Yes, Wanderlei Silva lost via unanimous decision to Rich Franklin at UFC 147. No, the Axe Murderer should not hang up his gloves just yet.Despite his loss—and the fact that the image of Ace’s left fist connecting with Silva’s face to wobble …
Yes, Wanderlei Silva lost via unanimous decision to Rich Franklin at UFC 147.
No, the Axe Murderer should not hang up his gloves just yet.
Despite his loss—and the fact that the image of Ace’s left fist connecting with Silva’s face to wobble his knees and send him halfway to the mat as the final horn sounded will be forever engraved in fans’ minds—it is not Silva’s time to go yet.
The downward trend is concerning for Silva, who has lost seven of his last 10 fights, but he has not been manhandled. Disregard his inexplicably embarrassing loss to Chris Leben and Silva has put on some of the most exciting shows in recent UFC history.
He’s 35 years old and is certainly on the verge of running the well dry in terms of his ability to compete, but he has one left in him. It wouldn’t be fitting for the UFC fans’ last memory of the Axe Murderer to be him heading towards the mat.
Silva has provided the sport with too much carnage and brutality for him not to go out with a victory. His loss to Franklin was named Fight of the Night. So was his last knockout victory against Cung Le. He beat Michael Bisping in a fight that went the distance. His first loss to Franklin was also named Fight of the Night.
Prior to that it was his Knockout of the Year against Keith Jardine and a Fight of the Night loss to Chuck Liddell. His losses have come against formidable opponents for the most part, and there’s no reason for him to pack it in after his loss to Franklin.
This is not the familiar situation that we have all witnessed when the washed up veteran thinks he still has something left in the tank and gets completely dominated in the last few fights of his career before he is too humiliated to come back out for another.
This is Silva—a great fighter—running into other great fighters.
He floored Franklin in Round 2 with a right but was not able to finish him off. That in itself is disheartening, as his ability to finish his opponents off once he smells blood has become his calling card since he burst onto the scene. But don’t forget that Franklin could not finish him off when he took Silva to the ground.
Silva had plenty of opportunities to win this fight, but he could not get it done against a fighter that so many have failed to do the same.
The Axe Murderer is surely on his way out, but we need to wait for another fight to decide exactly when he will be walking out of the octagon for the final time.
If Wanderlei Silva was the tornado at Saturday’s UFC 147, then Rich Franklin was mixed martial art’s version of Bill Paxton’s character from Twister.In a rematch of their Fight of the Night battle at UFC 99, Franklin once again was able to survive…
If Wanderlei Silva was the tornado at Saturday’s UFC 147, then Rich Franklin was mixed martial art’s version of Bill Paxton’s character from Twister.
In a rematch of their Fight of the Night battle at UFC 99, Franklin once again was able to survive Silva’s onslaught to take the decision win in a bout he took on short notice for the injured Vitor Belfort.
While not the most noteworthy battle coming into the event, Franklin and Silva completely exceeded expectations and showed MMA fans why they should never discount these aging yet legendary fighters.
Both men nearly took home a spectacular finish as they duked it out for five rounds and reaffirmed their positions as two of the sport’s most exciting fighters. Franklin may have came out victorious, but Silva’s vicious attack in the second round and his flurry of strikes to end the fight proved that “the Axe Murderer” still has some gas left in the tank.
Throughout the bout, I could not help but recall another past battle between former Pride and UFC champs.
Last November, Shogun Rua and Dan Henderson put on one of the best fights in MMA history with their five round brawl at UFC 139. While Rua and Henderson are still top tier light-heayweights very much in their prime, their historic matchup is another example of just how exciting these legendary fighters still are.
Silva-Franklin II wasn’t as evenly contested as Rua-Henderson, but it did provide fans with a gem of a performance at the tail end of both fighters’ careers.
And that’s a testament to the love that Silva and Franklin have for the sport, to put it all on the line even though their chances at UFC gold are all but a fading memory. This passion for MMA and the courage to keep fighting to the last bell is what made this fight so spectacular.
Whether Silva or Franklin can turn this hunger into one last run remains to be seen, but regardless, I thank these legends for the warrior spirit they displayed Saturday night and wish them the best as they finish their Hall of Fame careers.
