The Axe Murderer's Next Big Challenge in UFC 99

Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva will be set to go up against Rich “Ace” Franklin in Germany for UFC 99 according to sports-odds.com.

Coming off a big loss by knockout to Rampage Jackson in UFC 92, the Axe Murderer will be looking to chop down Franklin in impressive fashion.

Franklin also came off a loss to Dan Henderson via split decision in UFC 93 and he will also be looking for payback.

This fight is either going to be set for middleweight or light heavyweight as not much details have been released so far.

Franklin is able to fight in both weight classes and he is possibly not going to get a third shot at Anderson Silva in the middleweight division in the  foreseeable future. It would seem that their fight is going to take place for the light heavyweight division.

Wanderlei Silva is currently out of the title picture but a win over the established Franklin will give him credibility to be in the mix for the number one contender spot in the crowded light heavyweight division. 

If Silva successfully beat Franklin in blowout fashion, a win in a rematch with Chuck Liddell, the man who defeated Wanderlei in UFC 79, would also be necessary to convince the fans he deserves a shot at one of the current top title contenders, Lyoto Machida.

Rampage vs Evans for the title seems inevitable but whoever the winner of that match is, he will surely have to face Machida in the future at some point.

At age 32, the Axe Murderer has always been a fan favorite and a fighter who feeds off energy from the crowd. He can be an unstoppable force like he was back in PRIDE if he regains that type of confidence back then. Looks like we are going to be seeing plenty of excitement still leading up to the main event of the year, UFC 100.