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UFC 147 Predictions: Rich Franklin Will Take out Wanderlei Silva Again

Rich Franklin is primed to dish out punishment. In UFC 147, Franklin is all set to face off against Wanderlei Silva in a must-watch grudge match. While the two MMA fighters are sure to put on a show, the result of their Saturday night fight won’t…

Rich Franklin is primed to dish out punishment.

In UFC 147, Franklin is all set to face off against Wanderlei Silva in a must-watch grudge match. While the two MMA fighters are sure to put on a show, the result of their Saturday night fight won’t be different from that of their previous bout.

On June 13 back in 2008, Franklin and Silva went the distance in Cologne, Germany. While the fight didn’t end by knockout or submission, there was still no doubt who won the bout.

The judges ruled in Franklin’s favor by unanimous decision.

Matt Erickson of MMAjunkie.com reported that, while Franklin is a replacement for an injured Vitor Belfort, he isn’t opposed to the role. Franklin said:

I really like having that role. I like being the guy that people can count on. I kind of embrace that role. When I heard that Vitor was hurt, I knew the UFC was going to end up calling me. And sure enough, they did. I won’t say it was just because I’ve bailed them out before, but I was ready for a fight already, and I was pretty much at the point where I was peaking for a fight.

Franklin is confident. He defeated Silva before, and he knows exactly what he has to do to pull off another victory.

Now, each competitor has similar strengths in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, so neither possesses a major advantage in terms of a certain fighting style. Because of that, it wouldn’t be the least bit surprising for the showdown to go the distance once again.

But don’t expect an upset to be pulled off. Franklin is a UFC legend. Silva is a solid fighter, but he isn’t on Franklin’s level.

Silva has lost six out of his last nine fights, and on Saturday night, that slump will be extended.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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UFC 147 Start Time: Boring Main Event Will Highlight Weak Card

I wasn’t overly enthused about Vitor Belfort taking on Wanderlei Silva on June 23 at UFC 147, but it was easier to accept as a main event than Rich Franklin and Silva. Three years ago, the two men fought in an impressive bout that Franklin won by decis…

Had they immediately had a rematch, it would have been more appealing.

Since then, Franklin has lost two of his last three fights. The only win in that span came over an over-the-hill Chuck Liddell, who retired right after the fight.

Silva has won two of three bouts since their first meeting, but at 35 years old, the Axe-Murderer is not exactly in his prime. This is a main event in name only, as the fighter’s stardom is sure to outweigh their in-ring ability.

The fight will take place in Silva’s home country Brazil, so he will undoubtedly have the crowd behind him. I think that will be a significant edge for Silva and he’ll pressure and pound Franklin into a stoppage.

Franklin seemed a step slow in his last bout against Forrest Griffin, and he seems to be on the decline faster than Silva. He’s 37 years old and has been looking every day of it in the octagon recently.

The rest of the card at UFC 147 isn’t exactly exciting either. This figures to be a card for the hardcore fan only, as it lacks the overall wow factor.

Here are the specifics for following the action, and the rest of the card:

Where: Estádio Jornalista Felipe Drumond in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

When: Saturday, June 23 at 10 p.m. ET

Watch: Facebook under-card fights at 7 p.m. ET, preliminary fights at 8 p.m. ET on FX, Main Card fights at 10 p.m. ET 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: Cezar Ferreira vs. Sergio Moraes

Featherweight: Godofredo Pepey vs. Rony Mariano Bezerra

Heavyweight: Fabricio Werdum vs. Mike Russow

Featherweight: Yuri Alcantara vs. Hacran Dias

Preliminary Card (FX)

Featherweight: Anistavio Medeiros vs. Rodrigo Damm

Middleweight: Delson Heleno vs. Francisco Drinaldo

Featherweight: John Teixeira vs. Hugo Viana

Middleweight: Thiago Perpétuo vs. Leonardo Mafra

Preliminary Card (Facebook)

Featherweight: Vinicius Borges Pancini vs. Wagner Campos

Featherweight: Felipe Arantes vs. Milton Vieira

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Silva vs. Franklin: TV Info, Preview and Prediction for UFC 147 Main Event

Three years after Rich Franklin defeated Wanderlei Silva by unanimous decision, the veteran UFC stars will once again battle inside the octagon. The bout will be the main event of a card that also features the finals of the Ultimate Fighter Brazil. Sil…

Silva will be looking for redemption, and he should have the vast majority of crowd support since the event is taking place in his home country of Brazil. That should give him plenty of motivation as he heads toward the twilight of his career.

