Franklin is all done. What do you think he’ll do when he loses again to Anderson?

I cant wait to see Vera in action again. And since I hate sylvia it makes it so much better! ha.

Vera will chop down the tree.

franklin will demolish anderson, and vera and tim is a toss up

i really think both both matches are a toss up i don not like rich are time both i don not think either get the respect for being a former champion

I can’t wait for Franklin to get his belt back! Vera versus Sylvia should be a good fight. It’s the smallest vs the largest heavyweight.

Vera will be overwhelmed by Sylvia’s size. I see Vera being very tentative in this fight and I don’t think he is going to be willing to exchange with Syliva. Sylvia will frustrate Vera and will beat Vera in this fight.

Franklin will regain his title. He will have Silva scouted perfectly. If the fight goes past the first round; Franklin’s confidence will skyrocket and the end might be near for Silva. I see Franklin winning by TKO or decision. Franklin is stronger than Silva and might want to use that strength, but might not due to fear of Silva clinch game. Franklin may just take the fight to the ground, too. Either way Franklin will come to fight and bring it to Silva. Also Franklin will be healthier, which he wasn’t in their first fight. Rich Franklin: next Middleweight Champion this October.

I hope for Rich he has a plastic surgeon present like in the front row..to put his face back together..it will never look the same..Anderson will tear him up..and Vera I look forward seeing chop up the Sylvia.

I would love to see Tim get his clock cleaned again. Anderson and Franklin is more of a toss up if u ask me. The last person Vera defeated was Frank Mir, an out-of-shape Mir at that. Tim just lost his title. I wouldn’t want to be the 1st guy fighting Tim, especially not having any fights for so long as Vera has. If Franklin loses again, I’d like to see him take on Paulo Filho and the winner stays in the UFC. I think it’d be cool to have Ninja Rua and Frank Shamrock fight too. Eventually the best will be found out at 185.

Where does this leave the possible Evans v Ortiz rematch ? Would Dana see that as too much for 1 card now ?

[quote post="3104"]franklin will demolish anderson[/quote]

THE GUY, I really think “DEMOLISH” is a really strong word. Yushin Okami faught a terrible fight against Rich but still had him in trouble a couple times. I think he has a chance at winning but “DEMOLISH” I cant see happening! It should be a really good fight though!

The Vera VS Silvia fight should be good as well but every time I watch Tim I cant help but thinks he looks so awkward!

This is turning out to be another stacked card I can’t wait!

If Rich loses I might throw myself down a well. I dont know if i could handle that one.. Please win Rich

[quote comment="130986"]franklin will demolish anderson, and vera and tim is a toss up[/quote]
What? There is no question franklin will get beat, the question is will he get beat in highlight reel fashion. Vera 1st round KO. have a good day.

Anderson Silva is going to MURDER Franklin again and again and again!! And THANK GOD!! Vera’s back! I remember seeing his first fight in the UFC and saying damn this guys got potential!! I like how he does his little jui jitsu dance at the end of each fight to. I was damn pissed when i heard he was leaving the UFC cause i always thought he could be the champ but as he was gone the heavyweight division got a lot more stacked so i see it taking a little longer to get his title. I think he will beat Sylvia and in very impressive fashion as he did Frank Mir and all his other opponents. Kids not undeafeated for no reason. I see him getting a title shot with a win against sylvia and one more win against the top contenders (probably will be Cro Cop, Big Nog, or Arlovski) and if he wins in a first round knockout of Tim Sylvia i see it being immediate!! GONNA BE SICK!!!

Yushin faught a terrible fight because franklin was able to execute his game plan, he did have rich in trouble at one point but hey, everyone makes mistakes. If rich fights at his best he will take silva down and gnp him. franklin has never been submitted as well as his stregth on the ground will let him control anderson and eventually stop him.
Rich via TKO

[quote comment="130990"]Vera will be overwhelmed by Sylvia’s size. I see Vera being very tentative in this fight and I don’t think he is going to be willing to exchange with Syliva. Sylvia will frustrate Vera and will beat Vera in this fight.

Franklin will regain his title. He will have Silva scouted perfectly. If the fight goes past the first round; Franklin’s confidence will skyrocket and the end might be near for Silva. I see Franklin winning by TKO or decision. Franklin is stronger than Silva and might want to use that strength, but might not due to fear of Silva clinch game. Franklin may just take the fight to the ground, too. Either way Franklin will come to fight and bring it to Silva. Also Franklin will be healthier, which he wasn’t in their first fight. Rich Franklin: next Middleweight Champion this October.[/quote]

I agree, spot on Red, but you forgot to mention that, win or lose, Franklin WILL get his face mashed in

Although I am rooting for Anderson Silva, I think Franklin vs Silva has the potential to be the fight of the year. Silva is very smart and doesn’t brag about what his skills are before a fight. He keeps them secret. Everyone knows he’s a lethal striker, but if you watch how he turned Marquardt’s submission attempt around on him just before knocking him out, you can’t help but wonder if his BJJ skills are very advanced. He trains with some very dangerous, experienced people. I don’t think he walks into a fight and goes, “Today, I’ll showcase my ground game, blah blah blah.” And I think Franklin will be more prepared than he’s ever been, in his own way. Fight of the Year.

I have ZERO interest in seeing Tito-Rashad 2.

I like Franklin, but I can’t see him doing much to Anderson. Hopefully Vera smokes that fat slug Sylvia.

[quote comment="131001"]Anderson Silva is going to MURDER Franklin again and again and again!! And THANK GOD!! Vera’s back! I remember seeing his first fight in the UFC and saying damn this guys got potential!! I like how he does his little jui jitsu dance at the end of each fight to. I was damn pissed when i heard he was leaving the UFC cause i always thought he could be the champ but as he was gone the heavyweight division got a lot more stacked so i see it taking a little longer to get his title. I think he will beat Sylvia and in very impressive fashion as he did Frank Mir and all his other opponents. Kids not undeafeated for no reason. I see him getting a title shot with a win against sylvia and one more win against the top contenders (probably will be Cro Cop, Big Nog, or Arlovski) and if he wins in a first round knockout of Tim Sylvia i see it being immediate!! GONNA BE SICK!!![/quote]

I co sign that.

Now with the home field advantage with this fight being in Ohio..it wouldn’t matter if Anderson and Rich scrapped in Rich’s back yard..he will NOT even come close to beating da spida..( maybe if he had a gun )..now lets no 4get Timmy’s BAD back..it went under knife not to long ago..and he just might get caught in the Boston Crab..then..That’s all Folks…

Franklin seems smart enough to learn to avoid the clinch. And even though Vera is completely overrated for the opponents he has fought, I see him defeating Sylvia after utilizing leg kicks.

THE GUY – If franklin get finds himself in the thai clinch do you think he will have to walk around without a nose like mj? Or will the money he gets for the fight cover his plastic surgery? thats a toss up.

[quote comment="130990"]Vera will be overwhelmed by Sylvia’s size. I see Vera being very tentative in this fight and I don’t think he is going to be willing to exchange with Syliva. Sylvia will frustrate Vera and will beat Vera in this fight.

Franklin will regain his title. He will have Silva scouted perfectly.[/quote]
Red, I’m going to have to disagree on both accounts:

(1) Vera will not be overwhelmed by Tim’s size at all. Vera is very VERY good in the clinch and will easily nullify Tim’s reach by stuffing it with the clinch. I also think Vera is much quicker than Sylvia, which will cause problems for Tim.

Bottom line, Vera is not going to get caught in a stand-up war if he’s losing. He has too many other skills on all levels.

I don’t care how big Sylvia is, if he takes punches and elbows to the head, he’s going out via TKO.

(2) It’s not a matter of scouting at all. Everyone knows what Silva does. It’s a matter of having the skills to stop what he does. There is a point where you say: Even on Franklin’s BEST night, he does not have the skills to match Anderson Silva.

Anderson’s toughest fight in recent memory was against Lutter — who took him down. I think we can be pretty certain Franklin will not try to take Angerson down, but he should. It’s his BEST chance of winning (not only though, this is MMA after all).

