UFC 148’s co-main event is the not-nearly-as-anticipated rubber match between Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin. “In this third one, there has to be a convincing winner,” Ortiz says, “and that’s gonna be me.” No matter what the outcome of the fight, July 7th will mark Ortiz’s transition from UFC star into retired Hall of Famer. So how will he perform in the last three rounds of his career? And if he manages to carve out a victory, what does that mean for Forrest Griffin?
UFC 148′s co-main event is the not-nearly-as-anticipated rubber match between Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin. “In this third one, there has to be a convincing winner,” Ortiz says, “and that’s gonna be me.” No matter what the outcome of the fight, July 7th will mark Ortiz’s transition from UFC star into retired Hall of Famer. So how will he perform in the last three rounds of his career? And if he manages to carve out a victory, what does that mean for Forrest Griffin?
When it comes to fighting in the UFC, the consensus is to have a great debut in order to ensure that you continue to fight in the promotion. Now, while a win will almost definitely ensure a future with the UFC, a great debut will push you further up th…
When it comes to fighting in the UFC, the consensus is to have a great debut in order to ensure that you continue to fight in the promotion. Now, while a win will almost definitely ensure a future with the UFC, a great debut will push you further up the ranks and into the minds of fans. Whether it’s a great knockout, snappy submission or dominating decision, fans like seeing a new fighter make a splashy entrance into the octagon.
This list is a tribute to some of those impressive debuts.
How I came to the entries on the list including the following guidelines:
UFC 147 is one of the least anticipated events in the history of the UFC. With the soccer stadium idea falling through along with the Silva-Sonnen rematch, the card was doomed from the start. But, the event does feature two potential Hall of Fame fight…
UFC 147 is one of the least anticipated events in the history of the UFC. With the soccer stadium idea falling through along with the Silva-Sonnen rematch, the card was doomed from the start. But, the event does feature two potential Hall of Fame fighters.
For Rich Franklin, defeating Wanderlei Silva for a second time won’t do much for his career, but does he need anything else to add to a already successful career?
Franklin got into MMA to, “just earn a little extra money.” he said in an interview, while teaching in Cincinnati. Rich Franklin would make his UFC debut at UFC 42 against the late Evan Tanner which he won by TKO.
Franklin’s first loss would come to the hands of future UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida in December of 2003. Rich would go to win a couple of fights outside the UFC before returning at UFC 50 defeating Jorge Rivera.
Franklin’s first big break came at The Ultimate Fighter One Finale, in which he faced Ken Shamrock in the night’s main event. The trouble with that was the co-main event was the Ultimate Fighter Light Heavyweight Final which seen one of the greatest fights of all-time between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar.
This did not bother Franklin at all as he made a mark himself, knocking out Shamrock in the first round. At this point in Ken Shamrock’s career, he had never been knocked out, making the win that much sweeter for Franklin.
Franklin jumped around between light heavyweight and middleweight early in his career, but would find a nice home at middleweight when he defeated Tanner again at UFC 53 to win the UFC Middleweight Championship.
“Ace” would go on to defend the championship against Nathan Quarry at UFC 56, in which he won by KO in the first round. He would also defend the title at UFC 58 against David Loiseau in a five round battle that seen both men bruised and beaten at the conclusion. Franklin would walk away with a unanimous decision win.
Franklin’s next title defense was against some new guy named Anderson Silva. Silva, who was known to many MMA fans from his Pride days, dominated Rich in a way no man had ever done before. Silva’s muay thai was too much for Franklin, as he was defeated by TKO in the first round.
Rich Franklin would then defeat Jason MacDonald and Yushin Okami to get back in the title picture and receive his rematch with Silva. This time, the fight was held in Rich’s hometown of Cincinnati. It didn’t help Franklin much, as he was defeated once again by Silva.
Since then, Franklin’s career has been very up and down. He’s been defeated by Dan Henderson, Vitor Belfort and most recently, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin.
Franklin, since his loss to Silva, has defeated Travis Lutter, Matt Hamill, Wanderlei Silva and holds a highlight reel knockout over former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and Hall of Fame fighter Chuck Liddell.
Franklin blocked a Liddell kick that broke his arm. As Liddell pushed forward toward the end of the round, Franklin threw an almost Liddell-like overhand that knocked Liddell unconscious. Franklin would win knockout of the night for this win that would also mark Chuck Liddell’s final appearance inside the Octagon.
Is Rich Franklin Hall of Fame worthy? Is that even a question?
Franklin, in my opinion, should be one of the next men inducted. His career speaks for itself, but if you want to go deeper, there isn’t a better ambassador for the sport of MMA then Rich Franklin. He’s one of the best fighters in UFC history as well as one of the nicest and most loved guys in the sport’s history.
A UFC Hall of Fame isn’t complete without Franklin and if Franklin retired after this Saturday’s fight with Wanderlei Silva, win or lose, Franklin is 100 percent Hall of Fame worthy. The scary part, though, Franklin’s career may be far from over.
Rich Franklin fights this Saturday night at UFC 147: Silva vs. Franklin II at the Estadio Jornalista Felipe Drumond in Belo Horizonte, Brazil live on Pay Per View!
Perhaps one of the most intense struggles between two men in the professional world of combative sport occurred on April 15, 1985, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns fought for the undisputed world middleweight cham…
Perhaps one of the most intense struggles between two men in the professional world of combative sport occurred on April 15, 1985, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns fought for the undisputed world middleweight championship, but as soon as the first round finally came to a close, all who were watching knew that this wasn’t a contest anymore: It was a brutal struggle for something worth more than any title.
