“What happened?”
That’s what Rich Franklin mouthed to his corner right after his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. “Ace’s” appearance in the UFC 77: “Hostile Territory” main event against 185-pound champion Anderson Silva in his hometown of Cincinnati clearly didn’t go his way … again.
“The Spider” dismantled the former champion for the second time in 12 months. From spinning back fists and kicks to bone-crushing knees, Silva wrecked Franklin with an awesome and lethal combination of strikes to earn a second round technical knockout win.
It almost didn’t get that far, however. Silva floored Franklin in the waning seconds of round one with a right hook. Franklin needed to be peeled of the canvas and escorted back to his corner with the help of his cornermen.
The Brazilian smelled the blood in the water and immediately went in for the kill to begin the second stanza. Franklin had no answers for Silva’s clinch once again — he ate knees and elbows until he mercifully went down for the second and final time of the night.
With yet another convincing win over a tough opponent Silva has made a statement that he is perhaps the top pound-for-pound mixed martial artist on the planet. Right now, there is not anyone (on paper) in that division who can stop him.
He’s one “scary” dude. And the thing that’s bizarre in all of this is that his body language after the bout was as if he felt bad about beating up Franklin. So I guess he’s a scary “classy” dude, too.
No idea where Franklin goes from here. He’s exhausted most of his options in terms of fighting top-level talent in the division. And even if he goes on a crazy win streak in the next year or so, is anyone interested in Silva-Franklin III?
Franklin probably isn’t.
In the co-main event, Tim Sylvia used his size and experience to overwhelm and frustrate Brandon Vera en route to three-round unanimous decision win.
It wasn’t a great action-packed fight, but it did have its moments.
After a year-long layoff Vera looked a little stiff entering the Octagon and never seemed to get comfortable. Sylvia stalked “The Truth” for much of the fight and kept a close distance, preventing Vera from unleashing his powerful kicks and Muay Thai skills.
This fight was spent mostly pressed up against the cage. And when it went to the center of the cage Sylvia seemed to be the busier and more accurate striker.
“The Maine-iac” did what he had to do to get the win. He seems like his old self again even if he didn’t stop Vera with a highlight-reel knockout. In fact, that might be a testament to Vera’s ability and not to Tim’s recent inability to finish opponents.
In the post-fight interviews, Sylvia called out Cheick Kongo. It was bizarre because Yahoo!Sports.com reported that the winner of the match up would face Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the vacant heavyweight title sometime in early 2008.
Perhaps that is no longer in the cards or Sylvia just didn’t get the memo. Time will tell.
Vera plans to remain in the heavyweight division despite being at a major size disadvantage. He’s confident that he can hold both the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles simultaneously one day.
Maybe he’s right. But Vera should work his way from the bottom up if he wants to find out. He broke his left hand during the fight, which more than likely played a factor in the Sylvia fight. There’s no telling how long it will take him to recover, and when he is healed, who he will fight next.
In the swing bout, Alvin Robinson weathered a first-round Jorge Gurgel blitze and beat down the former The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 2 contestant for the next 10 minutes.
Gurgel was reduced to a bloody pulp after Robinson dropped about 741 head bouncers on him during rounds two and three. It was brutal ground and pound.
Robinson looked good — Gurgel is a tough guy who has a lot of heart. But I’ve said this once and I’ll say it again: he’s not UFC caliber. His only wins inside the Octagon were against Danny Abbadi and Diego Saraiva.
Not to kick a man when he’s down, but Gurgel has had more chances than most to succeed in the UFC and he has never really delivered. He belongs in the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) organization at 145 pounds.
That seems like a much better fit for his size and skill set.
In other main card action, Alan Belcher took out Kalib Starnes in the second round because of a grizzly cut on the Canadian’s forehead.
It was kind of like Marvin Eastman’s battle cut, but of course, not that bad. Apparently the cut was so deep that the doctor could see his skull.
Ouch.
Regardless, Starnes was furious with the decision to stop the fight, which was pretty good up until that point.
“The Talent” always looks to mix it up and he didn’t disappoint at the U.S. Bank Arena last night. He looked to be in great shape, picking up his first win at 185-pounds in the UFC.
