Rich Franklin vs Wanderlei Silva At UFC 99
by mmafiend on Feb 18, 2009 3:51 PM EST
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According to MMAWeekly, Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva will square off at UFC 99, most likely at a catch weight of 195 lbs.
This fight makes perfect sense, for both fighters. Wand is looking to drop to 185 and a win over Rich would immediately put him near the front of the line for a title shot. Rich supposedly wants to stay at 205 for a while, and a win over Wand would put him near the top of the ladder as well.
As a fight fan, I am incredibly stoked. As a Franklin fan, I am kind of scared...
commentary from THEMMAFiend
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Catch weight?
I thought only Strikeforce does that.
Can’t wait to see all the BE jokes about a catch weight fight outside of Strikeforce.
Hughes vs. Royce was fought at a catch weight, I believe 175. There are probably some others I’m forgetting.
by Chris Nelson on Feb 18, 2009 4:06 PM EST up reply actions
Others that I think were at catch weights in the last three years.
Franca/Jordan at 165. Fioravanti/Farber at 173. Alves/Hughes at 175.
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by Richard Wade on Feb 18, 2009 4:35 PM EST up reply actions
I don’t mind it, he is older and it’s not as if he’s a big fight guy who can easily shed 20 pounds just working out, he’s big and muscular and it will take him a bit to drop the weight in a healthy way. So to keep him busy in the meantime they only make him cut halfway for this fight, then he can do it all the way for his next fight. Plus it gives Franklin a good fight against a legend that he has a pretty good shot at winning.
Scared?
Rich Franklin is a level above Wanderlei Silva. If this was Silva of four years ago, it would be a hard fight. But as I see it, Franklin has both better stand-up skills and arguably a better, more MMA-oriented ground game. Many will cite Franklin’s previous losses to a pair of much sharper strikers: which Wanderlei is not. And besides that, Rich has come a long way since his losses and his one-sided fight against Hamill should be a strong indication of that. While there’s always a chance of him getting caught by a wild hook, I just don’t see it happening. Franklin via TKO in 2.
This is also a fight I would like to see be five rounds.
It’ll be interesting, we’ve all seen Franklin get hurt in the clinch. He can be overwhelmed. I think it’s two very good guys fighting…and the loser honestly in a fight like this doesn’t really lose much in my book.
by Michael Rome on Feb 18, 2009 4:10 PM EST up reply actions
I agree. One of the biggest things hate about fans (and they are in every sport) is that when a fighter loses, even if it is to one of the best in the game, he is “done.”
People were calling Rich a can for being beaten by Silva… it’s just insane. There is no shame in losing to the best guys in the sport.
But that's the thing.
When is the last time we saw Wanderlei working his Muay Thai? Maybe some leg kicks but beyond that he sticks to his wild punches because that’s been his finisher over the years more often than not. I WISH he would use his knees nowadays because he most certainly would have crushed who I believe to be significantly lesser in the form of Chuck Liddell. Similarly, it would have helped him to closer the distance on the more technically sound Rampage, but he just didn’t do it.
by KneeToTheFace on Feb 18, 2009 4:13 PM EST up reply actions
“When is the last time we saw Wanderlei working his Muay Thai? Maybe some leg kicks but beyond that he sticks to his wild punches because that’s been his finisher over the years more often than not”
True, I haven’t seen him uses it in a while. But I’m willing to bet he tries to do it on Rich, seeing as how Rich doesn’t have the best history when it comes to guys with good MT clinches.
It’s that he couldn’t, not that he didn’t want to. There’s simply no way he’s strong enough to get a clinch on Liddell, the second he tried he got destroyed with elbows. I agree it’s been a long time since he used it in a fight, but that doesn’t mean it ain’t there.
by Michael Rome on Feb 18, 2009 4:17 PM EST up reply actions
And Rampage was looking for the clinch, so we can’t hold that against Wand either. In fact, Wand almost landed a knee from the clinch against Rampage in that fight before getting KTFO, so it’s still there.
Personally, if I was Wand, I’d try to do what Anderson did to Rich at UFC 64.
One of Rich’s main flaws IMO is his willingness to engage in the clinch. He tried to do it against Dan, and almost every time he got taken down, which led to Ace losing a close decision.
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