Ahead of their UFC 147 encounter, PRIDE legend Wanderlei Silva and erstwhile middleweight champion Rich Franklin came face-to-face in the same elevator and before you knew it…
In combative sports such as MMA and boxing, the avoidance of your opponent prior to engaging in what can only be termed as a war of attrition is and has always been par for the course.
The rationale behind this modus operandi is plain and simple—save for press junkets and promotions, the last thing a fighter wants to see is the guy they intend to decimate on fight night, especially in a closed vicinity and days before the event.
The training regime of a combatant more times than not is lonely and both mentally and physically taxing—they’re hurting, they miss their loved ones and something or someone is going to have pay for that pain when proceedings get underway.
With that in mind, the UFC has a policy of housing its fighters in the same hotel for several days leading up to a show.
That said, in the main event of UFC 147, “The Axe Murderer” and “Ace” were the consummate epitome of “wearing your heart on your sleeve” in a thrilling slugfest that garnered Fight of the Night honors. The two veterans of the sport knocked each other from pillar to post.
And albeit Franklin (29-6-1NC MMA, 14-5 UFC) took home the victory via unanimous decision, as was the case in their 2009 encounter, Silva (34-12-1-1NC MMA, 4-7 UFC) left the Octagon with his pride intact, knowing he’d given it his all and then some.
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