(“If this isn’t a world where Mitt Romney is president, you can just put me back to sleep thank you very much.”)
As we mentioned in our head to head assessment of this weekend’s UFC Macao main event matchup, Rich Franklin is one tough SOB. So tough, in fact, that he not only managed to fight through a broken arm in his UFC 115 match against Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell, but even made sure to finish Liddell before the bell rung, for the fight could have likely been called in Liddell’s favor had both men made it to their corners.
So with the main card action kicking off at a completely reasonable 9 a.m. EST this Saturday, the UFC has released a couple of Franklin’s (as well as Le’s) fights online to give us all a little refresher course on what our two headliners have been up to. It’s a noble effort, but there’s simply no way in hell I will have recovered from my night of binge drinking, bum fighting, and huffing paint thinner through an old grease rag in time to catch any of the main card matchups live. They’re called priorities.
Anyway, head after the jump to take a stroll down memory lane, even though you probably remember the intricacies of this fight better than ol’ Chucky boy does.
(“If this isn’t a world where Mitt Romney is president, you can just put me back to sleep thank you very much.”)
As we mentioned in our head to head assessment of this weekend’s UFC Macao main event matchup, Rich Franklin is one tough SOB. So tough, in fact, that he not only managed to fight through a broken arm in his UFC 115 match against Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell, but even made sure to finish Liddell before the bell rung, for the fight could have likely been called in Liddell’s favor had both men made it to their corners.
So with the main card action kicking off at a completely reasonable 9 a.m. EST this Saturday, the UFC has released a couple of Franklin’s (as well as Le’s) fights online to give us all a little refresher course on what our two headliners have been up to. It’s a noble effort, but there’s simply no way in hell I will have recovered from my night of binge drinking, bum fighting, and huffing paint thinner through an old grease rag in time to catch any of the main card matchups live. They’re called priorities.
Anyway, head after the jump to take a stroll down memory lane, even though you probably remember the intricacies of this fight better than ol’ Chucky boy does.
The fight starts at the 10:20 mark, with a paunch-less Liddell throwing the arm-breaking kick shortly thereafter (11:26). At first, Franklin addresses the injury with less concern than most of us would address a hangnail with, but his moment of clarity comes the 12:14 mark, where he cleverly disguises an attempt to assess the damage with classic “checking my invisible watch” technique.
As for Liddell, he was truly in the zone that night, delivering a more diverse array of strikes and takedowns than we had seen in years, which makes it all the more disappointing when he gets overzealous with approximately 10 seconds left to go in the round and is promptly knocked the fuck out. The power of pink shorts, ladies and gentlemen. It’s a brutiful thing.
On the heels of his second unanimous decision victory over Wanderlei Silva at UFC 147, Franklin will be looking to string together his first two fight win streak since 2008 with a win over Cung Le. Do you think he can pull it off?
Cung Le is one of the most impressive strikers to compete in MMA in recent memory.The way Le is able to blend his kicks with punches is downright beautiful to watch. The former Strikeforce middleweight champion ran his undefeated streak to six wins to …
Cung Le is one of the most impressive strikers to compete in MMA in recent memory.
The way Le is able to blend his kicks with punches is downright beautiful to watch.
The former Strikeforce middleweight champion ran his undefeated streak to six wins to begin his MMA career. Le tasted defeat for the first time against Scott Smith but then defeated Smith in a rematch.
Le performed admirably, but lost, in his UFC debut against MMA legend Wanderlei Silva. He bounced back at UFC 148 with a victory over Canadian, Patrick Cote.
He now carries the weight of being the main event for the UFC’s first event in China and faces a very game Rich Franklin on Saturday night. It’s more of a novelty fight, but fans still have plenty of concerns about the former Strikeforce champion.
This weekend, the UFC will be making its first ever trip to China, which totally explains why they decided to stack a garbage ass card with Japanese fighters and put a Vietnamese guy in the main event, because close enough, right kids?
All kidding and racially misguided motivations aside, we will be in for a hell of a fight when Rich Franklin and Cung Le throw down this Saturday. Both men are known for turning in crowd-pleasing performances each and every time they step into the octagon — thanks in part to Rich’s fearless demeanor and Cung’s Cirque du Soleil-esque kicking ability — and both have gone win-loss in their last four fights. It’s not exactly a must win for either of these company men, but with Franklin currently standing at around a -300 favorite heading into fight night, we figured we would take a look at just how well these two match up, Head to Head style. Enjoy.
This weekend, the UFC will be making its first ever trip to China, which totally explains why they decided to stack a garbage ass card with Japanese fighters and put a Vietnamese guy in the main event, because close enough, right kids?
All kidding and racially misguided motivations aside, we will be in for a hell of a fight when Rich Franklin and Cung Le throw down this Saturday. Both men are known for turning in crowd-pleasing performances each and every time they step into the octagon — thanks in part to Rich’s fearless demeanor and Cung’s Cirque du Soleil-esque kicking ability — and both have gone win-loss in their last four fights. It’s not exactly a must win for either of these company men, but with Franklin currently standing at around a -300 favorite heading into fight night, we figured we would take a look at just how well these two match up, Head to Head style. Enjoy.
