I wasn't overly enthused about Vitor Belfort taking on Wanderlei Silva on June 23 at UFC 147, but it was easier to accept as a main event than Rich Franklin and Silva. Three years ago, the two men fought in an impressive bout that Franklin won by decision.
Had they immediately had a rematch, it would have been more appealing.
Since then, Franklin has lost two of his last three fights. The only win in that span came over an over-the-hill Chuck Liddell, who retired right after the fight.
Silva has won two of three bouts since their first meeting, but at 35 years old, the Axe-Murderer is not exactly in his prime. This is a main event in name only, as the fighter's stardom is sure to outweigh their in-ring ability.
The fight will take place in Silva's home country Brazil, so he will undoubtedly have the crowd behind him. I think that will be a significant edge for Silva and he'll pressure and pound Franklin into a stoppage.
Franklin seemed a step slow in his last bout against Forrest Griffin, and he seems to be on the decline faster than Silva. He's 37 years old and has been looking every day of it in the octagon recently.
The rest of the card at UFC 147 isn't exactly exciting either. This figures to be a card for the hardcore fan only, as it lacks the overall wow factor.
Here are the specifics for following the action, and the rest of the card:
Where: Estádio Jornalista Felipe Drumond in Belo Horizonte, Brazil
When: Saturday, June 23 at 10 p.m. ET
Watch: Facebook under-card fights at 7 p.m. ET, preliminary fights at 8 p.m. ET on FX, Main Card fights at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view; online pay-per-view streaming (must pay $44.99) at UFC.tv, Yahoo! Sports, UStream, Android or iPhone
Full Fight Card
Main Card (PPV)
Catchweight (190 lb.): Wanderlei Silva vs. Rich Franklin
Middleweight: Cezar Ferreira vs. Sergio Moraes
Featherweight: Godofredo Pepey vs. Rony Mariano Bezerra
Heavyweight: Fabricio Werdum vs. Mike Russow
Featherweight: Yuri Alcantara vs. Hacran Dias
Preliminary Card (FX)
Featherweight: Anistavio Medeiros vs. Rodrigo Damm
Middleweight: Delson Heleno vs. Francisco Drinaldo
Featherweight: John Teixeira vs. Hugo Viana
Middleweight: Thiago Perpétuo vs. Leonardo Mafra
Preliminary Card (Facebook)
Featherweight: Vinicius Borges Pancini vs. Wagner Campos
Featherweight: Felipe Arantes vs. Milton Vieira
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