Headlining Saturday’s UFC 147, mixed-martial-arts legends Wanderlei Silva and Rich Franklin did not disappoint in their main event rematch.Both men left everything in the Octagon as their Fight-of-the-Night-winning bout salvaged a card plagued with inj…
Headlining Saturday’s UFC 147, mixed-martial-arts legends Wanderlei Silva and Rich Franklin did not disappoint in their main event rematch.
Both men left everything in the Octagon as their Fight-of-the-Night-winning bout salvaged a card plagued with injuries and matchup changes. But while this fight added another exciting chapter to the former champions’ history, making this series into a trilogy would be a terrible idea.
To their credit, Silva and Franklin know how to make a fight exciting, as both their catchweight wars earned fight-night bonuses.
But seeing these aging veterans go at it again would be overkill. Franklin decisively won both bouts—despite nearly being finished each time—and should not have to prove himself against Silva again.
As their careers come to a close, I don’t think either man wants to waste what little time he has left in the Octagon on a third match with no title implications.
Following Saturday’s fight, Franklin told MMAJunkie.com that he was interested in getting one more title shot before his time is up, so taking on “The Axe Murderer” again makes absolutely no sense for the former champ.
And a trilogy makes even less sense for the UFC.
Creating this rematch was likely not even on the promotion’s radar until the injury plague hit, and luckily the main event turned out spectacularly. But unless another card is in dire need of a marquee matchup, there’s just no way the UFC can sell this trilogy.
If this were another time, another era in MMA, then maybe a third fight would make sense. But with so many better fights for both guys out there, there is little sense to making Silva-Franklin III happen.
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 Wanderle…
First, UFC 147‘s main event was supposed to be between Anderson Silva and ChaelSonnen, 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. VitorBelfort.
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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UFC 147 ultimately ended up being one of the more lackluster UFC cards we’ve seen in a while, despite a decent main event between Rich “Ace” Franklin and Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva. However, despite the card not living up to the standards that …
UFC 147 ultimately ended up being one of the more lackluster UFC cards we’ve seen in a while, despite a decent main event between Rich “Ace” Franklin and Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva. However, despite the card not living up to the standards that the UFC is accustomed to, there are still multiple points that can be taken away from Saturday night’s show.
Here are three takeaways from UFC 147:
Rich Franklin Still Has a Lot to Give
The man they call Ace took this fight on short notice and was coming off a 16-month layoff. Two ingredients that would normally spell doom for a fighter who’s perceived to be nearing the end of the line and will turn 38 later this year.
However, Rich Franklin impressed me on Saturday night. His footwork looked sharp, and his reflexes and hand speed looked excellent as well. Franklin didn’t look like a man who was 37 on Saturday night in Brazil. He looked fresh and rejuvenated, so maybe that long layoff wasn’t such a bad thing after all. He didn’t really show signs of ring (Octagon?) rust, and his technique was as good as ever.
Ace is a guy that, no matter what his age, will always come into the fight in shape and prepared to rumble, that is for certain.
What I really liked about Franklin’s performance on Saturday night was how he responded when Silva had him hurt in the second round. Franklin was badly stunned by Silva and looked like he was on the verge of being knocked out. However, he was able to keep moving and never stopped intelligently defending himself.
To be his age with those types of recuperative powers is simply amazing. Franklin showed a lot of heart and claimed in an interview with Joe Rogan afterwards that he didn’t even recall what happened—that he remembered fighting the first round and he “woke up” at the start of the fifth, (per ESPN).
Franklin looks poised to make another title run. Although it’s hard to imagine him becoming a UFC champion again, he’ll still make for good fights and will be a tough guy to beat for whomever he squares up against inside the octagon.
Wanderlei Silva Is Still Exciting, but His Career Is All but Over
Wanderlei Silva has consistently given fans of the UFC memorable fights over the course of his entire career. He’s one of the most exciting fighters in MMA history, and will always be a fan favorite. He’s a wild slugger, and while he isn’t the greatest fighter of all-time, he’s been one of the most fun to watch out of anyone who’s’ ever stepped into the octagon.