The light heavyweight bout between Stephan Bonnar and Eric Schafer rounded out the televised portion of the pay-per-view (PPV) event.
It was a match up between two former training partners and still good friends.
“Red” never really had a shot in this one. “The American Psycho” was the dominant and more aggressive fighter from the outset.
Bonnar survived an early submission attempt in the first round and went on to score a technical knockout win late in the second.
He looked good.
That’s all for the UFC 77 main card round-up. For all results check out our LIVE blow-by-blow blogging last night with UFCmania reader DrubySunshine.
Apologies this recap didn’t come out sooner. Real life got in the way last night and I didn’t watch the fights until about 2 a.m. this morning.
It was a decent card all around that perhaps left more questions than answers. As usual, however, things will all work out eventually.
120 Comments »
Poor rich - it sucks to be 2nd best. What can he do next with no where to go?
this is off topic but tim sylvia is prob the dumbest person in the world ok where do i start cheick kongo not cheach, theres no war in Saudi Arabia, and he says kongo needs to fight someone his own size like hes picking on little guys tim has fought three of the smallest heavyweights ever in the monson who is 5′9 couture who is 230 and vera who was 225 so he needs to shut his retarded big foot ass of a mouth
I heard that Matt Hughes was going to move up to fight Silva if Rich lost. However, I think that Dan Henderson is the only one who is a SERIOUS threat to Silva at middleweight, unless Brandon Vera can make 185 (I heard that he could make 205 without even trying). By the way, does anyone else think that Silva is the best pound for pound fighter in the world?
Wow… Silva continually amazes me. What a technician and always so calm and precise. He is definitely the better fighter. I kind of felt bad for Rich though.
So does this mean that Hendo is possibly next in line?
Tim Sylvia’s contract should not be renewed or extended. He is literally the most boring fighter IN THE WORLD to watch! I cant stand his slow, slug like moves. I mean dont get me wrong. When Sylvia was on steroids he was fun to watch. Not anymore though. Tim get back on the juice!
Here is an analogy that makes sense with me, in regards to the middleweight division:
Rich Franklin is the Indianapolis Colts and Anderson Silva is the Patriots (This year, not last.)
The middlweight division needs to bring in someone who can at least put Silva in some kind of danger. Personally, I think either Kang needs to sign with the UFC or Henderson needs to drop. Otherwise, I see Silva holding on until he retires. That is not to say I mind him, but it woud be nice to see a little competition.
[quote post=”3649″]Rich Franklin is the Indianapolis Colts and Anderson Silva is the Patriots (This year, not last.) [/quote]
No.
Tim Sylvia does not deserve a title fight! I guess he agrees with me because he called out Kongo. The long layoff really showed for Vera. Vera will not move down because he is not a quitter> he now needs to show and refresh everyone’s memory why people think so highly of him.
Anderson Silva is the best pound per pound fighter in the World.
I said before..and I said it again.
He is a class act and a true MMA Hall of Famer.
Let Matt Hughes move up a weight class and fight Silva…Silva would tear him up.
OK, other than hold Vera against the fence, what did Sylvia do? Vera beat the sh** out of him in the second WITH A BROKEN HAND. I’m guessing they gave him the fight for those little flurries at the end of round 3. Such BS, how is this guy still in the UFC ?
There are so many great fighters out there; there has to be a fighter that comes out of nowhere and takes the belt from Silva. Silva kind of came out of nowhere (even though he was ranked fifth in the world when he fought Leben) and took the belt from Franklin; at one time some of us had to be thinking, who can beat Franklin? After the beating he gave to Loiseau and Quarry; he seemed nearly invincebale.
MMA is so unpredictable. I think that someone will challenge Silva in the long run and take his belt from him. In the short term, I think Okami can cause problems for Silva stylistically. I actually think Silva might get upset by Okami.
[quote comment=”187196″]I heard that Matt Hughes was going to move up to fight Silva if Rich lost. However, I think that Dan Henderson is the only one who is a SERIOUS threat to Silva at middleweight, unless Brandon Vera can make 185 (I heard that he could make 205 without even trying). By the way, does anyone else think that Silva is the best pound for pound fighter in the world?[/quote]
Silva was destroy Hughes. If any welterweight could challenge Silva, its GSP. You think Hughes could even take down Anderson, he couldn’t get GSP on his back. Hughes should stay where he is unless he wants to get embrassed.