Anyhow, is anybody else pumped about all these great match-ups! One after the other, man. This is great!

Don’t be surprised in a couple months if Yushin Okami comes back into the picture with a vengence!

Tim Sylvia probably has the least fanfare of any guy that has held any of the belts for any significant time. I personally don’t like him as fighter either. That being said, he is extremely effective. He had a back injury that really needed surgery before he fought Randy. I don’t think it would have changed the outcome, but think about how he essentially neutralized Randy from the guard. Seeing Randy in Sylvia’s guard made a few things very apparent. Sylvia is not a dead man once you get him to the mat. Second, his enormous size makes it difficult to strike him from within his guard. Third, he’s so big its difficult to move him. Vera is small for a heavyweight. Tim Sylvia’s size will be too much for him, and if they stay on their feet…..Sylvia will catch him at some point. If Vera loses this fight, he will not get a title shot anytime soon in that stacked division.

I’ve said this all along–Brandon Vera is a LHW.

I think it’s Vera to win Sylvia by stoppage and Anderson to regain his title with another KO although I can’t see it being as easy as last time. I just think he’s too big a hitter to not KO Franklin.

You need crazy meds if you think rich is winning his belt back. Unless he runs or stalls, he won’t make it out of the first round. I like Rich, too. Anderson is just too much for him, in all facets

Vera/Tim is a toss up, AS much as I hate Sylvia, I wouldn’t be shocked to see him come out on fire in this one. Vera has a lot owalking to do to back up all the talking from the last year and a half. Mabuhay!

Vera is so not going to be overwhelmed.

I’m sorry, but Brandon Vera is lightning quick, particularly as compared to Tim Sylvia. Brandon’s stand-up is not only crisp, he’s very good at moving in and out, changing angles, and feinting. If Couture can do, Vera most certainly can.

Second, Brandon Vera throws the hardest kicks of anyone in the UFC. Bank on it. When Mike Easton – one of the to bantanweights in America – held pads for Brandon, his arms were covered in bruises. Other than knocking out Eilers, Vera’s kicks haven’t been on display, but trust me when I tell you he throws with incredible speed and power. If Vera can throw enough leg kicks early to slow Sylvia down, that’s all he needs to overwhelm him.

Third, if Randy Couture proved anything its that Greco wrestling skills work very well against the bottom-heavy Sylvia. Tim will sprawl all day long, but is not so limber when an expert with double underhooks is working his magic. Brandon’s background – an accomplished one at that – is in Greco-Roman wrestling and even trained with Couture at the Olympic training center.

Vera has all the tools to beat Sylvia. Believe it.

AMAZING CARD

1) SILVA by TKO

2) VERA by TKO

[quote comment="131016"][quote comment="130990"]Vera will be overwhelmed by Sylvia’s size. I see Vera being very tentative in this fight and I don’t think he is going to be willing to exchange with Syliva. Sylvia will frustrate Vera and will beat Vera in this fight.

Franklin will regain his title. He will have Silva scouted perfectly.[/quote]
Red, I’m going to have to disagree on both accounts:

(1) Vera will not be overwhelmed by Tim’s size at all. Vera is very VERY good in the clinch and will easily nullify Tim’s reach by stuffing it with the clinch. I also think Vera is much quicker than Sylvia, which will cause problems for Tim.

Bottom line, Vera is not going to get caught in a stand-up war if he’s losing. He has too many other skills on all levels.

I don’t care how big Sylvia is, if he takes punches and elbows to the head, he’s going out via TKO.

(2) It’s not a matter of scouting at all. Everyone knows what Silva does. It’s a matter of having the skills to stop what he does. There is a point where you say: Even on Franklin’s BEST night, he does not have the skills to match Anderson Silva.

Anderson’s toughest fight in recent memory was against Lutter — who took him down. I think we can be pretty certain Franklin will not try to take Angerson down, but he should. It’s his BEST chance of winning (not only though, this is MMA after all).

Anyhow, is anybody else pumped about all these great match-ups! One after the other, man. This is great![/quote]

Hey Soups. You made some good points; we’ll see what happens in October. One thing we can both agree on is this card is looking really exciting, as well as one after the other. Later Soups!

[quote comment="131016"][quote comment="130990"]Vera will be overwhelmed by Sylvia’s size. I see Vera being very tentative in this fight and I don’t think he is going to be willing to exchange with Syliva. Sylvia will frustrate Vera and will beat Vera in this fight.

Franklin will regain his title. He will have Silva scouted perfectly.[/quote]
Red, I’m going to have to disagree on both accounts:

(1) Vera will not be overwhelmed by Tim’s size at all. Vera is very VERY good in the clinch and will easily nullify Tim’s reach by stuffing it with the clinch. I also think Vera is much quicker than Sylvia, which will cause problems for Tim.

Bottom line, Vera is not going to get caught in a stand-up war if he’s losing. He has too many other skills on all levels.

I don’t care how big Sylvia is, if he takes punches and elbows to the head, he’s going out via TKO.

(2) It’s not a matter of scouting at all. Everyone knows what Silva does. It’s a matter of having the skills to stop what he does. There is a point where you say: Even on Franklin’s BEST night, he does not have the skills to match Anderson Silva.

Anderson’s toughest fight in recent memory was against Lutter — who took him down. I think we can be pretty certain Franklin will not try to take Angerson down, but he should. It’s his BEST chance of winning (not only though, this is MMA after all).

Anyhow, is anybody else pumped about all these great match-ups! One after the other, man. This is great![/quote]

I’ve trained in Muay Thai for several years. I can tell you this, there is no way a fighter that much smaller will be able to secure a clinch effectively. You can speculate all you want, but Brandon Vera is not training to fight from the clinch for this fight. If he is, he’s in for a long night.

Silva will knock out franklin again. I cannot see how he can win. He is not going to try and take Silva down so the only option he has is to stand and strike. Silva will dismantle him like he did the last time. Franklin seems a nice guy but he does not match up with Silva well at all. As for Franklin being stronger that Silva you only need to look at the last fight to see that Silva threw Franklin round the octagon like a rag doll so I cannot agree with that. Even Franklin said he was suprpised how strong Silva was in the clinch.

I predict a second round stoppage to Silva

I also think that Vera will beat Sylvia, Vera has destroyed everyone in his path including Frank Mir who beat Slyvia. I think that Vera’s stand up will be too fast and powerful for Tim. You only need to look what Randy did to him on the feet.

I predict a 1st round stoppage to Vera.

Can we please lose the Vera hype, his opponents have a combined record of like 2-11 in the UFC. I am surprised Dana is not bringing in a Karate practioner to fight him next.

I agree that Silva is dangerous, but I think Franklin can win this. I think he’ll be totally prepared for the thai clinch. He’s no idiot. He’s known about this match up for a long time and he’s surely trained hard specifically for this match.

I think Vera will take it as well. Other than the fact that I don’t like Sylvia all that much and that Vera seems like a more well rounded fighter, I don’t have any other reason right now for predicting that.

Just my opinion.

Does anyone know who is the underdog in the Silva/Franklin fight? or the Vera/Sylvia fight? I think Vera and Franklin will both come out on top, and all these over confident Silva fans will have to eat crow.

[quote comment="131038"]Does anyone know who is the underdog in the Silva/Franklin fight? or the Vera/Sylvia fight? I think Vera and Franklin will both come out on top, and all these over confident Silva fans will have to eat crow.[/quote]
I think Vera and Franklin are both the underdogs.

[quote comment="131004"][quote comment="130990"]Vera will be overwhelmed by Sylvia’s size. I see Vera being very tentative in this fight and I don’t think he is going to be willing to exchange with Syliva. Sylvia will frustrate Vera and will beat Vera in this fight.

