up, he’s never seen a more vicious clinch than that of Werdum’s.
The longer this bout plays out, the more comfortable Werdum will become.
However, with that being said, dos Santos is still the heavyweight champion for a reason.
Advantage: dos Santos
For additional information, follow Garrett Derr on Twitter.
UFC 147 wasn’t a big hit in many homes, as the fight card was filled with mysterious names that the average fan was unfamiliar with. In addition, the main card saw just one finish, as four of the five bouts made their way to the judges’ scorecards for …
UFC 147 wasn’t a big hit in many homes, as the fight card was filled with mysterious names that the average fan was unfamiliar with. In addition, the main card saw just one finish, as four of the five bouts made their way to the judges’ scorecards for a decision.
The only bout that didn’t?
A heavyweight clash between Fabricio Werdum and Mike Russow.
Once again, it was Werdum who proved the critics wrong, as he finished the rising star in Russow via punches at the mid-point of Round 1. An overweight Russow really had no chance heading into this bout, as he was about to take on the man who single-handedly dethroned the world’s greatest legend in Fedor Emelianenko.
Since defeating Emelianenko, Werdum has fallen short in competition just two times to current UFC heavyweight champion, Junior Dos Santos, and current suspended heavyweight, Alistair Overeem.
However, it wasn’t until UFC 143 when we recognized that Werdum’s career was far from over, as he manhandled an extremely tough Roy Nelson en route to a unanimous decision victory.
Werdum was able to use his vicious clinch and control Nelson via knees and strikes, much like he did against Russow last evening. In addition, if Werdum can submit a world-class martial artist in Emelianenko, there’s no telling who he can’t submit.
At 34 years of age, Werdum is only getting better. In fact, Werdum has reached the stage of title contention.
Werdum’s skill set is a danger for any opponent, including Dos Santos. It’s likely Werdum will square off once more before earning the chance at his highly-desired UFC gold. And, when that time comes, watch out.
In my opinion, Werdum is the No. 3 heavyweight in the world right now.
For additional information, follow Garrett Derr on Twitter.
It almost happened. For the first time in nearly six years, former Pride standout Wanderlei Silva almost won back-to-back fights. Unfortunately for the fan favorite in Silva, he wasn’t able to finish the dazed and confused Rich Franklin despite a rapid…
It almost happened.
For the first time in nearly six years, former Pride standout Wanderlei Silva almost won back-to-back fights. Unfortunately for the fan favorite in Silva, he wasn’t able to finish the dazed and confused Rich Franklin despite a rapid attack in the second frame of UFC 147‘s main event.
Silva would go on to lose the next three rounds where he saw yet another immeasurable opportunity slip away. Silva had fallen again.
When the judges reached their decision, there were few in the world who were surprised to see Franklin’s hand raised via unanimous decision. It was a clear-cut decision and Silva knew it.
Following the loss, the critics hit the social media market questioning whether or not the all-time great in Silva should call it quits to a historical career. And, the answer to that question is very simple. Yes.
There was a time in Silva’s career where he mauled through opponents, quickly becoming recognized as MMA‘s most dangerous fighter. Silva established a legacy that couldn’t possibly be broken as he was able to reel off 18 straight fights without a loss.
Or could it?
Now, at 35 years old, Silva is clearly well past his glory days. Since joining the UFC at UFC 87 to take on heavy-hitting Chuck Liddell, Silva has lost five of his eight UFC fights. No longer is Silva living on his dangerous striking and rapid approach, but merely a fading reputation from his early days in Pride.
While Silva will always be remembered as one of the greatest martial artists of all time, his days as a legitimate contender in any promotion have quickly come to pass.
As his reputation will begin to tarnish, Wanderlei Silva needs to call it quits.
For additional information, follow Garrett Derr on Twitter.
Experience is needed in almost every aspect of life, especially MMA. And, if you don’t believe me—just ask UFC featherweight, Steven Siler. Siler, now a featherweight in the world’s top promotion, began his career as a teenager. The ine…
Experience is needed in almost every aspect of life, especially MMA.
And, if you don’t believe me—just ask UFC featherweight, Steven Siler.