[quote comment=”187273″][quote comment=”187196″]I heard that Matt Hughes was going to move up to fight Silva if Rich lost. However, I think that Dan Henderson is the only one who is a SERIOUS threat to Silva at middleweight, unless Brandon Vera can make 185 (I heard that he could make 205 without even trying). By the way, does anyone else think that Silva is the best pound for pound fighter in the world?[/quote]
Silva was destroy Hughes. If any welterweight could challenge Silva, its GSP. You think Hughes could even take down Anderson, he couldn’t get GSP on his back. Hughes should stay where he is unless he wants to get embrassed.[/quote]
Sorry Thats will destroy…
[quote comment=”187262″]OK, other than hold Vera against the fence, what did Sylvia do? Vera beat the sh** out of him in the second WITH A BROKEN HAND. I’m guessing they gave him the fight for those little flurries at the end of round 3. Such BS, how is this guy still in the UFC ?[/quote]
Were you watching the same fight that I was? Vera was the one that kept initiating the clinch. Tim wanted to slug it out and put on a show. Everytime he got a little distance he was the much more active striker. Stop being so prejudiced. The fight wasn’t all that exciting but Sylvia looked pretty good. He’s not much to watch but when fighters get in the octagon with him, they have nothing for him.
[quote comment=”187185″]Poor rich - it sucks to be 2nd best. What can he do next with no where to go?[/quote]
Rich’s only option is to move back to 205 again.
Great call on Hendo next for The Spider! Right now he is the only I can see who can take the punishment to deliver punishment.
Hate to see that for Rich! Anyone think he can drop to 170 and take on Hughes, GSP, Serria and Deigo? I think he would make some waves in the 170s.
I think Tim will drag down the heavy weights with is slow non-action style, time for him to go away quitely!
Mad props Adam. Everything Sylvia says or does borders on retardation. I have a retarded dog who is just as awkward as Sylvia, but my dog can’t speak so he’s much more likable. The only fight of the entire night that wasn’t boring was seeing Anderson Silva fight. Seeing him is worth the 40 bucks every time.
Error in article:
“”The Talent” always looks to mix it up and he didn’t disappoint at the U.S. Bank Arena last night. He looked to be in great shape and it seems as if he’s more comfortable at light heavyweight than at middleweight.
He’s certainly had more success in the heavier division.”
The fight was at 185, not 205. He went up to 205 to fight Sean Salmon, and now he is back down….
Yea, middleweight is a bit sparse for top level talent right now. You either have to have someone from 170 put on another 15 pounds and fight Silva or a light heavyweight drop down to get a name to fight him. Henderson seems like the obvious choice as he was Pride’s middleweight champion. Although I’d love to see a GSP v. Silva fight, man that would be fast paced and exciting.
I know it is all wishful thinking at this point but a fight one day between Silva and GSP would be a dream match up.
1st rich is huge at 185, dropping down would be pretty much impossible with the muscle he carries
2nd i hate the ufc mentality that the champ and the no. 1 contender are the only fighters that deserve contracts, rich is one of the top 10 mw’s in the world yet apparently he has nowhere to go
I hate the talk of “Pound for Pound” greatest crap… just because he beats the “best” that UFC 185 has to offer at the moment… not so buddy…it’s just means that Rich has stopped evolving and doesn’t have the answer to this particular math test. Pound for Pound stuff has to be looked at more objectively…for awhile everyone thought Rich was the bomb…but who did he b eat besides Ken… a seriously declined and old Ken at that?… a bunch of kids man! This is almost reminiscent of Chuck’s reign..as if he was some big time dude…dude, people he fought where afraid of him hitting them…non boxers… Rich seems more like a brawler than a technical fighter… not going to work against someone as relaxed with hitting as Anderson…. honestly, a theoretical 185lb Nick Diaz hangs in with Anderson quite fine… if we’re talking pound for pound.. anyways, the 185 division is just void of crisp talent…and so you can’t conclude that someone is the best ever because of triumphs over some scrubs basically. Scrubs mean, jacks of all trades but masters of absolutely nothing. That’s not going to work long these days, there some hungry people out there with mortgages waiting in the wing just gobbling up knowledge. If you don’t fire your people the first time they get you beat this badly and add circulation to your martial arts training, you deserve to lose. Cut throat business now. But anyways, Anderson just has a particular algorithm these guys(mostly little kids all probably training the same ol crap) these guys–minus Hendo– can’t figure out… Doesn’t make him some universal God(check out Chucks last few fights)…just better this current crop of chumps…some of them with UFC humvees to their name.
