UFC 103 Franklin Vs Belfort
- Thread starter Shogun Locc
- Start date
Yep, I got Franklin winning this one as well. People think he sucks because Anderson Silva made him look like an amateur. Anderson makes everyone look like an amateur.
The haters should look at the other "great" or "dominant" champions like Matt Huges and actually watch their fights. These fucking lay-and-pray masters make me reach for the fast forward button in a hurry. At least Franklin will go out there and bang.
Watch some of Franklin's older fights, he's a monster. Before Anderson Silva, there really wasn't many people who could challenge him for the belt. If Sliva left the UFC, I'd bet on Franklin retaking the belt.
The haters should look at the other "great" or "dominant" champions like Matt Huges and actually watch their fights. These fucking lay-and-pray masters make me reach for the fast forward button in a hurry. At least Franklin will go out there and bang.
Watch some of Franklin's older fights, he's a monster. Before Anderson Silva, there really wasn't many people who could challenge him for the belt. If Sliva left the UFC, I'd bet on Franklin retaking the belt.
BELFORT STARTS HIS UFC TRILOGY WITH FRANKLIN
The third time is a charm. At least, that’s what Vitor Belfort is hoping when he steps into the Octagon on Saturday night across from Rich Franklin.
UFC 103 in Dallas marks the third time the Brazilian fighter has made a run in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
He capped his first run through the promotion, earning his “Phenom” moniker, with a 44-second destruction of fellow young gun Wanderlei Silva at UFC: Ultimate Brazil in Sao Paulo in 1998.
Leaving the original SEG-run UFC to test the waters in Japan, Belfort left with a 5-1 record in the Octagon, his only blemish a TKO loss to Randy Couture.
Having branded himself in Asia with a successful run through Pride in Japan, he returned to the UFC in 2002. Belfort met mixed success with a 2-3 record in his five-bout encore performance.
One of those wins earned him the UFC light heavyweight title when a grazing punch tore the eyelid of then champion Couture, causing the ringside doctor to halt the bout. Couture was granted an immediate rematch and pummeled the Brazilian for three rounds to take his title back. Belfort then lost a tough split decision to Tito Ortiz, causing him to once again head for Japan.
Now he’s back.
“I’m really excited, really happy to go back fight in the UFC where I started a long time ago,” Belfort said recently.
He fought the majority of his career as a heavyweight. As fighters have progressed in skill and size, Belfort’s natural talents couldn’t keep him ahead of the pack. His early hand speed lost in the shadows much of his time in the heavier weight divisions, it returned in devastating fashion when Belfort dropped to 185 pounds while fighting for Affliction. There, he knocked out fellow UFC veterans Terry Martin and Matt Lindland; the latter in a mere 37 seconds.
He faces Franklin at a catch weight of 195 pounds, though Belfort may not even check in at that weight in Dallas.
“I’m already weighing 195 (pounds),” he said about a week and a half prior to the bout. He intends to make his nest in the middleweight division.
Belfort has been through some tough times in his life, both inside the ring and out, but none equal the loss of his sister. Priscila Belfort was kidnapped in January of 2004. It wasn’t until August 2007 that one of the kidnappers came forward, confessing to participation in the abduction and subsequent murder.
Not surprisingly, that was the worst stretch in Belfort’s 13-year career, but he seems to have come to an acceptance, finally finding his focus.
“Everything that happened in my life, good or bad... I learn from everything in my life, so right now I’m just really happy and all my experience I took for good,” he relayed.
Belfort is now 32 years of age with 26 bouts to his credit. Franklin is 34 with 30 bouts. It’s not surprising that they approach the bout in similar fashion.
“What it boils down to come (Saturday night) is I have to execute my game plan,” said Franklin recently. “If I do what I know I’m capable of doing then I’ll do fine. But if I let Vitor unfold his game plan the way that he wants to and impose his will in the fight then that’s where I’m going to run into trouble.”
Belfort’s take on the fight mirrors his foe, “You have to keep your game plan. You cannot play the game of your opponent because you can get in trouble. I respect Rich in every situation. I have to make sure I don’t play his game. You have to go there and you just have to impose what you want to do, but a fight’s a fight.”
