Tag: UFC 147

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.

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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.

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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 Wanderlei Silva vs. Vitor Belfort. 

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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