Franklin will regain his title. He will have Silva scouted perfectly. If the fight goes past the first round; Franklin’s confidence will skyrocket and the end might be near for Silva. I see Franklin winning by TKO or decision. Franklin is stronger than Silva and might want to use that strength, but might not due to fear of Silva clinch game. Franklin may just take the fight to the ground, too. Either way Franklin will come to fight and bring it to Silva. Also Franklin will be healthier, which he wasn’t in their first fight. Rich Franklin: next Middleweight Champion this October.[/quote]

I agree, spot on Red, but you forgot to mention that, win or lose, Franklin WILL get his face mashed in[/quote]

..who is given you thr Drugs??

[quote comment="131030"][quote comment="131016"]I’ve trained in Muay Thai for several years. I can tell you this, there is no way a fighter that much smaller will be able to secure a clinch effectively. You can speculate all you want, but Brandon Vera is not training to fight from the clinch for this fight. If he is, he’s in for a long night.[/quote]
Notice that I didn’t say Vera would be using knees from the clinch, though he might. I think he will use the clinch to control Tim, not necessarily attack from the clinch.

Basically, I think Vera will use the clinch to transition to a take down greco-style, the same way Randy did.

But speculation is speculation… we can never forget GSP/Serra, haha.

JoMamaChelly, franklin just has to avoid the clinch, last time he was caught by surprise and thaught he could power out of it, this time he will be prepared, he wont try and compete in the clinch, if they clinch franlkin will just take him down

I’d like to c Franklin win, but that won’t happen and neither will Vera be sucessful. Paulo Filho,Ninja Rua,Frank Shamrock,Anderson Silva, and Dan Henderson all hold belts in this division and there is probably a lot more I can’t name right now. U tell me how to find out who the best is!

[quote comment="131034"]Can we please lose the Vera hype, his opponents have a combined record of like 2-11 in the UFC. I am surprised Dana is not bringing in a Karate practioner to fight him next.[/quote]

Oh hype u say? Vera is much more then just hype! he will prove that when he kicks around the slow slug, Tim Silvia. Ur in for a rude awakening come ufc 77!

Remember though, Silva did get mounted by a fatigued Lutter. Though I don’t think he’ll make that mistake again anyway.

Rich Franklin will be on WEC 31. haha Hes done.

Finally the return of the TRUTH. Now how about some truths.
Vera will win this fight, not easily, but if he plans to use his stand up, you can expect a lot of movement from him. I could see the clinch come into play, but Vera should break away and use those gruesome leg kicks he has but no one has seen too much of. Does anyone remember the Vera v. Justin Eilers fight? Eilers is a Militech Camp elite fighter and Vera hit him with a glancing blow and it really rocked the @#$% of him, and that knee to the head for the finish was as brutal a knock out as found anywhere.

JACKIE is probably right about the clinch though, Tims to big and strong not to shrug a smaller opponent off, but if Vera gets after it early and lands some leg kicks and body kicks (god knows Tims not going to shoot so it’s Open season) then Tim is going to wear down. And it might give Vera the good part of the 3rd round to do whatever he wants. And if Tim get’s too sloppy in the clinch Brandon just might choke him out with a guillotine.

I just don’t think Tim can stand infront of tactical fighter like Vera, if this was a boxing match, i’d pick Tim, but Brandon shows off a complete arsenal of striking and submissions and i think we’ll see the same Tim Sylvia that Randy whoop’d. If round one doesn’t go Tims way, the big guy likes to get down on himself and it doesn’t help win the fight when the frustration is so obvious. Ah la Monson-Couture fights.

Franklin v. Silva. Thank God Rich gets a second chance. No chance the fight goes down the same way as before. I don’t know who will win, i think if Matt Hughes worked with Rich too upgrade a ground and pound style… he’s got a chance, but at 185 in a pure striking contest Silva is just too dangerous. It will look totally different then the first fight, but that’s about all i can say.

Let me ask the Die Hard Sylvia fans…

IF Sylvia did get the win, what is really his best way to finish? a KO just seems so unlikely, and i think Vera will score more points if it’s left to the judges.

Big Zino.

What about Ortiz vs Evans II?

Heehee, there are SO many crazy match-ups coming down the pike — these included. The MMA fanboy rhetoric is going to be flying like poo from a monkey’s cage!

I am picking Vera to win as well. He seems smart enough to know that Sylvia’s legs are vunerable. I am just saying lets not make him a legend when all he has beaten is the bottom of the barrel.

Devils Advocate here. Franklin wins by knockout midway through the second round, big shot knocking Silva down then proceeding to finish it on the ground. TKO Strikes.

When’s the Maine-iac going to try out a new style with his facial hair, maybe thats why he lost! haha.. Sadly I had that same style when I was like 18, only lasted a week till I was made fun of consistently.

[quote comment="130986"]franklin will demolish anderson, and vera and tim is a toss up[/quote]

Do you even have any logic to base that on? There’s no way he can out-strike, out-grapple, or submit Silva. He’s a grade lower in every aspect of fighting.

Rich Franklin can win, I see his best shot being taking Silva down. He looked horrible against Lutter on the ground, getting mounted was a huge wake up call to top middleweights. I think Sylvia has a punchers chance. Vera has more outs.

[quote comment="131069"]I am picking Vera to win as well. He seems smart enough to know that Sylvia’s legs are vunerable. I am just saying lets not make him a legend when all he has beaten is the bottom of the barrel.[/quote]

Vera still has everything to prove. Im not sure you were referencing what i said specifically, but Vera is at least someone to get excited about. He’s young and hungry and wants to earn a fan base AND let’s face it, he’s good on the microphone so with a few good wins, his popularity could explode. Tim fights because it’s his job, Vera (and others) fight because it’s his passion.

AND IF I NEVER SAW ORTIZ v. EVANS II, im pretty sure i could still sleep at night. B O R I N G ! I know 50 guys that feel the same way.
Rather ….
Tito V. Wandy in December, I just don’t think Tito would sign on the dotted line.

[quote comment="131077"]Rich Franklin can win, I see his best shot being taking Silva down. He looked horrible against Lutter on the ground, getting mounted was a huge wake up call to top middleweights.

..He looked horrible on the ground????????? YO, he triangled him..Nate had him on the ground too..and then ended up drugged..What are you smoking?? Anywhere this fight goes..it won’t look good for Rich..and to add fuel to the fire..Rich is SCARED to death of Anderson Silva..When they call him out to fight..he just might shit on himself.

kneetotheface, thats exactly what im basing it on,( wut midion said), silva does have a black belt in bbj, but this isnt bjj, if u’ve ever trained u’d know what im talking about anyway franklin will not stand long, the take down then gnp unless silva has drasticly imporved his td defense, as for vera much smaller, shorter reach and if u does try to use alot of leg kicks, the reach that tim has will hurt him, i dont see vera doing to much damage to tim

Loads of people are giving Rich a great chance, I just don’t know. Maybe he could l’n'p but that would suck as he is bigger and stronger. However if Anderson even gets with a stiff jab to the chin early in the first it could be over in next to no time. He’ll look for that left to give the jelly legs and then possibly clinch or unload.

I don’t know, a lot of it is mental at this level and Rich got mangled first time around.

Anderson to win and then drop to WW for a title shot. (Probably not but I’d love to see it). That would be cool.

[quote comment="131002"]Yushin faught a terrible fight because franklin was able to execute his game plan, he did have rich in trouble at one point but hey, everyone makes mistakes. If rich fights at his best he will take silva down and gnp him. franklin has never been submitted as well as his stregth on the ground will let him control anderson and eventually stop him.
Rich via TKO[/quote]

Uhhh, no. Marqardt may not be as good as Franklin overall, but he is definitely better on the ground and when he got Silva down, he didnt do sh*t. I really don’t see Rich standing much of a chance in this one. Silva’s style is just too good against his.

Jackie commented a smaller man would have trouble dominating the clinch. I “think” Anderson Silva is smaller than franklin, and he destroyed him in the clinch. Is this an exception, or is Silva the bigger man.

Marqardt didnt have any decent control on silva on the ground and he was just gettin picked apart on his feet and after that left landed it was pretty much over, rich is much more experienced and patient, he will take him down like lutter did, pass then either submit or gnp him. the only way anderson wins this fight is if it stays on the feet

Yes I admit, Silva got a dilapidated Lutter in the triange after he got mounted EASILY. But he was half dead by that time. Marquart should never have even been in the ring with Silva. I think Franklin should take him down as quick as possible and see what he can do.