One deciding factor heading into UFC 103 could be momentum. As mentioned, Belfort is on a streak. He’s knocked out his last two opponents, which caps a four-bout stretch of victories. Franklin is 4-2 during that timeframe, 1-1 in his past two.
But as Belfort said “a fight’s a fight” and Saturday night will set the tone for the third volume of his UFC trilogy.
The third time is a charm. At least, that’s what Vitor Belfort is hoping when he steps into the Octagon on Saturday night across from Rich Franklin.
UFC 103 in Dallas marks the third time the Brazilian fighter has made a run in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
He capped his first run through the promotion, earning his “Phenom” moniker, with a 44-second destruction of fellow young gun Wanderlei Silva at UFC: Ultimate Brazil in Sao Paulo in 1998.
Leaving the original SEG-run UFC to test the waters in Japan, Belfort left with a 5-1 record in the Octagon, his only blemish a TKO loss to Randy Couture.
Having branded himself in Asia with a successful run through Pride in Japan, he returned to the UFC in 2002. Belfort met mixed success with a 2-3 record in his five-bout encore performance.
One of those wins earned him the UFC light heavyweight title when a grazing punch tore the eyelid of then champion Couture, causing the ringside doctor to halt the bout. Couture was granted an immediate rematch and pummeled the Brazilian for three rounds to take his title back. Belfort then lost a tough split decision to Tito Ortiz, causing him to once again head for Japan.
Now he’s back.
“I’m really excited, really happy to go back fight in the UFC where I started a long time ago,” Belfort said recently.
He fought the majority of his career as a heavyweight. As fighters have progressed in skill and size, Belfort’s natural talents couldn’t keep him ahead of the pack. His early hand speed lost in the shadows much of his time in the heavier weight divisions, it returned in devastating fashion when Belfort dropped to 185 pounds while fighting for Affliction. There, he knocked out fellow UFC veterans Terry Martin and Matt Lindland; the latter in a mere 37 seconds.
He faces Franklin at a catch weight of 195 pounds, though Belfort may not even check in at that weight in Dallas.
“I’m already weighing 195 (pounds),” he said about a week and a half prior to the bout. He intends to make his nest in the middleweight division.
Belfort has been through some tough times in his life, both inside the ring and out, but none equal the loss of his sister. Priscila Belfort was kidnapped in January of 2004. It wasn’t until August 2007 that one of the kidnappers came forward, confessing to participation in the abduction and subsequent murder.
Not surprisingly, that was the worst stretch in Belfort’s 13-year career, but he seems to have come to an acceptance, finally finding his focus.
“Everything that happened in my life, good or bad... I learn from everything in my life, so right now I’m just really happy and all my experience I took for good,” he relayed.
Belfort is now 32 years of age with 26 bouts to his credit. Franklin is 34 with 30 bouts. It’s not surprising that they approach the bout in similar fashion.
“What it boils down to come (Saturday night) is I have to execute my game plan,” said Franklin recently. “If I do what I know I’m capable of doing then I’ll do fine. But if I let Vitor unfold his game plan the way that he wants to and impose his will in the fight then that’s where I’m going to run into trouble.”
Belfort’s take on the fight mirrors his foe, “You have to keep your game plan. You cannot play the game of your opponent because you can get in trouble. I respect Rich in every situation. I have to make sure I don’t play his game. You have to go there and you just have to impose what you want to do, but a fight’s a fight.”
One deciding factor heading into UFC 103 could be momentum. As mentioned, Belfort is on a streak. He’s knocked out his last two opponents, which caps a four-bout stretch of victories. Franklin is 4-2 during that timeframe, 1-1 in his past two.
But as Belfort said “a fight’s a fight” and Saturday night will set the tone for the third volume of his UFC trilogy.
RICH FRANKLIN: SHIFTING GEARS?
The word seared into the mind of any fighter, be they a current, former, or aspiring champion, is “title.”
The belt, whatever form it takes, is an all-consuming obsession, measured in steps towards or away from it. Lives are re-arranged in its pursuit. Focus must be unwavering for belts that mean something.