yup rich is stuck..i dunno where he goes from here..a good wrestler has a shot with silva…or a great bjj…perhaps thales, or groove with his wildness, who knows..but the way things are going now, we have a new hall of famer..”the most dominant middle wieght champion ever”
SILVA is a MONSTER with a switch. I LOVE HIM
Sylvia was disappointing. Vera was overwhelmed and it didnt help his cause that he broke his hands in the first round either.
I’d like to see Lesnar fight twice in early-mid 2008 then take on Sylvia in fall or winter 2008.
I hope they give Heather Herring to Lesnar and maybe Assuerio Silva or bring in Justin Eliers…
Lesnar’s said he would double-leg Tim Sylvia through the cage. After last night’s plodding performance I can’t wait to see that matchup.
I didn’t get to see this ppv I was on the road did Wandy make his announcement??? I can’t find anything on it
The reason rich has nowhere to go in a way is because he’s already beat the top competition in that division but can’t be the champion.
like how tito ortiz will never beat chuck liddell.
Anyone kno where i could see the prelim fights?
i think jorge could be better if he stuck to his strenghts. he is probably one of the best bjj guys in the weight class but his is not willing to take the fight to the ground unless he is taken down he need to use his striking to set up takedowns and use his bjj instead of slugging it out with these guys that are alot bigger than him.
[quote comment=”187327″]Anyone kno where i could see the prelim fights?[/quote]
ufc.com
raw for Franklin - what does he do now? - i think he should stick at MW and try n try again. I think Hendo would kill silva horribly with brute force. GSP or Hughes should really consider moving up weight and having a go - hughes probably thinks he can win, but i think GSP has a real chance. Glad to see Vera get a reality check - though he proved he belongs at HW or at least handle the big guy
Sylvia is nothing but a blob of shit
silva is truly phenominal…
i used to think gsp was the only guy who could beat him…
not so sure about that now…
he was TOYING with the second best guy in the division!!
i dont know if hendo can drop down anymore, but he should try…
i dont think kang even really matches up well with rich.
id like to see franklin kang then silva kang.
that was the first time in a while my jaw has dropped with how good a fighter looked. super impressive
Man I would love to see anderson & paulo filho mix it up what a fight that would be
[quote comment=”187196″]I heard that Matt Hughes was going to move up to fight Silva if Rich lost. However, I think that Dan Henderson is the only one who is a SERIOUS threat to Silva at middleweight, unless Brandon Vera can make 185 (I heard that he could make 205 without even trying). By the way, does anyone else think that Silva is the best pound for pound fighter in the world?[/quote]
Silva is hands down the best fighter in the world. He is as close as it gets to being unbeatable. He has no weaknesses and he keeps getting better. It would be an absolute pleasure to see Hughes go up to 185 and get dismantled by silva.
[quote comment=”187318″]I didn’t get to see this ppv I was on the road did Wandy make his announcement??? I can’t find anything on it[/quote]
no formal announcement about wandy. although, Goldberg made a comment “will liddell be next for Vanderlei??”
[quote post=”3649″]Anyone kno where i could see the prelim fights?
ufc.com [/quote]
for free
Fedor is the best pound - for pound fighter in the world.
I think that Silva is a monster. I was critic when he fought Leben, but now after Lutter, Marquart, and Frnaklin… it’s over.
Tim and Bardon was that great of a fight as it should of been.
Too much clinching.Brandon could of kept on choping on Tim’s legs until he fell, but he didn’t.
