UFC Rumors: Franklin Moving to 205 to Face Hamill?

UFC 88, the upcoming card in Atlanta, just got a little more interesting. Multiple sources are reporting that Rich "Ace" Franklin will be making a move to the  Light Heavyweight division.  The move up in weight comes as somewhat of a surprise as there are still fights available in the 185 lbs. division.

The move shows me that Mr. Franklin doesn't want to fight Anderson Silva ever again. While a re-match against Silva wouldn't be interesting, there were several fights that I wanted to see at 185.

Dan Henderson is a guy whose name has been mentioned as a possible opponent for Franklin, but Hendo has been tapped to face ground Wizard Rousimar Palhares.

I would have liked Franklin to face Henderson, Marquardt, Leites, or Maia. However, he has decided to move up to the most dynamic weight class in MMA today, the Light Heavyweight division of the UFC.

Franklin's first opponent is rumored to be former TUF alum Matt Hamill. Hamill is coming off a victory over Tim Boetsch. He's 4-1, with his only loss being a highly controversial decision to Michael Bisping.

Hamill is a world class wrestler and may be a difficult stylistic match-up for Franklin. Franklin has fantastic stand-up and a serviceable ground game, but this bout will certainly test his sprawl.

For Hamill to win this fight and climb up the 205 ladder, he needs to take Franklin down to the ground and keep him there. Hamill is at a distinct disadvantage on the feet but his wrestling is his only chance.

While the betting man has to favor Franklin, this is not a "gimme" fight for Franklin. He must come to Atlanta ready to wrestle and have a gameplan for Hamills take-down attempts. It will be an interesting bout.

The show in Atlanta is starting to take shape and offers some very interesting match-ups. Liddell vs. Evans, Hendo vs. Palhares, Parisyan vs. Yoshida, and Franklin vs. Hamill.

More fights should be announced soon, and I can hardly wait.