Former champions often tie themselves to the return trail most intensely. So intertwined with their ego is the belt, they lose sight of everything else.
Rich Franklin doesn’t appear to be one of those people.
When the former UFC middleweight champion spoke to reporters about his fight with Vitor Belfort at UFC 103, he was Zen about his future with the organization (though he’d probably chalk the attitude up to faith).
The most important thing, he said, was putting on entertaining fights for the fans. Everything else – his weight, where he was on the title ladder, his long-term plans – was secondary.
“If I continue doing the things I need to do and winning fights and stuff like that, eventually I’ll make my way back to a title run,” he said. “If I can get back to a title run, that’d be a great Cinderella story for me before I retire. If not, between now and then, if I’m putting on great fights for the fans then I’m happy doing that.”
Franklin has gone 3-1 since losing an October 2007 bid to regain the title from the man who took it from him in violent fashion, Anderson Silva. Like many lives re-arranged by “The Spider,” Franklin wasn’t in a position to make many demands after the loss. He was a big middleweight and a small light heavyweight. He was, however, a bankable star, and that gave him options.
Franklin met another star displaced by the light heavyweight division, Wanderlei Silva, and won at 195 pounds, though he said the muscle he was packing on would make it difficult to keep his weight down. Nevertheless, the catch weight caught the attention of Belfort, who requested the limit for Saturday’s bout.
That was fine with "Ace," too.
“Fighting at 195, it wasn’t my idea for this fight,” said Franklin. “It was just something that Vitor requested. At this point in time I’m not in the title hunt at 205, perhaps I will be at some point in time as long as I keep winning fights. Until then, if the UFC has exciting fights for me at 195 pounds... then I’m willing to drop.”
The size of his competition at 205 pounds made the wait to move up easier.
“These are gonna be tough match-ups just for the simple fact that I’m not a big 205-pound fighter,” said Franklin. “A lot of these guys are taller than me, wider than me, longer than me, I’m gonna deal with weight issues, strength issues probably. So a lot of the match-ups at 205 are gonna be tough on me.”
Belfort has looked like a fighter reborn in his last two performances, smashing Terry Martin and Matt Lindland as a middleweight. The turmoil in his life has taken a back seat, and he’s training at a top camp in Xtreme Couture. Still, after several years of listless, uninspired performances, fans and media are not completely sold; they continue to ask which Vitor is going to show up.
Franklin believes he has a tough fight on his hands regardless of those questions.
“I think that Vitor still poses a threat the way he did several years ago with his speed and his explosiveness of his hands and all that kind of stuff,” said Franklin. “That’s obviously something I want to be looking out for, but more recently he’s become a much more well rounded MMA fighter. Obviously he’s going to pose much more of a challenging fight because if I find myself in a little bit of trouble on my feet, it won’t be as easy to just take him down and stuff like that.
“What it boils down to come the 19th is I have to execute my game plan. If I do what I know I’m capable of doing then I’ll do fine. But if I let Vitor unfold his game plan the way that he wants to and impose his will in the fight then that’s where I’m going to run into trouble.”
It’s the fourth time Franklin has headlined a card where no title is at stake. He's on the first of a new six-fight deal, the last in his career, he says. Clearly, though, fans and the UFC don’t mind his current state of ambition. Good fights are more important.
The word seared into the mind of any fighter, be they a current, former, or aspiring champion, is “title.”
The belt, whatever form it takes, is an all-consuming obsession, measured in steps towards or away from it. Lives are re-arranged in its pursuit. Focus must be unwavering for belts that mean something.
Former champions often tie themselves to the return trail most intensely. So intertwined with their ego is the belt, they lose sight of everything else.
Rich Franklin doesn’t appear to be one of those people.
When the former UFC middleweight champion spoke to reporters about his fight with Vitor Belfort at UFC 103, he was Zen about his future with the organization (though he’d probably chalk the attitude up to faith).
The most important thing, he said, was putting on entertaining fights for the fans. Everything else – his weight, where he was on the title ladder, his long-term plans – was secondary.