Anderson Silva has obviously demonstrated that the top 10 hopefuls to reach the championship in this division is scarce and few. Mr. Silva has tattoed “resolve” and will be a Hall of Famer very soon. R.Franklin has had his last drink of the
championship and has little if any self-confidence as a future
contender for another championship title. Anderson Silva has
literally destroyed Franklin’s poise,assertiveness, and will
to continue as a viable force. Retirement is howling in the wind for this dethroned sot.
[quote comment=”187282″][quote comment=”187262″]OK, other than hold Vera against the fence, what did Sylvia do? Vera beat the sh** out of him in the second WITH A BROKEN HAND. I’m guessing they gave him the fight for those little flurries at the end of round 3. Such BS, how is this guy still in the UFC ?[/quote]
Were you watching the same fight that I was? Vera was the one that kept initiating the clinch. Tim wanted to slug it out and put on a show. Everytime he got a little distance he was the much more active striker. Stop being so prejudiced. The fight wasn’t all that exciting but Sylvia looked pretty good. He’s not much to watch but when fighters get in the octagon with him, they have nothing for him.[/quote]
I have to agree with this as much as I hate to admit it.
[quote comment=”187348″]silva is truly phenominal…
i used to think gsp was the only guy who could beat him…
not so sure about that now…
he was TOYING with the second best guy in the division!!
i dont know if hendo can drop down anymore, but he should try…
i dont think kang even really matches up well with rich.
id like to see franklin kang then silva kang.
that was the first time in a while my jaw has dropped with how good a fighter looked. super impressive[/quote]
I still think GSP can beat him. I’d like to see him in a couple more fights first. He looked a little gun shy last fight. I’d like to see him in one more battle where he takes a few good shots and gets his confidence back fully.
[quote comment=”187194″]this is off topic but tim sylvia is prob the dumbest person in the world ok where do i start cheick kongo not cheach, theres no war in Saudi Arabia, and he says kongo needs to fight someone his own size like hes picking on little guys tim has fought three of the smallest heavyweights ever in the monson who is 5′9 couture who is 230 and vera who was 225 so he needs to shut his retarded big foot ass of a mouth[/quote]
Adam, u do have a good point. And anyway, not like Kongo picked his opponents. I hope Kongo and Sylvia do fight. I think Kongo would win
[quote comment=”187351″][quote comment=”187196″]I heard that Matt Hughes was going to move up to fight Silva if Rich lost. However, I think that Dan Henderson is the only one who is a SERIOUS threat to Silva at middleweight, unless Brandon Vera can make 185 (I heard that he could make 205 without even trying). By the way, does anyone else think that Silva is the best pound for pound fighter in the world?[/quote]
Silva is hands down the best fighter in the world. He is as close as it gets to being unbeatable. He has no weaknesses and he keeps getting better. It would be an absolute pleasure to see Hughes go up to 185 and get dismantled by silva.[/quote]
It won’t happen. When he says “I heard that…”, what he really means is that some idiot on an internet forum was trolling by saying that Hughes is moving up to fight Silva. He’s not. He’s fighting Serra, followed by GSP, then he’s probably retiring.
fedor who? who’s he fought in the last year and a half to maintain his number one ranking, matt little lindland?
anyways, like i said before. for the fans lets see hendo or shogun drop to 185 to challenge silva. i dont see hughes or gsp being able to stop him. stylistically, the only guy i see being able to give anderson trouble is hendo.
okami vs silva would be the next closest fight. okami would have to fight smart and get lucky in the sprawls.
rich should stay at middle wieght and fight his way up the ladder again. during that time work on wrestling and BJJ. id be down to see franklin/silva III as a co main event in the next year and a half if rich can round out his game.
also rich should go train at extreme couture.
I’m thinking Rich should move up to lhw it is said that he walks around and trains at about 220 might not be a bad idea if he ever wants to be a champion again or at least have a chance at winning a title.
side question I personally think rich would do alright in the lhw division, I could see him beating chuck/tito/evans/bisping/
hamil obviously
what do ya think board, it’s not important jus a thought.
[quote comment=”187291″]Error in article:
“”The Talent” always looks to mix it up and he didn’t disappoint at the U.S. Bank Arena last night. He looked to be in great shape and it seems as if he’s more comfortable at light heavyweight than at middleweight.