Siler, now a featherweight in the world’s top promotion, began his career as a teenager. The inexperience and lack of knowledge of the sport, troubled Siler early on in his career as he held a professional record of 5-7 after just 12 fights.
However, the harder Siler worked and the more he learned, the better he became inside of the cage. Now, at just 25 years young, Siler holds a perfect 2-0 record in the UFC and will look to add to that win total when he meets Joey Gambino at UFC on FX 4.
In a recent interview with Bleacher Report, Siler discussed his journey to MMA and a variety of other topics.
Garrett Derr: You picked up the sport when you were just 18 years old. Why did you actually choose to pursue MMA rather than attend a college and earn a degree?
Steven Siler: My schooling experience wasn’t the best. I didn’t really go that often and was lucky to even graduate high school. College wasn’t in my future, but I didn’t think MMA was either. I was more doing it for fun and to make an extra $50 and to be on local TV. Once I really got into it, I started to get addicted and fell in love with the sport.
GD: In your upcoming bout, you’ll take on Joey Gambino. However, you originally were set to meet Jim Hettes. Were you disappointed in the opponent change? And has your training change for Gambino compared to Hettes?
SS: I was disappointed when I first heard the news that Hettes was out, because I didn’t know if I was going to have to wait and fight at a later date. But, I was very happy when I found out Gambino stepped in to fight me. Either way, I’m looking at this fight as my biggest fight and training as hard as I’ve ever trained before.
GD: Gambino will be making his UFC debut when you two meet and he took the fight on just four weeks notice. Do you think he’ll end up regretting this? If so, why?
SS: In my opinion, there’s no way you can regret taking a UFC fight at any moment. It’s a great experience and its worth taking any fight even if you are in half decent shape to fight. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and even if the fight doesn’t work out, you are more than likely going to get another chance with a real training camp after the fact.
GD: You guys are both finishers, so the chances of this making the judge’s scorecards is slim. Where do you think you’ll be able to control the fight and who are some of the guys you’ve been working with in your camp to train for Gambino?
SS: I’m really confident that I’ll be able to control the fight wherever it goes. I think I’m a complete fighter that’s good on the ground and standing, so I really don’t care where this fight goes, as long as I get the win and hopefully the finish.
I’ve been in a tough camp with my teammates who are also on the card in Brock Jardine and Ramsey Nijem. I’ve also been able to work with Rad Martinez and Josh Burkman and also had Bryan Caraway come out for a few weeks.
GD: You were a part of Team Miller on Season 14 of the Ultimate Fighter. What’s your relationship like with Miller? Have you spoke to him since being cut? Also, do you feel he should have been released?
SS: I haven’t spoke to coach Miller even though I was out at his last fight. I never got the chance to run into him, and it’s not up to me who the UFC keeps or release. It’s totally up to the UFC who they want in or out.
I really don’t know coach Miller enough to know what he is going to want to do with his career. He has a great career and in my opinion, he seemed happy with calling it a career.
GD: I understand you admire George St-Pierre and Tim Tebow. What do you admire most about these two athletes and what’s the biggest thing you can take away from their game?
SS: I just really like and appreciate their work ethic. Those two guys are dedicated. Both St-Pierre and Tebow are and always have seemed like humble people and passionate about doing what they love doing. That’s how I want to be.
GD: Now for an off-the-topic question. What can the commission do to improve the quality of judging or officiating in MMA? There seems to be controversy with the judging in every fight card as of late. Your thoughts?
SS: One thing I really would like is more ex-fighters to become judges. These guys know the ins and the outs of the sport. It would also give it a more clear cut way to determine how to score a fight instead of it changing from judge to judge.
GD: Who would you like to thank?
SS: I would really like to say thanks to my sponsors and gym owner from VA Mortgage. Will Farrar, who has done everything for us fighters at the Pit Elevated and also my teammates Court, Brock, Danny, Ramsey, Rad, Brad, and Coach Jason Mertlich for helping me get ready for this fight.
A big thanks to Bryan Caraway for helping me get ready for my fight and my family and fiance for putting up with me during this camp. I can make it rough for them at times.
Garrett Derr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.
For additional information, follow Garrett Derr on Twitter.
Experience is needed in almost every aspect of life, especially