“If I continue doing the things I need to do and winning fights and stuff like that, eventually I’ll make my way back to a title run,” he said. “If I can get back to a title run, that’d be a great Cinderella story for me before I retire. If not, between now and then, if I’m putting on great fights for the fans then I’m happy doing that.”
Franklin has gone 3-1 since losing an October 2007 bid to regain the title from the man who took it from him in violent fashion, Anderson Silva. Like many lives re-arranged by “The Spider,” Franklin wasn’t in a position to make many demands after the loss. He was a big middleweight and a small light heavyweight. He was, however, a bankable star, and that gave him options.
Franklin met another star displaced by the light heavyweight division, Wanderlei Silva, and won at 195 pounds, though he said the muscle he was packing on would make it difficult to keep his weight down. Nevertheless, the catch weight caught the attention of Belfort, who requested the limit for Saturday’s bout.
That was fine with "Ace," too.
“Fighting at 195, it wasn’t my idea for this fight,” said Franklin. “It was just something that Vitor requested. At this point in time I’m not in the title hunt at 205, perhaps I will be at some point in time as long as I keep winning fights. Until then, if the UFC has exciting fights for me at 195 pounds... then I’m willing to drop.”
The size of his competition at 205 pounds made the wait to move up easier.
“These are gonna be tough match-ups just for the simple fact that I’m not a big 205-pound fighter,” said Franklin. “A lot of these guys are taller than me, wider than me, longer than me, I’m gonna deal with weight issues, strength issues probably. So a lot of the match-ups at 205 are gonna be tough on me.”
Belfort has looked like a fighter reborn in his last two performances, smashing Terry Martin and Matt Lindland as a middleweight. The turmoil in his life has taken a back seat, and he’s training at a top camp in Xtreme Couture. Still, after several years of listless, uninspired performances, fans and media are not completely sold; they continue to ask which Vitor is going to show up.
Franklin believes he has a tough fight on his hands regardless of those questions.
“I think that Vitor still poses a threat the way he did several years ago with his speed and his explosiveness of his hands and all that kind of stuff,” said Franklin. “That’s obviously something I want to be looking out for, but more recently he’s become a much more well rounded MMA fighter. Obviously he’s going to pose much more of a challenging fight because if I find myself in a little bit of trouble on my feet, it won’t be as easy to just take him down and stuff like that.
“What it boils down to come the 19th is I have to execute my game plan. If I do what I know I’m capable of doing then I’ll do fine. But if I let Vitor unfold his game plan the way that he wants to and impose his will in the fight then that’s where I’m going to run into trouble.”
It’s the fourth time Franklin has headlined a card where no title is at stake. He's on the first of a new six-fight deal, the last in his career, he says. Clearly, though, fans and the UFC don’t mind his current state of ambition. Good fights are more important.
RICH FRANKLIN STUCK IN THE MIDDLE
Former UFC middleweight titleholder Rich "Ace" Franklin headlines UFC 103 against former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort. The two will complete at a catch weight of 195 pounds; for Franklin it will be back-to-back fights at what I've coined the heavy middleweight division.
What does a win at 195 do for a fighter in the middleweight or light heavyweight division?
"That's a good question," Franklin told MMAWeekly.com. "I look at myself online sometimes and I see that I don't really have a good ranking at 205. I don't really have a good ranking at 185 anymore. I think a lot of people don't know where to put me in those weight classes, and I realize that these catch weight fights are kind of doing that to me.
“I'm fighting a tough opponent here. He's a big named opponent, and it's going to be an exciting fight. And I know if this continues to happen, as long as I keep winning fights, at some point and time I'm going to have to get in the mix somewhere, and I'll let that work itself out."
Asked if he thinks there needs to be a 195-pound division established, Franklin answered, "I'm not one pushing for it. I didn't request the 195 against Wanderlei Silva. It was kind of something they came up with because I said I wasn't going move back down to 185 for that fight. And I didn't request 195 for this fight. Actually, Vitor did.
"I'm not really sure why he did. I'm really confused about it because there was talk of him possibly fighting Fedor (Emelianenko) after the whole thing with (Josh) Barnett happened," continued the 34-year-old fighter. "If he was willing to fight him at heavyweight, I'm not sure why he wouldn't fight me a light heavyweight even though he decided to go down to 185, but for whatever reason he requested 195 and I'm happy to fight him here. I'm just really, at this point in time, interested in putting on fights that are entertaining that the fans seek."