[quote comment="130991"]I hope for Rich he has a plastic surgeon present like in the front row..to put his face back together..it will never look the same..Anderson will tear him up..and Vera I look forward seeing chop up the Sylvia.[/quote]

Good one buddy.

Silva is going to win, I’m going to go out on a limb as I always do, and predict a flying switch kick KO in the 2nd round(This kick probably has a thousand names). The same kick that he threw against Marquart that got Silva taken down.

“Travis lutter took him down, bla bla bla”. TRAVIS LUTTER DIDN’T MAKE WEIGHT! It’s a lot easier to take people down when you ignore your weight class and fight heavy. BTW, he got submitted and almost got his head cut open for his efforts. IF he had him mounted, why couldn’t he armbar him then?

[quote comment="131109"]Yes I admit, Silva got a dilapidated Lutter in the triange after he got mounted EASILY. But he was half dead by that time. Marquart should never have even been in the ring with Silva. I think Franklin should take him down as quick as possible and see what he can do.[/quote]

Lutter was psyched out before he even started training for Silva. I honestly think that if Lutter had taken the time to train properly and been properly nutritioned that he could have taken Silva.

So does this mean Tito-Rashad 2 isn’t on this card?

Silva and Sylvia will both win by knock out in the first round

silva will win this one, again..merely because rich really intimated by silva’s strikes..he hasnt been the same fighter as before..i think will really be tentative to stand up and exchange..his only chance of winning is hitting a lucky punch to silva’s chin, which is indeed unlikely..or lay and pray for a decision..
a healthy sylvia could win this one, as much as i like vera, sylvia’s really good in using his size and reach to his advantage..if there’s one thing i’m really not sure about vera its his mental fortitude..his nerves and hesitation may cost him the fight..

[quote comment="131100"]Jackie commented a smaller man would have trouble dominating the clinch. I “think” Anderson Silva is smaller than franklin, and he destroyed him in the clinch. Is this an exception, or is Silva the bigger man.[/quote]

Sylvia has to cut weight to get to 265, and Vera weighs around 225 without cutting. Its not inconceivable to say Vera is giving up 50lbs. Vera is 6′2″ and Sylvia is around 6′8″. While Anderson Silva appears to be slighter in frame compared to Rich Franklin, the two are actually relatively close to the same height and weight. It is extremely difficult to secure and control a clinch on a fighter that is 6-7 inches taller and possibly fifty pounds heavier.

franklin should take silva down????silva is a bjj black belt from the noguiera brothers….they are good company to get belted by….silva’s ground game is VERY underrated….but thats better for silva….for franklins sake please dont take silva down you more than likely will go to sleep….stand with him again and get ko’d….just my opinion

[quote comment="131100"]Jackie commented a smaller man would have trouble dominating the clinch. I “think” Anderson Silva is smaller than franklin, and he destroyed him in the clinch. Is this an exception, or is Silva the bigger man.[/quote]

Franklins gameplan for handling the clinch was horrible. Before the fight he was quoted saying “I will uppercut my way out of his clinch”. You saw how that worked out. We didn’t get to see any aspects of Franklins game because it went to the clinch right away and Franklin was done, I highly doubt he is going to make that mistake again.

[quote comment="131137"]franklin should take silva down????silva is a bjj black belt from the noguiera brothers….they are good company to get belted by….silva’s ground game is VERY underrated….but thats better for silva….for franklins sake please dont take silva down you more than likely will go to sleep….stand with him again and get ko’d….just my opinion[/quote]

Franklin is a brown belt in BJJ. It’s not like Silva is going to do something that Franklin isn’t going to have seen before. Franklin doesn’t like going to the ground, but every time he does he typically dominates.

That makes perfect sense. I appreciate the follow up.

[quote comment="131137"]franklin should take silva down????silva is a bjj black belt from the noguiera brothers….they are good company to get belted by….silva’s ground game is VERY underrated….but thats better for silva….for franklins sake please dont take silva down you more than likely will go to sleep….stand with him again and get ko’d….just my opinion[/quote]

..His corner should throw the towell in form the locker room..the only way he keeps his face and body intact is if he does not come out..cause once they lock them in the cage..his face will look like it got stuffed in a blender on high.

[quote comment="131139"][quote comment="131100"]Jackie commented a smaller man would have trouble dominating the clinch. I “think” Anderson Silva is smaller than franklin, and he destroyed him in the clinch. Is this an exception, or is Silva the bigger man.[/quote]

Franklins gameplan for handling the clinch was horrible. Before the fight he was quoted saying “I will uppercut my way out of his clinch”. You saw how that worked out. We didn’t get to see any aspects of Franklins game because it went to the clinch right away and Franklin was done, I highly doubt he is going to make that mistake again.[/quote]

Matt you are dead on. A more powerful fighter can generally neutralize the strikes from the clinch if he knows how. Rampage had quite a bit of trouble doing this against Shogun/Wandy as did Franklin with Anderson Silva. Part of it was that they were fighting some of the best clinch strikers on the planet, the other part was poor training/game planning. I think Franklin is probably toast because 1. Anderson Silva seems to be a better all around fighter and 2. Franklin has said himself he still can’t watch their first fight so he has at least a slight psychological disadvantage. I do think Franklin will be ready for the clinch, and the people that are expecting him to get decimated there will be surprised.

Hopefully Ace will pull it out….its kind of bad ass to have a math teacher champion.

[quote comment="131094"]kneetotheface, thats exactly what im basing it on,( wut midion said), silva does have a black belt in bbj, but this isnt bjj, if u’ve ever trained u’d know what im talking about anyway franklin will not stand long, the take down then gnp unless silva has drasticly imporved his td defense[/quote]

You’re right, MMA isn’t BJJ. But it’s still a major factor. Franklin will know better than to stand with Silva this time, but that doesn’t mean he will fare any better on the ground (assuming he does get a take-down; Franklin is a better striker than grappler, and his JJ isn’t close to Silva’s; but as you said, that doesn’t matter, does it?) He may get the take down, and he may even land a couple shots, but they’ll either get stood up (Silva has a chin, btw), or Rich will get submitted. I’m not saying there’s no chance Franklin can win, because this is an unpredictable sport and anyone has a puncher’s chance. But looking at the numbers, their fighting styles, and their first fight, I don’t think he has it in him to win by performing better than Silva; only by a lucky punch or something.

As for Vera/Sylvia, I agree that Vera won’t be able to do much damage on his feet, and he’ll know enough to take Sylvia down. While I think Vera is a great fighter, and also that Tim Sylvia is a scrub, it will be a close match. I predict either Vera by decision (if he can get takedowns) or Sylvia by TKO.

[quote post="3104"]Rich Franklin can win, I see his best shot being taking Silva down. He looked horrible against Lutter on the ground, getting mounted was a huge wake up call to top middleweights. [/quote]

You really think that Anderson looked horrilbe on the ground against Lutter? Lutter is a black belt in BJJ. He stricly a BJJ fighter, almost every win coming by submission. The only chance Lutter had at winning was by using his BJJ to submit Silva on the ground. But when he had Silva on the ground, even when mounted, Silva looked just as comfotrable as I do while relaxing in my LayZ Boy recliner while my wife goes down on me. Anderson was not in trouble in that match. In the UFC MW division, Anderson Silva has the best stand up, and the best BJJ. If the UFC would bring in Paulo Filho, Anderson would then have the 2nd best BJJ in the UFC.

[quote comment="131007"]I like Franklin, but I can’t see him doing much to Anderson. Hopefully Vera smokes that fat slug Sylvia.[/quote]
Haha, this made me laugh, excellent description of Tim

Anderson Silva is a complete animal and is simply too good to be beaten by Franklin. I just watched the first fight before posting this… It’s confirmed it for me… End of story

There have been rumors about Okami fighting Mcdonald at 77

I hate to say it but I am pretty sure big Tim is gonna destroy Vera,TS is one of the most underated fighters in MMA today,as for Franklin I just cant see him beating Silva,he is definatly not gonna beat him standing up but he has a chance on the ground,both fights will be very interesting.