AGE
Franklin: 38
Le: 40
Advantage: Franklin
SIZE
Franklin: 6’1″, 76 inch reach, walks around at roughly 220 lbs.
Le: 5’10″, 69 inch reach, walks around at roughly…you know what, it doesn’t matter.
Advantage: Clearly Franklin
LAST TWO FIGHTS RESULTED IN
Franklin: UD loss to Forrest Griffin at LHW (UFC 126), UD win over Wanderlei Silva at Franklinweight (UFC 147)
Le: TKO loss to Wanderlei Silva (UFC 139), UD win over Patrick Cote (UFC 148)
Advantage: Franklin
FINISHING RATIO
Franklin: 86.2 % (25 finishes in 29 victories)
Le: 89 % (8 finishes in 9 victories)
Advantage: Le by a Scott Smith
IMDB ACTOR PROFILE
Le: Small roles in Pandorum, The Man With the Iron Fists, Tekken, Fighting, and The Grandmasters (currently in post production)
Franklin: Leading role in Cyborg Soldier, 3 film roles that begin with the title “Coach,” and a resume that reads: “Was Knocked-out by Lyoto Machida at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye Festival on December 31st 2003.” OH COME ON, FILM NERDS!
Advantage: Le
BETTER BROKEN NOSE
Franklin: Compliments of Anderson Silva
Le: Compliments of Scott Smith & Wanderlei Silva
Advantage: Dead even. While Le’s broken noses were undoubtedly more brutal in appearance, Franklin was also given a permanent black eye to compliment his busted schnoz. A black eye that, each and every time he looks in the mirror, serves as a constant reminder that he will never again be a champion. OK, maybe Rich takes this one due to emotional trauma.
SALARIES
Franklin: 75k/75k to show/win
Le: 150k to show, no win
Advantage: Le
Conclusion: According to the CagePotato fight scientists, this one is pretty much even, with both fighters coming away victorious in 4 categories and tying in what would be the deciding one. But based on his massive size advantage, we’ll have to take Franklin by a close but decisive unanimous decision.
Agree or disagree here for a chance to win a Bruce Lee/Movember shirt from Lancaster LTD!
After holding events everywhere from Sweden to Japan over the course of 2012, the UFC makes another first time stop this weekend, breaking into China for the UFC on Fuel TV 6 fight card. With the main card kicking off Saturday November 10th at 9 a.m. E…
After holding events everywhere from Sweden to Japan over the course of 2012, the UFC makes another first time stop this weekend, breaking into China for the UFC on Fuel TV 6 fight card.
With the main card kicking off Saturday November 10th at 9 a.m. ET, only the most committed of UFC fans will likely catch the card live, but those that do should find the missing hours of sleep worth it.
While the card isn’t exactly stacked from top to bottom, it features some particularly intriguing fights, especially on the main card, headlined by a middleweight clash between Rich Franklin and Cung Le.
With other notables such as Thiago Silva, Takanori Gomi and Mac Danzig competing on the card, this has the feel of one of those underrated events that will deliver in action what it lacks in big time bouts.
As we enter the first full week of Movember, your moustache-in-progress may be looking thin, patchy, and unattractive — more befitting a McPoyle than an alpha male. Stay strong and stick with it, because you have greatness in your future.
As we enter the first full week of Movember, your moustache-in-progress may be looking thin, patchy, and unattractive — more befitting a McPoyle than an alpha male. Stay strong and stick with it, because you have greatness in your future.
Franklin def. Le via TKO, 3:02 of round 3, Knockout of the Night or
Le def. Franklin via spilt-decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29), Fight of the Night or
Franklin def. Le via armbar, 4:08 of round 2, no bonus
Submit your predictions in the comments section by Friday at midnight ET. The two closest guesses will win the shirts, and we’ll announce the winners on Monday. Good luck, and keep growing them Mo’s!
If the UFC’s presence in Macau (along with Hong Kong, one of the two administrative regions of the People’s Republic of China) is supposed to sound the death knell for the burgeoning Asian MMA scene, someone forgot to tell Chris Pollak.As the Managing …
If the UFC’s presence in Macau (along with Hong Kong, one of the two administrative regions of the People’s Republic of China) is supposed to sound the death knell for the burgeoning Asian MMA scene, someone forgot to tell Chris Pollak.
As the Managing Director of Legend Fighting Championship, it’s his company the UFC is ostensibly in town to compete with. It’s his fighters the Borg-like UFC machine will attempt to assimilate as they continue the process of siphoning off the best fighters from across the globe. And it’s his show the UFC will try to make look hopelessly small time.
But to hear Pollak tell it, the UFC’s arrival on the scene is a reason to cheer, not a consequence to fear.
“We are excited, and are taking the whole Legend team out to Macau to watch the event,” Pollak told Bleacher Report. “We wouldn’t be in this industry if we were not fans. We also wouldn’t be in this industry if we didn’t think we could coexist. We are building a platform here that is quite different, and meant to complement, not compete with, all of the other great MMA events out there.”