Belfort hasn't competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship since UFC 51 in February of 2005, but returns riding a four-fight win streak. Known as a streaky fighter, Franklin expects to see Belfort in top form on Sept. 19 at the American Airlines Arena.
"I'm expecting the new Vitor, and I'm expecting the new Vitor to be better than the old Vitor," said the former middleweight titleholder. "Looking at tapes on him, he looks as fast as he did when he was the old Vitor, but he looks a little more well-rounded now, a more proficient ground game... I'm coming in and prepping for the best Vitor I could possibly fight."
Former UFC middleweight titleholder Rich "Ace" Franklin headlines UFC 103 against former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort. The two will complete at a catch weight of 195 pounds; for Franklin it will be back-to-back fights at what I've coined the heavy middleweight division.
What does a win at 195 do for a fighter in the middleweight or light heavyweight division?
"That's a good question," Franklin told MMAWeekly.com. "I look at myself online sometimes and I see that I don't really have a good ranking at 205. I don't really have a good ranking at 185 anymore. I think a lot of people don't know where to put me in those weight classes, and I realize that these catch weight fights are kind of doing that to me.
“I'm fighting a tough opponent here. He's a big named opponent, and it's going to be an exciting fight. And I know if this continues to happen, as long as I keep winning fights, at some point and time I'm going to have to get in the mix somewhere, and I'll let that work itself out."
Asked if he thinks there needs to be a 195-pound division established, Franklin answered, "I'm not one pushing for it. I didn't request the 195 against Wanderlei Silva. It was kind of something they came up with because I said I wasn't going move back down to 185 for that fight. And I didn't request 195 for this fight. Actually, Vitor did.
"I'm not really sure why he did. I'm really confused about it because there was talk of him possibly fighting Fedor (Emelianenko) after the whole thing with (Josh) Barnett happened," continued the 34-year-old fighter. "If he was willing to fight him at heavyweight, I'm not sure why he wouldn't fight me a light heavyweight even though he decided to go down to 185, but for whatever reason he requested 195 and I'm happy to fight him here. I'm just really, at this point in time, interested in putting on fights that are entertaining that the fans seek."
Belfort hasn't competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship since UFC 51 in February of 2005, but returns riding a four-fight win streak. Known as a streaky fighter, Franklin expects to see Belfort in top form on Sept. 19 at the American Airlines Arena.
"I'm expecting the new Vitor, and I'm expecting the new Vitor to be better than the old Vitor," said the former middleweight titleholder. "Looking at tapes on him, he looks as fast as he did when he was the old Vitor, but he looks a little more well-rounded now, a more proficient ground game... I'm coming in and prepping for the best Vitor I could possibly fight."
UFC 103 official weigh-in results: Vitor Belfort and Efrain Escudero miss weight
DALLAS - MMAjunkie.com was on scene for today's "UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort" fighter weigh-ins at the Dallas Convention Center Arena in Texas.
Today's weigh-ins featured headliners Rich Franklin and Vitor Belfort, co-headliners Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and Junior Dos Santos, and the night's other 22 competitors, who compete Saturday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Belfort came in heavy at 196.25 pounds, a quarter pound over the 156-pound limit. Additionally, Efrain Escudero missed the 156-pound limit by one pound. Both fighters have two additional hours to make weight.
Belfort, who headlines the pay-per-view portion of the card, initially weighed 197.5 pounds. After shedding some clothes, he got down to 196.5 pounds. And after further disrobing, he got as light as 196.25 pounds, which still wasn't good enough.
Escudero, who's featured in a special two-fight pre-PPV special on Spike TV, weighed 157 pounds and opted to weigh in again after the formal weigh-in event.
Stay tuned to MMAjunkie.com; we'll provide an update on both fighters throughout the evening.
