Less than 24 hours after UFC on FX 4 wraps up from the Revel Casino in Atlantic City, N.J., the UFC will present UFC 147 from Estádio Jornalista Felipe Drumond in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The Brazilian card will be headlined by a catchweight bout…
Less than 24 hours after UFC on FX 4 wraps up from the Revel Casino in Atlantic City, N.J., the UFC will present UFC 147 from EstádioJornalista Felipe Drumond in BeloHorizonte, Brazil. The Brazilian card will be headlined by a catchweight bout between former Pride champion Wanderlei Silva and former UFC champion Rich Franklin.
Silva (34-11-1-1) and Franklin (28-6-0-1) have met in the past with Franklin taking home the unanimous decision victory at UFC 99.
In addition to the Silva versus Franklin rematch, the winners of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil will be decided on the pay-per-view portion of the card.
Also featured on the main card will be a heavyweight contest between Fabricio Werdum and Mike Russow.
UFC 147 full fight card:
Rich Frankin vs. Wanderlei Silva
CezarFerreira vs. Sergio Moraes
Rony Mariano Bezerra vs. GodofredodeOliveira
Mike Russow vs. Fabricio Werdum
Yuri Alcantara vs. Hacran Dias
Rodrigo Damm vs. AnistavioMedeiros
Francisco Drinaldo vs. DelsonHeleno
John Teixeira vs. Hugo Viana
Leonardo Mafra Teixeira vs. ThiagodeOliveiraPerpetuo
Marcos Vinicius Borges Pancini vs. Wagner Campos
Felipe Arantes vs. Milton Vieira
The fighters will hit the scales on Friday, with the first weigh-in taking place at 3 p.m. EST.
Bleacher Report will have the weigh-in results for you as they take place.
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:
Did that title totally blow your freakin minds?! We know it did, but for those of you who still remain on the planet Earth after reading it, prepare yourselves for a double dose of down and dirty gambling advice. Thanks to a pair of back-to-back cards and an injury curse the likes of which we’ve never seen before, this weekend’s UFC on FX 4 and UFC 147 events have just enough interesting matchups between them to help you prosper during the greatest American depression since the last great American depression, so lets do some (betting) lines!
UFC 147 Rich Frankin (-170) vs. Wanderlei Silva (+150)
Cezar Ferreira (-260) vs. Sergio Moraes (+200)
Rony Mariano Bezerra (-280) vs. Godofredo de Oliveira (+220) Mike Russow (+400) vs. Fabricio Werdum (-500)
Yuri Alcantara (+220) vs. Hacran Dias (-280) (all figures courtesy of BestFightOdds)
Thoughts…
Did that title totally blow your freakin minds?! We know it did, but for those of you who still remain on the planet Earth after reading it, prepare yourselves for a double dose of down and dirty gambling advice. Thanks to a pair of back-to-back cards and an injury curse the likes of which we’ve never seen before, this weekend’s UFC on FX 4 and UFC 147 events have just enough interesting matchups between them to help you prosper during the greatest American depression since the last great American depression, so lets do some (betting) lines!
UFC 147 Rich Frankin (-170) vs. Wanderlei Silva (+150)
Cezar Ferreira (-260) vs. Sergio Moraes (+200)
Rony Mariano Bezerra (-280) vs. Godofredo de Oliveira (+220) Mike Russow (+400) vs. Fabricio Werdum (-500)
Yuri Alcantara (+220) vs. Hacran Dias (-280) (all figures courtesy of BestFightOdds)
Thoughts…
The Main Events: Gentlemen, we’re basically looking at the greatest pair of main events that a fan could ever hope to ask for, and anyone who says otherwise doesn’t know what they’re talking about. You literally could not get us any more amped if you had an eight ball of coke, a pair of disease-free escorts, and the keys to FAO Shwarz on Christmas Eve.
The odds for those events, however, leave us a little less than enthused. Given the outcome of their first fight, combined with the fact that they are basically fighting at the same catchweight as before, it makes sense to see Franklin as a slight favorite. If either man catches the other, there’s a chance that they can finish them, but while Franklin’s chin may not be what it used to, the same goes quadruple over for Wandy. “Ace” was simply dwarfed by Forrest Griffin in his loss at UFC 126, but will have a slight reach and size advantage over “The Axe Murderer” here, so unless Wandy can manage to catch him with something early, look for Franklin to control the distance and get in and out before landing a 1-2 combo that puts Wandy’s lights out late in the second. Whether or not Franklin decides to do so with a broken arm will be up to him.