He’s certainly had more success in the heavier division.”
The fight was at 185, not 205. He went up to 205 to fight Sean Salmon, and now he is back down….[/quote]
Thanks.
All I can say is damn! Franklin had tears in his eyes from the thrashing.
The fight was over in the first round, they should have stopped in, forget being saved by the bell cause Franklins corner had to literaly drag his dazed and confused bobble head self back to the corner where he never fully recovered
[quote comment=”187196″]I heard that Matt Hughes was going to move up to fight Silva if Rich lost. However, I think that Dan Henderson is the only one who is a SERIOUS threat to Silva at middleweight, unless Brandon Vera can make 185 (I heard that he could make 205 without even trying). By the way, does anyone else think that Silva is the best pound for pound fighter in the world?[/quote]
Watch his fights from Pride, he got owned. However I think he’s a better fighter now.
Franklin should go to 205, there’s nothing left at 185. I bet after Hughes beats sera he’ll move to 185 and see if he can retire with two belts. It would be a good way to end a carer. A big If though.
I think Rich should move to LHW. He probably won’t win the title there, but at least he can have some great fights in the division. I don’t want to See Rich decision Okami or MacDonald again. I think Rich can beat guys like Forrest and Jardine.
I’ll give big Tim credit where it’s due. He got the job done. He didn’t finish the smallest HW in the division who had a broken hand, but Vera was being cautious the entire fight. Neither of these guys deserve a title shot (yet). Give Tim the fight he wants (Kongo). The winner of that fight gets a title shot. The other guy who gets a shot should be Nog.
right now, i think silva is the pound for pound best mma fighter in the world.
and the more i think about it, the more i want talented 205ers to drop down to fill the void of the 185 division. i could see hendo, shogun, bisping, and maybe rashad dropping to eventually challenge silvia. i think all of them are two small to ever capture the 205 lb throne anyway. and lets get kang and lindland in the mix too.
who knows, maybe this is all heading to a silva vs rampage at 195! i bet ufc would do it if the fans demanded it!
also for the anderson vs hughes matchup, matt has to beat serra and then gsp first. if he does that id be down to see hughes vs silva. but that is a big IF.
also is anyone else as pumped as i am for brock lesnar?
I bet White would let Hughes move up to fight silva if he was doing it to retire. The money would be good for white, easy fight to promote. Hughes is my favorite fighter but i don’t know if he can beat gsp if he brings his “A” game.
[quote comment=”187372″][quote comment=”187348″]silva is truly phenominal…
i used to think gsp was the only guy who could beat him…
not so sure about that now…
he was TOYING with the second best guy in the division!!
i dont know if hendo can drop down anymore, but he should try…
i dont think kang even really matches up well with rich.
id like to see franklin kang then silva kang.
that was the first time in a while my jaw has dropped with how good a fighter looked. super impressive[/quote]
I still think GSP can beat him. I’d like to see him in a couple more fights first. He looked a little gun shy last fight. I’d like to see him in one more battle where he takes a few good shots and gets his confidence back fully.[/quote]
I am a huge GSP fan but I think the Spider is a little quicker and that he could pose some problems to say the least for GSP. Both of them would be at the top for the best pound for pound fighters in the world.
i was pretty happy with the ppv last night, the belcher/starnes fight was awesome for a little while, i was really impressed with belcher and i didn’t know he’s only 23, he could really turn into a nice fighter if he keeps improving…gurgel just isn’t good enough for the ufc…stephan bonnar is the man, i can’t see how anybody doesn’t like that guy, he may never be champ, but he can fight and compete with anybody…sylvia was too big for vera, but vera was definitely impressive in the 2nd round for a little bit, i’d love to see him fight at 205…and rich franklin was just outclassed by the best fighter in the world, thats all there is to that, no disrespect to rich, he’s a very good fighter, but silva is the best, i’d like to see rich fight nate marquardt, that would be an awesome fight…overall i had a great time watching the ppv, the sylvia/vera fight had its moments where it was getting kind of boring, but other than that i enjoyed all the fights, i have no complaints with ufc77…
gsp is very athletic and an awsome fighter. but silva is a much more pin point striker. when he punches he doesnt just hit guys in the face or in the head he nails them right on the chin where you don’t need that much force to knock someone out. his precision is crazy. even though it was illegal his upkick to knock out okami was perfectly placed on the chin. i love gsp but i the size difference and silva’s skill would be too much.
the only type of fighter that will beat silva is a better stiker (yeah right) or a wrestler/bjj guy that can successfully keep him down without getting submitted. a bigger sean sherk type.