Here’s a look at all the important information for tonight’s bout, a look at each fighter and a prediction for how the main event will turn out.

Where: Estadio Jornalista Felipe Drumond in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

When: Saturday, June 23 at 10 p.m. ET

Watch: Pay-per-view (local providers)

Wanderlei Silva

After defeating Quinton Jackson for the second time in a year back in 2004, Silva was riding high as one of MMA‘s biggest stars. Since that marquee victory, he’s managed just a 7-8 record and hasn’t looked like the same dominant force.

The biggest reason for his struggles has been a lack of pop on his punches. He used to control the fight with his quick, powerful combinations. When he attempts to do the same things now, they don’t have the same impact on opponents.

He hasn’t fought since last November, so the time off should have given him a chance to get back to full strength. If he’s going to have a late-career resurgence, he needs to get back to the style that made him a star in the first place.

Of Franklin’s six career losses, four have come by knockout. So there’s definitely an opportunity there and Silva must take advantage.

Rich Franklin

Franklin returns after more than a year between fights. He had a fight with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira canceled after Nogueira had to pull out and then Franklin suffered an injury of his own. Now he’s ready for action.

His results have been mixed over the past few years with wins over Silva and Chuck Liddell, but losses to Forrest Griffin, Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson. Although he’s not a top-tier fighter anymore, he can still hold his own.

The key for Franklin will be going on the attack and forcing Silva to defend early. Two of Silva’s last three losses have come by first-round knockout. That should be the path the American should attempt to take as well.

It’s a golden opportunity for him to show he still have some good fights left in him. In the ultra-competitive UFC, he can’t afford to let it slip away.

Prediction

Overall, this is an evenly-matched bout. It should be exciting since both guys will be looking to score a knockout early. That pace will be impossible to maintain, however, so whichever guy illustrates more endurance will pick up the win.

Neither fighter has been in top form and are coming off extended layoffs, so it’s a tough call. Ultimately, I expect Franklin to pull off the main-event victory.

Franklin by knockout

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UFC 147: Wanderlei Silva and Fighters That Will Pull off Upsets at Marquee Event

Saturday’s UFC 147 event will take place in the MMA-crazy country of Brazil and will feature plenty of Brazilian fighters that will have the fan support behind them. The most notable of them is Wanderlei Silva, who will be looking to avenge his loss ag…

Silva isn’t the only Brazilian underdog who will be looking for a lift from the crowd, though. All but two of the fighters on the massive card hail from Brazil, and several of them are obviously underdogs. Many of the bouts are likely going to go the way that the oddsmakers expect them to, but anything can happen in UFC and that will be on display at UFC 147.

Here are three betting-line dogs that will shock the viewing audience by reigning supreme on Saturday night.

Wanderlei Silva

When Wanderlei Silva and Rich Franklin first fought way back at UFC 99 back in 2009, they put on an excellent show that saw Franklin prevail by unanimous decision in the fight of the night. Silva certainly held his own, but he is just 3-6 in his past nine fights since 2006. Franklin is just 1-2 since that fight as well, though, and he hasn’t fought in nearly a year and a half. Franklin is a slight favorite in the bout, but Silva has what it takes to pull the upset.

This will be the first time that Silva is fighting in his home country of Brazil since 2000 and I expect him to be amped and determined to win in front of his adoring fans. Both Silva and Franklin are in a bit of a do-or-die situation at this point. Silva is 35 years old, while Franklin is 37, so neither of them has many fights left in the tank in all likelihood. A loss could send Silva into retirement, but I highly doubt that he will allow that to happen on his home soil.

Sergio Moraes

In the second-last match of the night, Cezar Ferreira and Sergio Moraes will do battle in the finals of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil middleweight tournament. Ferreira has been dominant en route to the finals, while Moraes was the beneficiary of some good luck. Moraes lost to Daniel Sarafian in the semifinals by way of first-round knockout, but Sarafian had to be pulled from the finals due to an injury. That has opened the door for Moraes to win the high-profile tournament.

