Silva vs. Franklin: What Went Right for Rich Franklin

As BJ Penn put it on an episode of Just Scrap Radio, Rich Franklin went into the "belly of the beast" to slay "The Axe Murderer" at UFC 147.

The former UFC champion returned to the middleweight division on Saturday night at the Estadio Journalista Felipe Drumond in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and routed Wanderlei Silva in an action-packed, five-round affair.

Despite the 49-46 scorecards, things didn't go over so smoothly for Franklin, who was clipped by a hook and nearly stopped in the second round.

"From the second round to the fifth, I don't remember what happened," Franklin told UFC commentator Joe Rogan after the fight (via ESPN). "My corner told me it was the fifth round."

"I was operating on autopilot for a while. When that kind of stuff happens, you remember bits and pieces. I remember my coach telling me to not get greedy and pick my punches. I thought I did a good job of that in the fifth round. There was so much on this fight for me."

Franklin's ability to remain patient, weather the early storm and stay out of unnecessary standup exchanges earned him the decision nod.

Silva has relied on the same tired game plan for years, and quite frankly, it isn't effective against upper-echelon opposition any more. Franklin's entire game plan hinged on picking his shots in the open and staying out of wild pocket exchanges.

This is a fairly simple approach to implement against a fighter like Silva, who stays balled up throughout a fight hoping to counter with wild hooks.

Franklin's only mistake was a tendency to leave his hands down after pushing forward with offense and backing out of the pocket. This wrinkle almost cost him in the second round when Silva finally found a mark for one of his trademark hooks.

A huge pat on the back should be given to referee Mario Yamasaki for not stopping the fight and giving Franklin a chance to fight through Silva's early onslaught.

The lineup for UFC 147 was one of the weakest in UFC history, but thankfully, the main event was able to live up to the hype.

"At the end of the second round, I really thought I was going to be able to knock him out," said Franklin.

"I really wanted to, but I'm sorry I wasn't able to. I think [I wore myself out in round two]. I pushed it a bit too much, but I really wanted to knock him out. I just want to thank the crowd, because I fight for you. My fans are who I do this for."