The first round of their fight is still (and rightly, in my opinion) considered one of the very best in the history of boxing, and in 1985 the bout was awarded “Fight of the year” honors by the bible of boxing, Ring Magazine, which dubbed the fight as “the most electrifying eight minutes ever.”
And they couldn’t have been more accurate.
Hagler vs. Hearns had it all—drama, aggression, courage, skill and blood—all mined under the shadow of a violent ending that loomed above all like a taskmaster that would accept nothing less than total war.
There was something about this fight that was bigger than both men, and they fought like everything in the world depended on it.
But the world of combative sport does not belong to boxing alone.
Mixed Martial Arts has been a presence in the fight game of America (and the world) for many years now. During that time, some excellent fights have been won and lost in the first round.
But is that good enough? Does MMA have any fights that produced a first round worthy of consideration alongside the first frame of “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler vs. Tommy “The Hitman” Hearns?
I say “yes,” and in doing so offer 10 candidates from the world of MMA (in no specific order) that had first rounds just as good as that seen on April 15, 1985.
And if they’re not “just as good,” they’re real damn close.
With all the sudden changes going on with UFC cards lately, one fight that appears to be intact is the trilogy between Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin at UFC 148. It might not add any relevance toward the light-heavyweight division, but Ortiz and G…
With all the sudden changes going on with UFC cards lately, one fight that appears to be intact is the trilogy between Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin at UFC 148.
It might not add any relevance toward the light-heavyweight division, but Ortiz and Griffin remain fan favorites within the company.
Griffin spoke to UFC.com about his third meeting with “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy.”
“We’re 1-1, we’ve had good fights. There’s going to be some things that are tough to deal with. A good wrestler that comes down low, that comes with pressure, he’s a tough guy to fight. He’s still got a good overhand right, good shovel hook, he’s got good punches, good knees, he’s got a good Thai clinch. If you can stop him from coming forward, he’s not so hard to fight. But when he’s coming forward in that good stance, you can’t tell if he’s gonna throw a big bomb or shoot…that’s tough to deal with.”
“A lot of people ask me. They say ‘Forrest, it’s Tito’s retirement fight. If you lose to Tito, are you going to retire?’ If I lose to Tito, I’m going to retire from life…seriously.”
Both fights have been memorable in their own right, but a third bout won’t mean much for either competitor except for a victory on their professional record. Neither man is in their prime anymore, and a final fight between them will finally bring closure to one of the most exciting rivalries in recent memory.
It is possible that Griffin could retire with a win, seeing as how he doesn’t stand a chance at receiving another title shot at this stage of his career.
Ortiz is set to retire following his match with Griffin, ending one of the most storied careers in UFC history.
Dana White spilled the beans to MMAWeekly, most likely because we were totally busy at the time. White stated that, despite the pair’s rough history, Ortiz had more than earned his place amongst the legends of the sport, due in part to his ability to generate interest in MMA during the UFC’s dark days:
He pound for pound was doing some of the most damage at a time when we were hurting. But it’s part of our history the way the storylines played out between me, Chuck and Tito. He’s definitely a part of the history of the sport.
As you can see by the header photo, the beef between White and Ortiz has long since been squashed. The beef between Ortiz and Griffin, on the other hand, has been elevated to levels we previously deemed impossible, as the TUF 1 winner recently went all Jason Miller in a recent interview and claimed that if he were to lose to Ortiz at UFC 148, he would more or less kill himself. At least that’s what we took away from it.
(Compromise: The key to any successful relationship.)
Dana White spilled the beans to MMAWeekly, most likely because we were totally busy at the time. White stated that, despite the pair’s rough history, Ortiz had more than earned his place amongst the legends of the sport, due in part to his ability to generate interest in MMA during the UFC’s dark days:
He pound for pound was doing some of the most damage at a time when we were hurting. But it’s part of our history the way the storylines played out between me, Chuck and Tito. He’s definitely a part of the history of the sport.
As you can see by the header photo, the beef between White and Ortiz has long since been squashed. The beef between Ortiz and Griffin, on the other hand, has been elevated to levels we previously deemed impossible, as the TUF 1 winner recently went all Jason Miller in a recent interview and claimed that if he were to lose to Ortiz at UFC 148, he would more or less kill himself. At least that’s what we took away from it.
I’ve got people asking me, they say, ‘Forrest, it’s Tito’s retirement fight. If you lose to Tito, are you going to retire?’ If I lose to Tito, I’m going to retire from life….seriously.
Although Griffin has hinted that his retirement from MMA is no too far off, retiring from life?! Who then will we have to entertain us after the inevitable apocalypse comes for us all? Please Forrest, we beg you to reconsider. Just in case, you know, this statement comes back to bite you in the ass.
And speaking of asses, former UFC Middleweight champion Frank Shamrock recently made an appearance on Rebellion MMA Radio to take a nostalgic look back at his career. Go figure, the man with the balls to nickname himself “The Legend” made the claim that the UFC Hall of Fame would not be “legit” until he was inducted into it. Modesty, folks, it’s how you succeed in life.
Here’s the whole interview, in which Shamrock discusses everything from the Pacquaio/Bradley travesty to his arm-breaking loss to Cung Le back in 2008, brought to you in astoundingly mediocre quality. The discussion begins around the 2:15 mark.