Other regional promoters haven’t greeted the UFC’s presence in Asia with such equanimity. Jung Mun-hong, President of South Korea’s leading MMA group Road FC, told The Korea Times that the UFC was “cheap,” criticizing the promotion for signing away their champion KangKyung-ho:
They use their reputation to recruit talent, while the talent-builders like us get nothing…Do you know how much of our resources we spend to discover and develop talent? It was a great loss for us. However, Kang really wanted to go, so I let him, even though UFC didn’t pay anything to our organization.
Road FC may have reason, above and beyond the loss of Kyung-ho, to be concerned about the UFC’s incursion onto their turf. Historically Japan and South Korea are both very strong markets for MMA and the UFC intends to capitalize on them.
Although specifics are scarce, Marshall Zelaznik, UFC’s Managing Director of International Development, tells MMA Fighting that the company plans to run multiple shows a year from Japan and South Korea, an Asian Fighting Series that will be targeted for fight fans in that area rather than existing customers in the UFC’s homebase of North America.
And while Japan and South Korea have a preexisting MMA fanbase for the UFC to work with, fans who grew up on the legendary Japanese Pride promotion, their show this week in Macau indicates the UFC is willing and able to move into China with the right opportunity. Zelazniktells MMA Fighting, essentially, that the world is the UFC’s oyster:
We’re definitely able right now to go to Shanghai and Beijing. We’re reliant on dates. Macau had a great venue so starting there made a lot of sense. It’s near Hong Kong. We had good media partners in that area and it was important for us to be there. We’re always looking at other markets in Asia. I don’t know which ones will pop up, but there’s nothing stopping us.
According to Victor Cui, this may be a step too far for the UFC or other Western promoters. Cui runs the other leading regional MMA promotion, One FC. With a TV deal in place with ESPN that spans the next decade, Cui is nicely positioned to compete with the UFC for the Chinese market and warns the American promotion, one he tells The New York Post is “a fantastic organization,” that the nuances of the Asian market may be tough to overcome:
It’s not easy to go from city to city with the right relationships and the right partners. Singapore is nothing like Malaysia and Malaysia is nothing like Indonesia and Indonesia is nothing the Philipinnes and the Philipinnes is nothing like Japan and so on.
The real battle in China may not involve the UFC at all, instead coming down to an aesthetic choice between Legend and One FC. While Legend hasn’t received much attention from American fight fans, choosing instead to focus their attentions on local fans, they are running neck and neck with One FC in Asia.
Cui presents an American-friendly show, complete with recognizable, albeit slightly past their prime former UFC stars like Andrei Arlovski and Jens Pulver, presenting a show that looks and feels an awful lot like the UFC. Cui tells Tapout Live’s Stephanie Daniels that balancing world-class fighters and developing Asian prospects is one of the trickiest parts of his job:
We have looked for quality fighters that are of good value, that can put on entertaining, world class fights…we’re developing fights that are globally relevant, but regionally applicable. They appeal to the European fan, the Brazilian fan, the Canadian fan, the American fan, but we still work hard to keep a distinct Asian feel to it, and we use local Asian talent, to give them the opportunity to showcase themselves on a ONE FC card…The skillset, obviously between Asian fighters, outside of Japan, is dramatically different than the developed scene in Europe or in North America, so we’re always trying to find a balance between those two.”
Pollak has eschewed European and American fighters almost entirely, instead attempting to create a product that will be more comfortable for the Asian viewer. He doesn’t have to balance existing stars with Asian fighters just learning MMA—to Legend, there is no such thing as an MMA “star,” at least not in China.
“When we speak to broadcasters and sponsors in this part of the world, none of them care about the ‘big’ names because the sport is still young here, and no one knows who those guys are,” Pollak explained. “The first question we always get is, ‘Who do you have from my home country?’ Like us, they believe that the best way to grow the sport is to give their audiences local heroes to care about and cheer for.”
Legend reaches 600 million homes in mainland China, and a new deal with AXN will bring them to a regional audience in Asia in a prime time slot. For a promotion that says it attracted more than 12 million viewers in China alone for a welterweight scrap featuring Li “The Leech” Jingliang, this expansion into the broader Asian market is exciting news.
“Legend is the Asia-Pacific Championship of MMA,” Pollak said. “We invite exclusively the best Asia-Pacific fighters to compete, and wrap the fights in high-quality broadcasts designed to celebrate the region’s cultures, national pride, and thousands of years of martial arts history and traditions,” Pollack said. “We are the only promotion in the world that focuses solely on native Asia-Pacific talent, and we do this because we know this is what people in the Asia-Pacific want to see.”
These contrasting visions for MMA in China will do battle over the years to come, with Legend and One FC both having a strong television platform and initial successes, competing for the hearts and minds of Chinese sports fans. This, more than the UFC’s tentative presence in the region, will be the story of Asian MMA for the remainder of the decade.
If the UFC’s presence in 