[quote comment=”187328″]i think jorge could be better if he stuck to his strenghts. he is probably one of the best bjj guys in the weight class but his is not willing to take the fight to the ground unless he is taken down he need to use his striking to set up takedowns and use his bjj instead of slugging it out with these guys that are alot bigger than him.[/quote]
He has tremendous heart and great bjj. With his knowledge (having 13 bjj schools and being a corner man himself) I couldn’t understand why he could coach himself out being pulverized for 10 minutes in the same position trying to get an effin arm bar.
Sylvia is a good fighter, but he’s boring and he’s a complete goof. People like him simply shouldn’t be on television. I don’t care if he can win fights, I DON’T WANNA WATCH HIM!!
Anderson Silva was awesome. He broke Rich’s nose again! Poor Rich. It seems Silva is getting better technically and he’s getting stronger physically with every fight. Franklin is a strong middleweight, but Silva just overpowers him in the clinch. He’s long/lanky AND strong. The guy’s also lightning fast. One word: Lethal.
I don’t think GSP can hang with Silva’s striking/clinch game. I DO see GSP being able to take him down and keep him on his back for a while. I’d like to see this fight happen (I would give Silva a slight edge). I agree that Hendo would match up well against Silva because of his strength/wrestling and his chin. I see him taking him down, controlling him and pounding on him.
Hughes would get demolished so forget about that.
On a side note, I really don’t like Bonnar after his steroid incident!! I wanted to see him lose.
I want to see Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre in a non-title catchweight (175-180 lbs) fight. That should happen next, before their next title fights.
It could be a long time before Hendo finally agrees to return to MW, and he is perhaps the only other MW with a reasonable chance of beating Silva. In addition, it will be a long time before GSP gets his WW title shot, since Hughes vs. Serra won’t happen until December. So during that long layoff from their next title fights, why not Silva vs. GSP, non-title catchweight?
As for Matt Hughes, he has the style that can beat Silva. Hughes has solid wrestling and one of the best GnP games in the sport (something that is lacking in the MW division). Silva doesn’t have a good takedown defense and his ground game isn’t good enough to overcome Hughes’s GnP (Silva struggled against Lutter on the ground). Styles make fights, and Hughes has the style that can beat Silva.
Robinson V Gurgel
I can’t remember seeing anyone take such a beating - despite being in full guard. I think this was a case of sticking with a bad game plan way too long.
Silvia V Vera
OK - I was wrong, I thought Vera would chop Tim down. As it turned out - the truth was a lie
Anderson V Franklin
Now that was impressive - particularly the finish. Knee knee, shin kick, right to body, knee again. It was like the freakin guy had 4 hands and three feet.
Bohner V Schafer
Stephen looked pretty impressive after escaping the initial pin in round 1.
All in all, it was worth the $49.95 for HD.
[quote comment=”187210″][quote post=”3649″]Rich Franklin is the Indianapolis Colts and Anderson Silva is the Patriots (This year, not last.) [/quote]
No.[/quote]
yes.
[quote comment=”187262″]OK, other than hold Vera against the fence, what did Sylvia do? Vera beat the sh** out of him in the second WITH A BROKEN HAND. I’m guessing they gave him the fight for those little flurries at the end of round 3. Such BS, how is this guy still in the UFC ?[/quote]
I’m no Tim Sylvia fan, but I gave him rounds 1 and 3 for a 29-28 win. He’s in the UFC because he is 6′8″ and 265 lbs. If he was 6′2″, we would have never even heard of him.
Can you all imagine Matt Hughes at 185? he’s a little hercules at 170, he would be like a little Hulk at 185, plus who wouldn’t like to see Hughes Vs. Silva? I think that if Hughes took him down it would be game over for The Spider.