As for the lightweights, Guida looks pretty good +275, but is facing a hell of a test in Maynard. “The Bully” is both a much more powerful striker and a stronger wrestler, which doesn’t bode well for Guida’s smother heavy offense. But where Guida does hold an edge is in his cardio, which is best described as “Mario with unlimited star power.” If Guida stands any chance of winning this, it will be by dragging Maynard into the latter rounds of this five round affair, as Maynard has shown the tendency to slow as things go on, and somehow grind out a decision over him. We don’t see it happening either.
The Good Dogs: If you read this and Mike Russow’s name immediately popped into your mind, we’d ask you to sit back in your chair, take a moment to assess your life, and then have the nearest person hit you in the face really fuckin’ hard. We don’t care how far back his win streak dates (it’s 2007) or how much punishment he can absorb (lots), if the same Fabricio Werdum that mangled Roy Nelson shows up on Saturday, Russow best pray “Vai Cavalo” pisses dirty afterward, because that is the only way he is walking out of this with any sense of victory. Russow ain’t gonna be able to take Werdum down, he damn sure ain’t gonna submit him, and if he somehow manages to knock Fabricio out, I will allow one of my biggest haters to come to my home and punch me in the stomach on camera. Afterward, I will treat them to a classy seafood dinner (I’m looking at you, Carmen.)
The two best dogs are undoubtedly Ricardo Lamas and T.J. Waldburger. Although Hatsu Hioki looked levels above his UFC debut in his most recent win over Bart Palaszewski, Lamas has looked as good as any featherweight since coming to the UFC, crushing Matt Grice before choking out Cub Swanson. Waldburger, on the other hand, has shown an incredible ability to snatch a submission when the opportunity presents itself. Even though he has looked much more well rounded as of late, Ebersole has shown a weakness in the past for submissions, so a small side bet on either fighter could be worth your time. We don’t know much about the TUF Brazil finalists, being that we could barely keep up with the American version of the show this season, but we do know that the one middleweight finalist remaining, Cezar Ferreira, will be fighting a semifinalist coming in with less than week’s notice in Sergio Moraes, so he’ll likely be walking away with the glass plaque.
The Solid Picks: Say what you want about how his run on TUF 14 ended, but Steve Siler looked absolutely brilliant against Cole Miller at UFC on FX 2, battering the fellow TUF veteran and controlling the fight en route to a UD win. He’s listed as a pick ‘em against the untested and undefeated prospect Joey Gambino, but should be able to handle him. How Matt Brown is only listed as a slight favorite over a guy who was absolutely steamrolled by Erick Silva in his UFC debut is beyond us, but might be due to the fact that well, Silva has dominated all of his opponents thus far. In either case, Brown all the way.
The Trilogy Match: Considering both Spencer Fisher and Sam Stout’s inconsistency problems as of late, perhaps the odds between the two should be a bit closer. Plus, “The King” could be looking at his last fight in the octagon, so you gotta imagine he’s not going to want to leave this one in the hands of the judges. But Fisher has looked incredibly lackluster as of late, and when comparing lackluster to Stout’s simple mediocrity, we’ll take mediocrity every time. Stout by decision.
Official CagePotato parlay: Maynard + Stout + Pearson
Suggested wager for a $50 stake
$25 on the parlay
$10 on a Bezzera + Dias + Franklin parlay
$10 on Lamas
$5 on Wandy for nostalgia’s sake
(“Axe Murdering” — a Wanderlei Silva highlight film by Potato Nation hall-of-famer Perdew.)
By George Shunick
If it wasn’t for the utter disintegration of UFC 149, UFC 147 might be the most disappointing card of the year. Originally supposed to feature the rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen in Brazil, then Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva, we are now stuck with Rich Franklin squaring off against the latter Silva. Of course, it’s cards like this that always end up surprising all the naysayers with copious amounts of glorious violence, so maybe there’s hope after all! OK, so while you’re not going to go out of your way to buy this card any time soon, at least the main event still might be worth pirating online. (Sorry Dana, you’re the one who’s trying to charge $50 for this.)
Now I may be in the minority on this one, but I’m actually more excited for Franklin-Silva than I was for Belfort-Silva. Why? Because it’s not a glorified squash match. Look, I’m a big fan of Wanderlei. I can’t think of something more enjoyable than watching that bloodthirsty sociopath do more damage and evoke more terror in Japan in eight years than Godzilla did in over half a century. But between his once-granite chin being reduced to rubble, his age compromising his speed and cardio — all while retaining the punching technique of a wind turbine — Silva is no longer the force he once was. Against a heavy-handed striker, he’s in trouble. Against a striker of Belfort’s caliber, he’s toast.