Im keeping track of all these peeps on this forum that really think Franklin is going to win.
Its one thing to HOPE that your pretty boy Franklin will win….. but to say that he has better standup or better JJ skills is rediculous.

If you honestly think Franklin will win send me a message and we can put a friendly wager on it.

If I remember correctly, didn’t Vera say something a little while ago about how he was in Thailand working on his Muay Thai? If that’s the case, I don’t quite think ring rust will be a problem. The leg kicks will take their toll on Sylvia, and I don’t see this going past round two.

[quote comment="130986"]franklin will demolish anderson, and vera and tim is a toss up[/quote]

hahahaha. oh man, jesus. someone’s gotta give you an HBO special. you are hilarious.

[quote comment="130994"]Where does this leave the possible Evans v Ortiz rematch ? Would Dana see that as too much for 1 card now ?[/quote]

prpbably headlining UFN 12.

i think Silva will score another 1st round TKO. Vera will destroy Sylvia.

[quote comment="131078"][quote comment="131069"]I am picking Vera to win as well. He seems smart enough to know that Sylvia’s legs are vunerable. I am just saying lets not make him a legend when all he has beaten is the bottom of the barrel.[/quote]

Vera still has everything to prove. Im not sure you were referencing what i said specifically, but Vera is at least someone to get excited about. He’s young and hungry and wants to earn a fan base AND let’s face it, he’s good on the microphone so with a few good wins, his popularity could explode.

Tim fights because it’s his job, Vera (and others) fight because it’s his passion.

AND IF I NEVER SAW ORTIZ v. EVANS II, im pretty sure i could still sleep at night. B O R I N G !

I know 50 guys that feel the same way.
Rather ….
Tito V. Wandy in December, I just don’t think Tito would sign on the dotted line.[/quote]

Your right…Tito would never sign on the dotted line. Why is there so much hype when Tito fights. He has not been in a good fight for a long time. His ground and pound has deserted him and his standup is shite. A fight would be nice with him and Wanderlei to send Tito in to retirement.

[quote comment="130986"]franklin will demolish anderson, and vera and tim is a toss up[/quote]

Franklin hasn’t slept since the last time they have fouhgt. That was the worst ass kickin I have ever seen.

I hope vera kills Sasquatch. I hate Sylvia!

Franklin is History, and the Tim the “Lamiac” is done as well.

The old champs were protected by Dana, and now he has new toys from Pride to play with, so he doesn’t need to protect the old PAPER CHAMPS anymore.

: )

Rich Franklin by KO.

As the Spida is walking to the ring all of Rich’s math’s students will jump the rail and beat on him with their scientific calculators

Vera better start adding on the lbs now… He is REALLY undersized.
Franklin must get punched in the face before every picture..

If Franklin is aggressive, he can take out Anderson. But it would have to be the best fight of his career.

If Tim shows game like the early Tim, he will wipe his ass with Vera. Sorry, Vera still needs a lot of developement, and even more luck in a REALLY talent thick HW division.

I can’t understand why everyone is so excited about this card. Neither fight will be THAT interesting.

Franklin is a great fighter, and was a solid champion. At one point (prior to last summer) I thought he was unbeatable, he was my favorite scrapper in the UFC. That is until Sylva came along. Sylva is a beast, and I can’t see him losing to any MW on the planet. His striking is awesome (probably the best striker in the ufc), and he’s proven to be just as dominant on the ground. Since coming to the UFC I haven’t seen him in any real danger (not against Leben, Marq, Franklin, or even during the Lutter fight). I can’t see any part of the game where Franklin has the advantage, other than speaking English. I’d love to see Franklin have success here, but I see him getting destroyed. He might last a round, but I heavily doubt it. Even if he avoids the clinch, he can’t stand with Sylva. And, does he fair any better on the ground?

Sylvia is alot better than people on this board give him credit for. Sure, he’s not built like an MMA artist, and his fights aren’t always exciting, but he’s found a ton of success in the UFC. He’s knocked out everyone’s favorite Arlovski (he’s beaten AA twice). And he’s taken out most of his other opponents without ever being in serious trouble. It should have been clear to all that he was off against Couture (taking nothing away from RC), and that we can’t gage his abilities on that fight. He too has a chin (regardless of whether Randy dropped him early). Vera’s a tough cat and has looked impressive against less-than-stellar opponents. To all those who mention he beat Mir, come on! Mir is a shadow of his former self, we can’t use that kinda math here. I like Vera’s potential, but I think he’ll be in tough against Sylva. Remember, Sylva’s had a long layoff, and has likely taken a ton of criticism (especially if he follows this site). I see Timmy taking this fight, decisively.

Just my thoughts…

sorry mania didnt know that was too vulgar! lol

without a belt hahaha his confidence is shot goodbye to timmy veras too fast

Poor Franklin…. Vera and Tim will be a good one though.

[quote comment="131078"][quote comment="131069"]I am picking Vera to win as well. He seems smart enough to know that Sylvia’s legs are vunerable. I am just saying lets not make him a legend when all he has beaten is the bottom of the barrel.[/quote]

Vera still has everything to prove. Im not sure you were referencing what i said specifically, but Vera is at least someone to get excited about. He’s young and hungry and wants to earn a fan base AND let’s face it, he’s good on the microphone so with a few good wins, his popularity could explode.

Tim fights because it’s his job, Vera (and others) fight because it’s his passion.

AND IF I NEVER SAW ORTIZ v. EVANS II, im pretty sure i could still sleep at night. B O R I N G !

I know 50 guys that feel the same way.
Rather ….
Tito V. Wandy in December, I just don’t think Tito would sign on the dotted line.[/quote]

Wand vs Evans could be a real possibility. Like him or not, Evans is considered a top 10 205er so Joel Silva might feel the need to put him in with Wand if Tito turns down the opportunity.

I thought Ortiz and Evans 2 was on this card also.

wow at least they added a co main event in cincy
franklin vs silva
slyvia vs vera
mcdonald vs okami
not mad i hope vera wins, if he does i wonder if he might be fast tracked to a title shot knowing he already is 4-0 in ring. i want franklin to win will he?? right now it’s a toss up hell i still am not decided about couture and gonzaga yet, anyways it makes me wanna see this card more that the fight is now official

if you think rich will win this fight then you dont know nothing about mma. plain and simple. rich is scared and got completely destroyed yet you nuthuggers still think he can win. what a disgrace. rich looked horrible his last 3 fights and silva seems to get better. get the pubes out your teath and lets get realistic here

[quote post="3104"]I have ZERO interest in seeing Tito-Rashad 2.[/quote]

totally agree

[quote post="3104"]Franklin is History, and the Tim the “Lamiac” is done as well.
The old champs were protected by Dana, and now he has new toys from Pride to play with, so he doesn’t need to protect the old PAPER CHAMPS anymore.
: ) [/quote]

again tottaly agree

You all crack me up!!

Franklin vs Sylva is a great fight that I look forward to enjoying and I think Sylva will remain champ, but it really is anyone’s night. Franklin will have to look much better than he did against Yushin. And Sylva cant look anywhere near what he looked against Lutter. I predict a Franklin will loose due to a cracked kranium!!!!!

Vera will dominate Tim probably the same way Randy did, just come out and hit him in the face!!! Vera can use his speed, striking, ground game all the above anything Tim can do Vera can do way better!! I have always thought Tim was a big galloot. Yeah he has some good fights and wins to his credit but I just don’t see raw fighting talent when I look at that guy. He seems slow and off balance. Anyone who thinks they can continue fighting after their snaps is not the sharpest pencil in the pack!!! Vera will overwhelm this guy with ability!!!!!

P.S. TITO vs EVANS II Should be a Fight Night when it happens I thought it wasn’t comming off til Next Year due to publicity tour of Iraq.. Just what I heard somewhere.

It’d be nice if people could type their opinions without getting so disrespectful!