Also worth noting is that Hermes Franca, who fights Tyson Griffin in the PPV opener, weighed 159 pounds, a full three pounds over the original 156-pound limit. However, according to emcee Joe Rogan, the two fighters agreed to a catch-weight of 159 pounds prior to hitting the scales. (Despite the extra allowance, Griffin still came in at 156 pounds.)
The full weigh-in results included:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)
* Vitor Belfort (196.5)* vs. Rich Franklin (195)
* Junior Dos Santos (236) vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (226)
* Paul Daley (170) vs. Martin Kampmann (169.5)
* Frank Trigg (170.25) vs. Josh Koscheck (170)
* Hermes Franca (159)+ vs. Tyson Griffin (155.5)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)
* Cole Miller (155) vs. Efrain Escudero (157)#
* Tomasz Drwal (185) vs. Drew McFedries (185.25)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Un-aired)
* Steve Lopez (154.5) vs. Jim Miller (154.5)
* Rafaello Oliveira (155.25) vs. Nick Lentz (155)
* Brian Foster (170.75) vs. Rick Story (170)
* Jason Brilz (205.25) vs. Eliot Marshall (204.75)
* Igor Pokrajac (203) vs. Vladimir Matyushenko (205)
* Rob Emerson (155.5) vs. Rafael dos Anjos (155.5)
* - Weighed 197.5 on first attempt; shed some clothes and weighed 196.5 on second attempt; further disrobed and weighed 196.25 on third attempt. Has two additional hours to make 196-pound limit.
+ - Fighters agreed to 159-pound catch-weight bout
# - Missed weight on first attempt; has two additional hours to make 156-pound limit
DALLAS - MMAjunkie.com was on scene for today's "UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort" fighter weigh-ins at the Dallas Convention Center Arena in Texas.
Today's weigh-ins featured headliners Rich Franklin and Vitor Belfort, co-headliners Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and Junior Dos Santos, and the night's other 22 competitors, who compete Saturday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Belfort came in heavy at 196.25 pounds, a quarter pound over the 156-pound limit. Additionally, Efrain Escudero missed the 156-pound limit by one pound. Both fighters have two additional hours to make weight.
Belfort, who headlines the pay-per-view portion of the card, initially weighed 197.5 pounds. After shedding some clothes, he got down to 196.5 pounds. And after further disrobing, he got as light as 196.25 pounds, which still wasn't good enough.
Escudero, who's featured in a special two-fight pre-PPV special on Spike TV, weighed 157 pounds and opted to weigh in again after the formal weigh-in event.
Stay tuned to MMAjunkie.com; we'll provide an update on both fighters throughout the evening.
Also worth noting is that Hermes Franca, who fights Tyson Griffin in the PPV opener, weighed 159 pounds, a full three pounds over the original 156-pound limit. However, according to emcee Joe Rogan, the two fighters agreed to a catch-weight of 159 pounds prior to hitting the scales. (Despite the extra allowance, Griffin still came in at 156 pounds.)
The full weigh-in results included:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)
* Vitor Belfort (196.5)* vs. Rich Franklin (195)
* Junior Dos Santos (236) vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (226)
* Paul Daley (170) vs. Martin Kampmann (169.5)
* Frank Trigg (170.25) vs. Josh Koscheck (170)
* Hermes Franca (159)+ vs. Tyson Griffin (155.5)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)
* Cole Miller (155) vs. Efrain Escudero (157)#
* Tomasz Drwal (185) vs. Drew McFedries (185.25)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Un-aired)
* Steve Lopez (154.5) vs. Jim Miller (154.5)
* Rafaello Oliveira (155.25) vs. Nick Lentz (155)
* Brian Foster (170.75) vs. Rick Story (170)
* Jason Brilz (205.25) vs. Eliot Marshall (204.75)
* Igor Pokrajac (203) vs. Vladimir Matyushenko (205)
* Rob Emerson (155.5) vs. Rafael dos Anjos (155.5)
* - Weighed 197.5 on first attempt; shed some clothes and weighed 196.5 on second attempt; further disrobed and weighed 196.25 on third attempt. Has two additional hours to make 196-pound limit.
+ - Fighters agreed to 159-pound catch-weight bout
# - Missed weight on first attempt; has two additional hours to make 156-pound limit