Fortunately for Silva, Rich Franklin isn’t quite as dangerous. Despite a permanent role on UFC highlight reels with his knockouts of Nate Quarry and Chuck Liddell, Franklin can no longer be considered one of the top strikers in the middleweight division. Like Silva, he’s alternated wins and losses since their last meeting. Both have suffered a brutal knockout loss since then as well; Franklin to Belfort and Silva to Chris Leben. In fact, Franklin and Silva match up fairly well with each other; both have solid stand-up and sound – if unspectacular – ground games. Much like their previous meeting, this has the potential be a close, dramatic fight.
(“Axe Murdering” — a Wanderlei Silva highlight film by Potato Nation hall-of-famer Perdew.)
By George Shunick
If it wasn’t for the utter disintegration of UFC 149, UFC 147 might be the most disappointing card of the year. Originally supposed to feature the rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen in Brazil, then Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva, we are now stuck with Rich Franklin squaring off against the latter Silva. Of course, it’s cards like this that always end up surprising all the naysayers with copious amounts of glorious violence, so maybe there’s hope after all! OK, so while you’re not going to go out of your way to buy this card any time soon, at least the main event still might be worth pirating online. (Sorry Dana, you’re the one who’s trying to charge $50 for this.)
Now I may be in the minority on this one, but I’m actually more excited for Franklin-Silva than I was for Belfort-Silva. Why? Because it’s not a glorified squash match. Look, I’m a big fan of Wanderlei. I can’t think of something more enjoyable than watching that bloodthirsty sociopath do more damage and evoke more terror in Japan in eight years than Godzilla did in over half a century. But between his once-granite chin being reduced to rubble, his age compromising his speed and cardio — all while retaining the punching technique of a wind turbine — Silva is no longer the force he once was. Against a heavy-handed striker, he’s in trouble. Against a striker of Belfort’s caliber, he’s toast.
Fortunately for Silva, Rich Franklin isn’t quite as dangerous. Despite a permanent role on UFC highlight reels with his knockouts of Nate Quarry and Chuck Liddell, Franklin can no longer be considered one of the top strikers in the middleweight division. Like Silva, he’s alternated wins and losses since their last meeting. Both have suffered a brutal knockout loss since then as well; Franklin to Belfort and Silva to Chris Leben. In fact, Franklin and Silva match up fairly well with each other; both have solid stand-up and sound – if unspectacular – ground games. Much like their previous meeting, this has the potential be a close, dramatic fight.
At UFC 99, Franklin won in large part because he controlled the action. Silva has never been light of foot, and Franklin was able to dictate the distance their exchanges took place in. Franklin was able to slip in and out, landing jabs and crosses and evading Silva’s looping counter-punches. Not only did this allow Franklin to score points, it also helped fatigue Silva. Until the final minute of the second round, Silva’s sole offensive output on the feet had consisted of kicks, largely because he was unable to close the distance that Franklin has established.
When Silva was able to tag Franklin, it was when he moved forward. Silva finally landed two clean counter-hooks on Franklin with roughly 1:10 remaining the second round, and sensing blood, he charged. He landed a few solid right hands, but because he insisted on only throwing hooks, Franklin was able to avoid many of them and stay in the fight and on his feet. In the final round, Wanderlei was able to grab a Thai clinch – a position that both fighters are very familiar with, albeit for completelydisparate reasons – but was too exhausted to maintain it. Wanderlei, much like in the previous round, found some success moving forward at the end, but it was too little too late. Franklin’s takedown in the final minute sealed the win for him.
In all likelihood, this upcoming fight is going to have many similarities to their past one, but with some key differences. Most notably, their last fight (held at a 195-pound catchweight) marked Silva’s first attempt at cutting below 205, and he reportedly had to lose 12 pounds the day before. It clearly affected his conditioning in that bout, and should not prove to be a problem this time around. But it wasn’t the only reason Silva grew tired; Franklin’s strategy of keeping Silva on the outside, swinging and missing with his powerful punches and throwing kicks, was also responsible for wearing Silva down. I doubt Franklin will change his strategy for this fight, and if he executes it, he’s going to win again.
Wanderlei needs to press forward, throw bombs, and hope to either connect with one or secure a Muay Thai plum-clinch. Either way, victory for him comes down to whether or not he will be able to close the distance. The problem for Silva is that this path is fraught with peril; Franklin may not have hands of stone, but he’s shown he has more than enough power to take out a fading star who’s chin isn’t what it once was. (Just ask Liddell.) When Silva wades in with those looping hooks, he invariably gets beaten to the punch. That didn’t matter when he was younger, but it does now.