[quote comment="131008"][quote comment="131001"]Anderson Silva is going to MURDER Franklin again and again and again!! And THANK GOD!! Vera’s back! I remember seeing his first fight in the UFC and saying damn this guys got potential!! I like how he does his little jui jitsu dance at the end of each fight to. I was damn pissed when i heard he was leaving the UFC cause i always thought he could be the champ but as he was gone the heavyweight division got a lot more stacked so i see it taking a little longer to get his title. I think he will beat Sylvia and in very impressive fashion as he did Frank Mir and all his other opponents. Kids not undeafeated for no reason. I see him getting a title shot with a win against sylvia and one more win against the top contenders (probably will be Cro Cop, Big Nog, or Arlovski) and if he wins in a first round knockout of Tim Sylvia i see it being immediate!! GONNA BE SICK!!![/quote]

I co sign that.

Now with the home field advantage with this fight being in Ohio..it wouldn’t matter if Anderson and Rich scrapped in Rich’s back yard..he will NOT even come close to beating da spida..( maybe if he had a gun )..now lets no 4get Timmy’s BAD back..it went under knife not to long ago..and he just might get caught in the Boston Crab..then..That’s all Folks…[/quote]

Yeh I think Vera will have his toughest fight yet, but find a way to finish it. 2nd rd Vera

Anderson Silva vs. Franklin, I love Rich he was a great warrior but Silva is all up in his head. The hometown crowd will hurt rich more then help him. The hometown crowd adds pressure that he already will be feeling because there is no way he walks in the octagon with a clear question. He will have some doubts.

Silva is too accurate, he doesn’t waste many strikes. He can finish the fight at any second. When will we start to realize that his ju jitsu is extremely advanced. Just because the guy is such a phenomenal striker, his ju jitsu skills get overlooked, and its about time poeple start to realize how well rounded he is.

Going to the ground against silva does nothing. As soo as he hits the floor, he will slap a body triangle on Rich, controlling him, making it more dificcult for him to breath, throw some sharp elbows, a couple punches, and then its like Mortal Komabat “FINISH HIM” the lights will go out and he will rip rich’s arm off.

or
Rich cant styand wit him and get hit wit all kinds of stuff from all kinds of different angles… till lights out!

Rich will never take the title from Silva

Believe it all u people from cincy.

We all loved rich… but Silva is on a whole different level

Franklin is an awesome dude and a great fighter. The sad truth is Silva is just too damn good. I could only see an extremely strong smbmission ground fighter beating him like travis lutter almost pulled off.
Unless Henderson drops down there is no one in the UFC right now who can even get out of the first round with Silva. In a few months Dana White is going to have to get Filho or Kang so Anderson can have a challenge.

[quote post="3104"]Franklin is an awesome dude and a great fighter. The sad truth is Silva is just too damn good. I could only see an extremely strong smbmission ground fighter beating him like travis lutter almost pulled off.
Unless Henderson drops down there is no one in the UFC right now who can even get out of the first round with Silva. In a few months Dana White is going to have to get Filho or Kang so Anderson can have a challenge[/quote]

I woul like to see Yushin get a shot at Silva. I think he meets your requirements!! Yeah, he will have pull his head out and go for it!!!!

EazyEismydad,
yes on Paulo Filho and maybe on Kang…don’t forget Frank Shamrock and Ninja Rua also hold belts at 185. Frank will never come back to UFC, but Ninja Rua could appear.

[quote comment="130989"]I can’t wait for Franklin to get his belt back! Vera versus Sylvia should be a good fight. It’s the smallest vs the largest heavyweight.[/quote]

haha true! i didn’t notice that..

[quote comment="131215"][quote post="3104"]I have ZERO interest in seeing Tito-Rashad 2.[/quote]

totally agree[/quote]

me three. i really wish they canjust take it as a win for both or something and fight new opponents.

Tim and Brandon both beat Assuerio Silva, but Vera finished him in the 1st round. Just something to think about…

I’d love to see Franklin pull off a win but Silva just has an advantage on him in every aspect. On the feet there’s probably not anyone in any weight class that has a stand up equal to Silva and his ground game isn’t too bad either. Luter and Marquardt exposed Silva weakness that is his weak take down defense, only problem he’s pretty good once you take him down. I agree that its gonna take a very good jiu-jitsu fighter to have a chance at dethrowning Silva. The only guy in the middleweight that has a chance to beat him right now is probably Okami.

I am not a huge fan of Timmy. And I am even less of a fan of Vera. I think this fight will be alot closer than people think. Tim Silvia is coming off a loss and lackluster performance, I think he will make a statement with this fight. Brandon Vera is coming off a long lay-off and this is his FIRST REAL TEST. It’s time to put up or shut up for Mr. Vera. Both men look to make statements. But, Vera has never been in a fight with someone like Timmy. His size and reach are hard to get by.

I think Tim will impose his will on Brandon. Look for a 3rd round TKO courtesy of Timmy.

Vera will move down to Light Heavy after this fight.

[quote comment="130989"]I can’t wait for Franklin to get his belt back! Vera versus Sylvia should be a good fight. It’s the smallest vs the largest heavyweight.[/quote]

How much does Vera way….last time I saw, he was 6′3, 233 lbs.

my mistke, 6′2, 223lbs……but is he really the smallest HW?

[quote post="3104"]Tim Sylvia probably has the least fanfare of any guy that has held any of the belts for any significant time. I personally don’t like him as fighter either. That being said, he is extremely effective. He had a back injury that really needed surgery before he fought Randy. I don’t think it would have changed the outcome, but think about how he essentially neutralized Randy from the guard. Seeing Randy in Sylvia’s guard made a few things very apparent. Sylvia is not a dead man once you get him to the mat. Second, his enormous size makes it difficult to strike him from within his guard. Third, he’s so big its difficult to move him. Vera is small for a heavyweight. Tim Sylvia’s size will be too much for him, and if they stay on their feet…..Sylvia will catch him at some point. If Vera loses this fight, he will not get a title shot anytime soon in that stacked division.
I’ve said this all along—Brandon Vera is a LHW.[/quote]
He’s a LHW who is good enough to compete at HW. Tim won’t be able to deal with Vera’s speed and precise striking ,not to mention his excellent Greko Roman wrestling. I don’t see how at 6′3″ , 230 lbs with his skill, he is too small, because we sure haven’t seen him struggle yet against much bigger guys.

Wow! They add Sylvia v Vera to the card and suddenly this thread has 100 posts and counting. I’m surprised Vera is jumping right back in after so much time off. He may be in for a rude awakening. Either way this is a great match up. It’s like an elimination bout- the loser is getting bounced out of the top and you can kiss your title shot goodbye. Frankly I’ll be glad to see one of these two guys lose.

As for Franklin-Silva, I’m pulling for the Spider. I think Franklin stands a better chance this second time around but he might still come up short. If Rich took it to a decision loss, that would be a win of sorts. They would be solidly #1 and #2. I don’t think Henderson is dropping back down to middleweight.

[quote comment="131166"]I hate to say it but I am pretty sure big Tim is gonna destroy Vera,TS is one of the most underated fighters in MMA today,as for Franklin I just cant see him beating Silva,he is definatly not gonna beat him standing up but he has a chance on the ground,both fights will be very interesting.[/quote]
Tim will destroy Vera the same way Tim destroyed A.Silva and Mir, Oh, wait a minute, that was Vera who did that, Sylvia couldn’t even finish them.

[quote comment="131243"][quote post="3104"]
I woul like to see Yushin get a shot at Silva. I think he meets your requirements!! Yeah, he will have pull his head out and go for it!!!![/quote]
BTW- Okami and Silva fought in a “Rumble on the Rock” event in Jan 2006. Silva was dominating but did an illegal upkick somehow hitting Okami on top of the head- just about knocking him out- and was disqualified. It counts as a Silva loss but if you watch it there’s no way he was going to lose.

[quote comment="131185"]Vera better start adding on the lbs now… He is REALLY undersized.