However, it appears that Silva’s career as an elite fighter has come to an end. Aside from the second round, in which he caught Franklin and almost had him out, Silva looked slow and was on the verge of being outclassed by Franklin. He just couldn’t keep up any sort of pace. He was either out of shape, old, or both.
In fact, for large periods of the fight, Silva really didn’t do much at all. Franklin just danced around him and peppered him with shots, most of which Silva had no answer for. He looked like a shell of the fighter he used to be.
He’s had tons of hard fights throughout his stellar career, and like most fighters it appears that it’s finally caught up to him. While Silva is a star and will almost assuredly continue to fight in the UFC, he’ll never really be a significant force again. Those days are behind him.
Silva will still make for fun fights though, and he’ll bring in a lot of fans and revenue in for Dana White. That’s what will likely keep him going; if big paydays are still there it’ll be very hard for Silva to walk away.
Whatever he decides to do, he’ll always be revered by fans as one of the greatest action fighters in the history of MMA.
The UFC Is Truly an International Sport
The UFC appears to be looking more and more to expand their brand overseas into new markets. On Saturday night, that market was Brazil. Brazil has long been MMA-crazy, as it’s the home of the famed Gracie family and the birthplace of the Brazilian style of jiu-jitsu.
Essentially, it’s a huge business opportunity for the UFC, and if they can take advantage of it, they’re going to have a lot of events and make piles of money putting on cards in Brazil for years to come.
On Saturday, at the Estadio Journalista Felpie Drumond, the largest indoor arena in Brazil, the crowd was packed with a Brazilian MMA-event record of nearly 17,000 fans. The ability for the UFC to draw that many fans to an event in a foreign country speaks volumes about the organization and the sport’s popularity outside of the US.
It has to be expected that the UFC brand will only continue to grow and will establish itself, if it already hasn’t as a sport that is huge on both the domestic and the international level. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Dana White began to put on cards in foreign countries more often than he has in the past. The UFC will only continue to grow on an international scale.
Wanderlei Silva has fallen on tough times.Following his UFC 147 loss to Rich Franklin, the former Pride middleweight champ is at a crossroads in his legendary career.Is it time for him to retire and search for a life outside fighting, or can he learn f…
Wanderlei Silva has fallen on tough times.
Following his UFC 147 loss to Rich Franklin, the former Pride middleweight champ is at a crossroads in his legendary career.
Is it time for him to retire and search for a life outside fighting, or can he learn from his mistakes and bounce back?
Judging from recent performances, it’s safe to say Silva’s best performances are well behind him.
At 35 years of age, Silva’s reckless fighting style has finally caught up with him, and he no longer has the chin to sustain such an overaggressive attack.
Sure, his chin has held up well in his last couple of outings, but it’s easy to forget that Silva has lost seven of his last 10 fights, with four of those losses ending in vicious knockouts.
As fighters age, some learn to make adjustments to their fighting styles to ensure their ability to remain relevant amongst quality opposition. Silva has maintained the same berserker-like style for nearly 16 years.
Instead of utilizing good footwork and straight punches, Silva typically chooses to stay in a defensive shell and counter opponents in the pocket with wild hooks.
As the sport continues to evolve and fighters improve, it’s becoming tougher for Silva to find the same kind of consistent success he enjoyed during his years as Pride champ.
Fighters like Franklin, an upper-echelon middleweight with a great technical striking IQ, are able to move around, pick their shots and utilize distance to take advantage of Silva’s defensive deficiencies.
After the loss to Franklin in front of his hometown fans in Brazil, Silva will likely feel tons of pressure from the media, fans and possibly even family and friends to close the chapter of his fighting career.
Earlier in the week, Silva spoke with Fightline about not being ready to let go of the fans, spotlight and competition.
When asked about retiring from the sport he helped build, Silva’s strongest statement came in only five words.
“I just want to compete.”
This isn’t about money or fame. Silva is a natural competitor, and he has been fighting all his life. For him, it’s tough to move on to soaking up sunlight and drinking Pina Coladas every day on the beach.
Fighting is what Silva knows and loves.
As long as he isn’t dropping three or four straight losses, he should be given the same opportunity as every other fighter to compete for his job.
Yes, Wanderlei Silva lost via unanimous decision to Rich Franklin at UFC 147. 