Breakdown of Franklin vs. Silva

This Saturday, two former Middleweight Champions collide at a catchweight of 195 pounds.  Funny since Rich Franklin's UFC Middleweight title was at 185 lbs. and Wanderlei Silva ruled Pride's Middleweight division at 205 lbs. 

UFC 99 is titled "Comeback," fitting for Franklin who is coming off a very close decision loss to Dan Henderson, but even more so for Wanderlei Silva who is trying to recapture some of the glory he enjoyed in Japan, after several losses in his last few fights, including two brutal KO losses.

The fight also represents a pit stop for both fighters on their way to new homes at different weight classes.  Franklin will be returning to the 205 pound Light Heavyweight division where he enjoyed success early in his career, and was actually undefeated in the UFC before dropping down to Middleweight.  Silva is moving down a weight class to the 185 pound division.  Both fighters have much to gain and lose going into this Saturday's fight.

A win for Rich Franklin would give him a victory over one of the most popular and legendary fighters in MMA.  It may also help get rid of some of the bad taste in his mouth from his last fights with another Silva from Brazil.  Beating Wanderlei would immediately put Rich in the mix with other top contenders at 205 including Rampage, Shogun, Evans, and Jardine.

A loss for Franklin could be a setback as he is moving on to face bigger and younger fighters in the Light Heavyweight division.  A loss to Wanderlei would greatly lessen the chance of Rich being considered for title contention at 205. 

A win for Wanderlei Silva would give him a great boost of confidence as he heads down to 185 lbs.  Never short on heart or desire, the "Axe Murderer" has been in somewhat of a slump since losing his Pride Middleweight title to Dan Henderson.  With his feud with fellow Brazilian, Anderson Silva, brewing, a win over Rich would set that fight up quite nicely. 

The war of words between the Brazilians took another interesting turn when it was revealed that Anderson had actually been training Rich for his fight against Wanderlei.  Quite frankly, a loss to Rich Franklin would be devastating to Wanderlei's career.  It would be his third loss in four UFC fights, and it would be against a man who was easily dominated by the division's champion.   If Silva were to suffer another KO loss, it would sadly be time for him to seriously consider retirement.

While Franklin is the more accurate striker and has shown he has one punch KO power, there are few fighters as ferocious as Wanderlei, especially if he can close the distance and connect with some of those vicious hooks and knees of his.  Both have excellent jiu jitsu skills, although there is little likelihood of this fight being decided on the ground. 

Many people are quick to point to the similarities between Wanderlei and Anderson Silva, but the truth is they are very different fighters.  Wanderlei doesn't possess Anderson's slick footwork or the height and leverage advantage Anderson had over Rich.  Wanderlei is also more of a brawler, where Anderson uses more accurate, yet equally devastating strikes.

Franklin will use patience to pick his shots from the outside, closing in only when he has Wanderlei stunned.  Wanderlei will undoubtedly be the aggressor.  Whether that leads to a vintage Axe Murderer victory or he gets counter-punched and knocked out, we'll have to see.