If Tim shows game like the early Tim, he will wipe his ass with Vera. Sorry, Vera still needs a lot of developement, and even more luck in a REALLY talent thick HW division.[/quote]
Everyone is talking about Vera moving down to LHW. If he stays in heavyweight, he needs to get bigger. So he’s gotta decide pretty soon which weight class he wants to compete in.

I’d love to see the old pre-champ Mainiac back. He was a hard-hitting hungry contender. But once he got the belt and that 250K paycheck, he could afford to start eating and he did.

Hey Brandon
My friends and I support you in this fight.
Vamos Animo

My cousin(nuthugger) thinks that Rich will win in dominating fashion. He also thinks that IF HE EVER SAW KENPOSTAR FIGHTER HE WOULD BEAT THE SH1T OUT OF HIM.

Anyways…..

i think Anderson will do what he says and keep his belt for many years.

A pretty sick card to look forward too!! My predictions….

Vera vs. Sylvia:
I’m pretty sure Vera will shock a lot of people and completeing dismantle Tim use is atthletic abilliby and f#*king sick Mui Tai!!
Vera hands down oh this fight!!!

Franklin vs. Anderson
I thinik Franklin will come in pumped in this fight, look a lot more impressive than their last showing, but I still give the rubber match to Silva. That dude is just too damn good. I think he just might the most well-rounded fighter in mma (next to Fedor & GSP). He’s good anywhere, but there’s no question he is going to connect. Sick stand up….I could watch that guy all day long!!!\

Just my two cents….

jo

this fight all depends on tim sylvia’s back, if he’s healthy i’m pretty sure he wins this fight, but if he’s still got nagging pain back there, then he might be in trouble…timmy is a lot bigger than vera and should be able to use that to his advantage to score more from the outside with the jab, vera has nice kicks though and needs to use those to score points with the judges, i’m thinking this fight is gonna be a stand up fight and probably won’t be too exciting, both guys have been away for a while and both guys want a win, so i think each will be trying to stay away from trouble and just basically stick and move to score points with the judges and get a win, and i think sylvia’s size will prevail in that type of fight…i say unanimous boring decision win for timmy

I am so curious why none gives Silva the credit he deserves. Franklin looked hoorible against Okami. Even if he fought a good fight. He was lackluster, overly cautious, and really edged out a fight that could have gone either way. Silva has poven his world class standup, nobody dares stay in the clinch with him, and hishe has proven his bjj is prob. at the very top or near the very top the game{and it is not even his strongest skill or is it??}. That is the beautiful thing about him. He has barely shown his abilities and has completely dominated and wowed the division. For Franklin to win he is going to have to dig deep, real deep. I personaly do not feel he has the heart or the ability to take Silva. Silva is a better striker{maybe Franklin has better boxing}, Silva has the best clinch in the weight division if not one of the best in the UFC, and we Silva on the ground will submit Franklin. Franklins’ one true advantage is, he can walk into the ring weighing close to 205, bigger and much larger than Silva. That is just my 2 cents.

[quote comment="130990"]Vera will be overwhelmed by Sylvia’s size. I see Vera being very tentative in this fight and I don’t think he is going to be willing to exchange with Syliva. Sylvia will frustrate Vera and will beat Vera in this fight.

Franklin will regain his title. He will have Silva scouted perfectly. If the fight goes past the first round; Franklin’s confidence will skyrocket and the end might be near for Silva. I see Franklin winning by TKO or decision. Franklin is stronger than Silva and might want to use that strength, but might not due to fear of Silva clinch game. Franklin may just take the fight to the ground, too. Either way Franklin will come to fight and bring it to Silva. Also Franklin will be healthier, which he wasn’t in their first fight. Rich Franklin: next Middleweight Champion this October.[/quote]
what are you talking about franklin is stronger???? he got tossed around like a rag doll by silva in the last fight

[quote comment="131002"]Yushin faught a terrible fight because franklin was able to execute his game plan, he did have rich in trouble at one point but hey, everyone makes mistakes. If rich fights at his best he will take silva down and gnp him. franklin has never been submitted as well as his stregth on the ground will let him control anderson and eventually stop him.
Rich via TKO[/quote]
ha ha if you make a mistake against anderson silva you eat gloves and sleep the rest of the night away, “everybody makes mistakes” we are not talking about forgeting to pay a parking ticket, lol

[quote comment="131054"]JoMamaChelly, franklin just has to avoid the clinch, last time he was caught by surprise and thaught he could power out of it, this time he will be prepared, he wont try and compete in the clinch, if they clinch franlkin will just take him down[/quote]
franklin just has to avoid the anderson in all aspects not just the clinch

Anderson Silva… i know which fights of his i’ve seen and to be honest, i can’t recall one where he looked like he was in trouble at all. I know i havn’t seen all of them, but still…fair amount. Does anyone know if any one fighter has ever had his number on more then one occasion.

You hear a lot of fighters surprised at Yushin Okami’s strength as if it were a big shock and they weren’t ready for it…And Rich didn’t seem to have any trouble matching it.

So… i could be off the mark… If Rich does get this thing on the ground, can he just override Andersons submission attempts? I HAVE to believe that Rich is far more dangerous on top of Anderson Silva, then Anderson Silva is dangerous underneath Rich Franklin.

Im also seeing a lot of *superman syndrome* in Silva that i recently saw leave Chuck via Page and in Arlovski when Tim won the belt. It seems like just when someone is thought to be unbeatble, thats when they lose.I honestly don’t know/care who wins this one. I hope it’s a war and both come out like champs w/ no serious injuries.

I think were going to see a new an improved Brandon Vera…
and the same old Tim. BUT if we see Tim Sylvia, the one that embarrassed Cabbage, we could have a show.

Marquart is a better wrestler then franklin even if Franklin takes takes him down, Silva will defend until it gets stood up, and anderson is obviously working on his ground game since he fought lutter, and Vera will not be intimidated by silvia, he is stronger faster and will leg kick tim tell someone yells timber

Someone was saying Franklin is stronger than Silva? Did you even watch their last fight? Silva was toying with Franklin in the clinch like a rag doll and you all know it. I hope Franklin wins but to say he is stronger than Silva is an incorrect statement. I think Franklin needs to stick and move and watch out for Silva’s pin point striking and try to be on the offense and let Silva be on the defense.

i think after vera signed the six fight deal, dana matched him with silvia instead of a.a. because he thinks vera has a better chance against silva. he (dana) might be in for a big surprise. i just read the dana white interview on yahoo sports and he said that he isnt holding a.a down and that a.a is still in the mix of things, but then said he still has’nt signed him to a fight yet. what gives!

Silva beats Franklin 99 out of 100 fights. Rich was a paper champion!

I can’t wait to see Brandon Vera to fight again. Tim Sylvia’s fat ass will be sorry… hehehehe

[quote comment="131189"]I can’t see any part of the game where Franklin has the advantage, other than speaking English.[/quote]

Haha! For some reason that really cracked me up.

don’t get me wrong,i like rich.i like to see him fight but,but ,but against anderson silva i just don’t see what rich can do!i’ve seen silva in meca fc and in pride fc and now in the ufc.he’s the most accurate striker i’ve seen.he also has destroyed guys in cage rage from england.other fighters don’t want to have to face him,so of course many would like to see him loose so that they won’t have to face him when they get a shot at the title.problem is he’s there at the top and who and how are they going to stop him. stand up with him and strike they’re most likey to get hurt and usually hurt badly.take him down and he’s so wirey and flexible not to mention he’s a black belt in bjj,he doesn’t panic.you can see that he’s always thinking ahead.bottem line is,i can’t see rich or anyone else right now leaving the match as the victor and not being really hurt for the most part. as for vera,i think he’s too fast and aggressive for sylvia. brandon will probably win via tko! isn’t it great to have all of these super fighters in the ufc!and now my absolute favorite fighter of all time wanderlei silva! the ufc is rockin!