For this reason, I’m giving the slight edge to Franklin. He doesn’t need to risk as much to put himself in a position to win the fight as Wanderlei does. Silva definitely has the capability to knock Franklin out, but I don’t see him taking a decision over five rounds and I certainly don’t see him submitting Franklin. Franklin has proven he can stay on the outside and pick his shots; he risks getting tagged, but as long as Silva refuses to punch straight, it’s not as big a risk as it should be. He can win a decision, or possibly knock Silva out if he wades in with his hands low. I suspect Silva will have his moments, but will tire trying to catch Franklin over the course of five rounds as “Ace” wins a clear cut decision in a headlining fight that has virtually no implications for the middleweight title picture and lacks a remotely compelling narrative or rivalry.
Actually, I take it back; you shouldn’t even pirate this. (You’re welcome, Dana.)
With UFC 147 scheduled for Saturday, June 23, the excitement over the ever-changing card has gone down since the removal of Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva’s dream rematch and the injury to Vitor Belfort. While Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva i…
With UFC 147 scheduled for Saturday, June 23, the excitement over the ever-changing card has gone down since the removal of ChaelSonnen and Anderson Silva’s dream rematch and the injury to VitorBelfort.
While Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva isn’t the best main event the fans could’ve wanted, the Brazilian crowd will be intense and ready to explode over this duo’s second meeting. Let’s not forget Franklin beat Silva at UFC 99 via unanimous decision.
The majority of the card is of Brazilian descent and it will get wild on Saturday; that much I can guarantee.
Where: EstádioJornalista Felipe Drumond in BeloHorizonte, Brazil
When: Saturday, June 23 at 10 p.m. ET
Watch: Facebook under-card fights at 7 p.m. EST, preliminary fights at 8 p.m. EST on FX, Main Card fights at 10 p.m. EST on pay-per-view; online pay-per-view streaming (must pay $44.99) at UFC.tv, Yahoo! Sports, UStream, Android or iPhone
Full Fight Card
Main Card (PPV)
Catchweight (190 lb): Wanderlei Silva vs. Rich Franklin
Middleweight: CezarFerreira vs. Sergio Moraes
Featherweight: GodofredoPepey vs. Rony Mariano Bezerra
Featherweight: Vinicius Borges Pancini vs. Wagner Campos
Featherweight: Felipe Arantes vs. Milton Vieira
Wanderlei Silva’s Keys to Victory
Wanderlei Silva’s techniques have changed over the years, and fans will see that on full display this Saturday.
While there was once a time when the Brazilian star would charge straight forward with a flurry of punches and kicks, Silva’s chin isn’t what it used to be.
If the former PRIDE star can methodically pick apart Franklin and not fall back into his old tendencies if he gets rocked, there is no doubt he can win the fight.
Rich Franklin’s Keys to Victory
For as great as Rich Franklin’s career has been, there is no doubt that this is the twilight. After losing three of his last five fights, fans may be looking at the end of the former middleweight champion.
Or we could be looking at a rebirth…
After not fighting since February 5, 2011, Franklin is fully healthy for the first time in a while and ready to go. While he will be on hostile territory in Brazil, the lack of distractions could be good for the striking specialist.
What They’re Saying
Wanderlei Silva took to Twitter to thank the fans for their support and told them that they will win together (loosely translated thanks to Translation Cloud):
TudoBemaiminhagalera,obrigadopelaotimarecepcaoaqui em BH,vamosganharessajuntos
“Okay guys, thanks for the ai my great reception here in BH [BeloHorizonte], let’s win this together”
While Brazil is already getting excited for this event, popular radio show Ring Rust Radio echoes the sentiment of many UFC fans that feel this isn’t a marquee enough matchup for a Brazilian show:
When we saw #UFC 147’s main event was Wanderlei Silva vs. Rich Franklin, our first thought was we had fallen asleep and woken up in 2009.
For those casual fans that are looking for a card under the main event to fall in love with, look no further than the elite battle between heavyweights Fabricio Werdum and Mike Russow.
Werdum comes into this fight after a big win over Roy Nelson, but his long track record shows he can struggle against opponents that take him down. Russow can do that.
Russow is one of the best takedown artists in UFC today and will destroy Werdum if this goes to the ground. No matter what, this fight will not go the distance and will be a great appetizer for the main event.
Main Event Prediction
Rich Franklin via TKO
While the experience factor won’t play as big of a role in this fight as many others due to the sheer number of fights both veterans have been a part of, this will come down to who is more ready for this brawl.
As good as Wanderlei has been over his career, Franklin is coming off a long break and will have energy to spare. With Silva losing six of his last nine fights, Franklin’s strikes will find their mark and send his opponent to the ground.
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!
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