Ferreira is the favorite based on how well he has performed throughout the tourney, but Moraes is no pushover. Moraes actually has a better professional record in the octagon than Ferreira as he is 6-1 as opposed to Ferreira’s 4-2 mark.

Ferreira is the hotter fighter, but he is at a disadvantage since his opponent was changed, prompting him to alter his training regimen. I see that rattling Ferreira a bit and playing right into Moraes’ favor.

Hacran Dias

When Yuri Alcantara and Hacran Dias go at it on Saturday, it will certainly have the potential to be the most exciting fight on the card. Alcantara and Dias are two of the most exciting lightweights in the sport and both will be desperate to give the home fans what they want. The 31-year-old Alcantara is slightly more experienced than the 28-year-old Dias, and that likely has something to do with why Alcantara is favored in the tilt.

Alcantara has a career record of 27-3 and has won 13 straight decisions. Dias, on the other hand, is 20-1-1 with his only loss coming against Yui Chul Nam in 2009. Both fighters are on incredible hot streaks and have similar styles, so I find it a bit curious that the odds aren’t a bit closer.

Dias is more adept at winning on the scorecards than Alcantara is, so if he can avoid getting knocked out or tapping out, Dias has a great chance to win. I believe he will do precisely that.

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UFC 147: Rich Franklin, Wanderlei Silva and the 10 Best Fighters over 35

Many say that mixed martial arts have become a young man’s game. With hungry young lions like Michael McDonald, Rory MacDonald and Jon Jones making some big waves in their respective divisions, it’s hard to dispute that argument.However, the old guard …

However, the old guard is not some group of washed-up has-beens who are willing to go down without a fight. In fact, many of the older fighters in the UFC are enjoying some incredible momentum at the moment.

Do skills tend to decay over time? In most cases, yes.

Do fighters with formerly granite chins appear to get knocked out more in their later years? Absolutely.

However, the rule doesn’t apply to everyone. Sure, we’ve seen stars like Mirko Cro Cop and Ken Shamrock become almost sad in their later years, but there are some elder statesmen of the UFC who are certainly not going to concede anything to the young guns of the organization.

You want my spot? Come take it from me.

Here is a look at 10 UFC fighters who are winning the battle against Father Time. This is a look at the 10 best fighters over the age of 35.

Begin Slideshow

UFC ‘Quick Break’: Wanderlei Silva vs. Rich Franklin

Whether you just have a short downtime during work, or don’t want a lengthy breakdown, these “Quick Breaks” are for you. “Quick Breaks” are short breakdowns of upcoming fights. In a summed-up focus of strengths, weaknesses and variables, th…

Following the showdown between Clay Guida and Gray Maynard, the UFC will return the following night to put on UFC 147, which will take place at Estadio Jornalista Felipe Drumond in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Prelims start on Facebook at 7:00 p.m. EST, followed by prelims on FX at 8:00 p.m. EST. This all leads up to the pay-per-view, which starts at 10:00 p.m. EST.

Headlining the card is a rematch at a catchweight between Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva. After fighting a “fight of the night” match in their first meeting, both men will look to definitively win over the other come Saturday night.

In the blue corner you have Rich Franklin. “Ace” is a very popular fighter who had run the middleweight division for a while before Anderson Silva came along, and still has only lost to Silva while fighting at 185. He has returned to LHW and has had an up-and-down ride through these past few years. He currently is 28-6(1), coming off of a loss. A well-rounded fighter, his forte still remains on the feet, and he believes he can use those hands to make one more run at the title.

In the red corner you have Wanderlei Silva. “The Axe Murderer” is 34-11-1(1) and coming off of a great win over Cung Le at UFC 139. While his time since Pride has been rather lackluster in stats, Silva always comes to fight and be aggressive. His relentless striking and pace make striking with him always dangerous, and after losing the decision to Franklin last time, he will be looking to finish this fight.

Both men are fighters who are arguably on their way out of the sport. They both have had great careers, but their consistency has changed. Blows to the head are not taken as easily as before, and both men are either knocking someone out or getting knocked out themselves.

This fight is one that can end very quickly, and should end in a finish. Franklin must be aware and careful of the flurry of punches that will come his way, but Silva must understand that he can no longer take shots like he did before, when he used to run in and take blows in order to close the distance. This fight will be a lot of striking, and the first person to land clean will probably walk away the victor.

Prediction: Rich Franklin wins via TKO/KO within the first two rounds.

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