[quote comment="131428"]Silva beats Franklin 99 out of 100 fights. Rich was a paper champion![/quote]
He wasn’t a paper champ. The UFC just didn’t find anyone who could beat him until they found Anderson Silva. I do believe however, if it was Franklin who fought Lutter at UFC 67, Lutter woundn’t have made it out of the first round. Lutter would’ve been KO’ed in the first. I’m not saying Franklin is a better striker or Anderson didn’t try hard enough, that’s just what I think.

Franklin doesn’t have a good style to beat Silva. He can only outwrestle him.

At 6″2 and 223lbs Vera is a small HW, especially given the extra weight he carries around (not that much but enough to say he could make 205).

Then again at 6″2 227lbs CC is a relatively small HW, bigger than Vera for sure as he carries far less fat. 205 would be a tough cut. About 4 or 5 years ago he could have done it, his legs were smaller lol.

Even Fedor is a small HW 6″0 and roughly 227lbs including the excess.

Vera could make 205 but maybe it doesn’t matter. He’s in good company there.

[quote comment="131244"]EazyEismydad,
yes on Paulo Filho and maybe on Kang…don’t forget Frank Shamrock and Ninja Rua also hold belts at 185. Frank will never come back to UFC, but Ninja Rua could appear.[/quote]

Ninja isnt the same fighter he used to be. I dont think at this point in his career Ninja could beat silva.

Fighters that would provide a challenge are:
Dan Henderson
Paulo Filho
Matt Lindland
Kang n Misaki would prolly loose, but they could get out of the 1st round

The best championship fight we could c would be:
Anderson Silva vs. Dan Henderson

[quote post="3104"]Franklin vs. Anderson
I thinik Franklin will come in pumped in this fight, look a lot more impressive than their last showing, but I still give the rubber match to Silva. [/quote]

Is it possible for anyone to look less impressive than Franklin did in thier first fight? The only way to look less impressive is to knock yourself out during the entrance to the octagon. Why do you give the rubber match to Silva? Did I miss a fight where Franklin beat Silva? To my knowledge, they have fought one time, and it was the worst beating I have seen a champion take, ever.

[quote post="3104"]I am so curious why none gives Silva the credit he deserves.[/quote]

I don’t know how you can say that no one gives Silva the credit he deserves? Almost everyone has Anderson Silva in their Top 5 pound for pound fighters in MMA.

If Franklin loses to Silva again (I think that he will), I’m pulling for GSP to bulk up to MW and challenge Silva. Probably will never happen, but that would be an amazing fight.

Sylvia/Vera is gonna depend on what kind of condition Tim is in. How long does it take to fully recover from back surgery? If Tim is at 100%, I think he wins this easily. But if he’s still gimped, he’ll be like a turtle on its back once he’s taken down.

Didn’t Travis Lutter take Silva to the ground? I know he wasn’t able to submit Silva but he got past his clink for sure. Franklin is a former champ and he is far better than any of Silva’s other opponents.

I think this fight could be the best of the year if Franklin has learned from his loss. Franklin is a thinker so you can bet that he is going to bring a different game. This could end up being a very even fight that could go the distance.

Franklin is going to take a beating of biblical proportions. Real old Testament, wrath of God type stuff.

[quote comment="131714"]If Franklin loses to Silva again (I think that he will), I’m pulling for GSP to bulk up to MW and challenge Silva. Probably will never happen, but that would be an amazing fight.

..GSP would not come back for the 2nd round..Silva would murk him..The only one that can really be threat for Silva is Henderson..and when Paulo Filho gets his cage rust off..mayb then him too..but no one else..will touch the middle weight good..until Da Spida has left the building.

..and let Matt hughes put on some Farm Muscle and challenge Silva..it would be Hughes vs GSP part 2 on Roids.

Fact one…Franklin fought Silva while he was still busted up

Fact two…Even if Franklin is in good shape this time, I dont see him beating Silva because now he is scared of Silva and fear will beat you everytime. Unless he hurts Silva early, or takes him down and gnps him, Franklin will lose this one also.

Just my opinion…

Franklin needs a ” Desert Eagle ” 50cal..to hope on winning a fight against Anderson..even like 50 years from now..nursing home butters..Silva would laydown the law on Franklin.

Are you fucking serious, you edited out my sentence about a couple of ‘mathletes’ rooting for Rich Franklin? What a joke. Sorry if I offended you, but I didn’t see ANYTHING offensive in my post. Just the other day I saw LUPPERS write something about banging another poster’s mother if her titties were as nice as his. Now I can see how that can be offensive, but to say that the only people underestimating Anderson Silva are Jorge Gurgel, Kevin Kelly’s cousin, the city of Cincinatti and a couple of ignorant mathletes.
What is so fucking bad about that? Cuz I mentioned Kevin Kelly’s name? He was cutting on his cousin in his post above becuase his cousin thinks Rich will kill Silva.
I have been censored more than an afterschool special.

Post this. Please.

[quote comment="131917"]Are you fucking serious, you edited out my sentence about a couple of ‘mathletes’ rooting for Rich Franklin? What a joke. Sorry if I offended you, but I didn’t see ANYTHING offensive in my post. Just the other day I saw LUPPERS write something about banging another poster’s mother if her titties were as nice as his. Now I can see how that can be offensive, but to say that the only people underestimating Anderson Silva are Jorge Gurgel, Kevin Kelly’s cousin, the city of Cincinatti and a couple of ignorant mathletes.
What is so fucking bad about that? Cuz I mentioned Kevin Kelly’s name? He was cutting on his cousin in his post above becuase his cousin thinks Rich will kill Silva.
I have been censored more than an afterschool special.

Post this. Please.[/quote]

Here’s the deal: It’s incredibly hard to maintain each an every single comment. Sometimes posts are edited if it appears that another reader is being attacked. The entire goal here is to keep the topic on MMA — not grammar, cousins, grandmothers, religions, sexual preferences … etc. Sometimes comments slip through the cracks that should not be posted on the site and I don’t see them in time. When there’s literally 500 per day at times … it’s not easy. Don’t take it personal.

No hard fealings Mania. I just noticed that recently, it seems like every comment I type gets edited somehow. Then I would type something super offensive and it went thru, I just wasn’t understanding what was going on. But I do understand that a site this good has to be maintained and monitored.

All in all, Good Job Mania, keep up the good work!

I’m curious as to why UFC hasn’t put “II” on any of the posters for Franklin vs Silva. Do they not want the uneducated fan to know that Franklin already lost once? They all just say “Franklin vs Silva” Hmmm…

[quote comment="131662"][quote post="3104"]Franklin vs. Anderson

I don’t know how you can say that no one gives Silva the credit he deserves? Almost everyone has Anderson Silva in their Top 5 pound for pound fighters in MMA.[/quote]

Look how many people are almost second guessing his ability. Like he won a vacant belt or something is all I meant. Mos def in the top 5 pound for pound.

[quote comment="131986"]I’m curious as to why UFC hasn’t put “II” on any of the posters for Franklin vs Silva. Do they not want the uneducated fan to know that Franklin already lost once? They all just say “Franklin vs Silva” Hmmm…[/quote]

..that is a good point.

In da Bay Vera is the man, we cant wait to see him again in the octagon. Wathcing Vera fight is like watching Ali in mma style. Vera is quick, explovisve, and talented. We dont know much how much if his full potention really is coz we only saw few exciting fights from him. But let me tell u this his gonna “fly like a butterfly and sting like a bee”.

Vera “the truth” we will pray and support u here man k, so do ur best and workhard,oh yah study any angles of his style as u can coz Sylvia is a Big crzy guy.

Lookin forward man to see u fight again man.
God Bless…

TIm sylvia shouldnt even be fighting, he failed a drug test for steroids after his first heavyweight championship. He’s a hack. He would never win a match with his skill set without being double the size of his opponents. “the natural” proved that to everyone when he took his big butt out behind the woodshed. Go Vera that’s all i can say. SYLVIA IS A HACK AND A CHEAT!!!!!!

It’s nice to see Vera fighting again and I really like the faked that he gets to to fight Silva in his first fight back since they were supost to fight before and didn’t. It’s not that I think that Silva is not a good fighter I just think Vera is a much better fighter infact I think he may be one of the top three fighters in the world !