[quote comment=”187391″]I’m thinking Rich should move up to lhw it is said that he walks around and trains at about 220 might not be a bad idea if he ever wants to be a champion again or at least have a chance at winning a title.
side question I personally think rich would do alright in the lhw division, I could see him beating chuck/tito/evans/bisping/
hamil obviously
what do ya think board, it’s not important jus a thought.[/quote]
Rich at 205 might beat a few, but I think Rampage would destroy him. I think he could beat Bisping, Hamil, Tito (not the old Tito), and maybe Evans; but I don’t think he could beat Chuck, Forest, Silva, or Houston. Or Jardene either.
[quote comment=”187530″]Can you all imagine Matt Hughes at 185? he’s a little hercules at 170, he would be like a little Hulk at 185, plus who wouldn’t like to see Hughes Vs. Silva? I think that if Hughes took him down it would be game over for The Spider.[/quote]
You are out of your mind, Hughes wouldn’t have a chance against Silva. You think Hughes (at 185 5′9) would be stronger than Franklin at 6′1 185? And more effective at what exactly? Franklin took Anderson down; who’d it work out for him?
Silva is an awesome fighter… Rich obviously has no wrestling game and refuses to work on it… Jorge has no business being in Rich’s corner because he has no common sense when it comes to MMA strategy… he took a massive beating over and over by Robinson because he refused to give up going after the submission… what a tool.
Rich’s game plan to avoid the clinch was laughably weak… he should have used bear hugs, trips, doubles to get the fight on the ground… he needs to spend 4 months at X-treme Couture and just work and work on wrestling takedowns, nothing else.
Hendo is the only true answer for Silva… Hendo comes with a hard jaw and no wrestling training needed… he has enough standup ability to find spots to aggresively shoot in, Hendo better bear hug trip or double leg the crap out of Silva’s muay thai clinches (unless he’s dumber than Rich).
Problems arise with Hendo if Hendo is not careful he will get submitted by Silva and he may get hot headed in the standup and decide to swing longer than necessary and Silva will start connecting to that hard head of Hendo.
However, I don’t see that fight happening unless Hendo starts losing at 205lbs because he hates cutting to 185lbs.
[quote comment=”187490″]Sylvia is a good fighter, but he’s boring and he’s a complete goof. People like him simply shouldn’t be on television. I don’t care if he can win fights, I DON’T WANNA WATCH HIM!!.[/quote]
I agree completely except for the part where you said he’s a good fighter. He’s a huge effin guy but that’s about all he’s got goin for him. He is hands down THE WORST fighter to watch in the UFC - He has absolutely NO ground game or any real game for that matter- he gets taken down — what does he do?? he holds the guy and starts mouthin’ off the ref to stand them up. “ITS MMA BITCH FIGHT YOUR WAY BACK TO YOUR FEET. Did you see Vera complain that Tim the knocked kneed mofo was holding him against the cage and not doing anything??
He’s a whiney big headed baffoon. Hands down THE WORST fight of the night. It’s a disappointment really because someone that size could hypathetically be a beast in that division - Could you IMAGINE a fighter of Silva or GSP’s calibre at 265lbs and 6′8. INSANE. Also i hate that after every fight he calls out another fighter and says that he’s gonna knock them out blah, blah, blah like he did about Vera. What does he do? Holds him against the cage for 3 rounds and throws a flurry for the last minute of the 3rd.
If Hughes could take Silva to the ground, he’d have a good chance. I think Silva has more ways to win that fight. But you only need one way if you’re world class at it.
I think the guy with the best chance against Anderson is clearly Dan Henderson if he were to drop down in weight. I guess I wouldn’t mind seeing Matt Hughes move up to 185 and take a shot, but at 5′9″ I think he would get picked apart by Anderson’s pinpoint strikes. There are a few good fighters in that division, but at this point I don’t think any of them are in the same league as Anderson Silva.
I agree. Silva would slaughter Matt Hughes. I would actually like to see that fight
lol. I only see Lindland being a true threat but will White ever sign him again?
Also GSP has the skills to have a really good fight if he decided to step up weight.
Maybe Jon Fitch should go up. If he wanted he might have to fight one guy at 185 before he got a title