Issue 051
June 2009
Our resident experts preview three upcoming fights in their own different ways.
First, Andrew Garvey takes a look at the bigger picture. What are the career implications for the combatants? Where are they coming from, and what will victory or defeat hold for them? Next, Fighters Only’s technique expert, Pete Irving, breaks down the strategic and tactical considerations.
Rich Franklin (24-4-0; 1NC) vs Wanderlei Silva (32-9-1; 1NC)
UFC 99, June 13th 2009, Cologne, Germany
BREAKDOWN BY THE NUMBERS
2
Inch height advantage Franklin has over 5’11” Silva.
2/21/06
Named ‘Rich Franklin Day’ in Cincinnati, Ohio.
75
Percentage of Franklin’s four losses that have come by TKO.
4
Number of years Silva’s 16-fight win streak lasted for.
'96
Year in which Wanderlei made his MMA debut.
Andrew Garvey
Former UFC middleweight champion, Franklin (24-4-0), and former Pride 205lb champion, Wanderlei Silva (32-9-1), are two fighters who seem a little too small for light heavyweight and a little too big for middleweight.
This fight (at a catch-weight of 195lb) should prove a very interesting one. Bouncing around from 185 to 205 for his last three fights, Franklin is 2-1 since his second humbling at the knees of Anderson Silva in 2007. A well-rounded fighter with a talent for finishing fights inside the distance, Franklin is coming off a very close decision loss to Dan Henderson in January and a successful 2008 where he beat both Travis Lutter and Matt Hamill by TKO. Many have questioned Franklin’s chin in the past but only Henderson, Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida have actually beaten him. Franklin does seem to cut fairly easily (a characteristic he shares with Wanderlei) so this one could get a little messy if it goes any real length of time.
Making his European debut, Silva has lost four of his last five fights and three of those defeats ended with him being punched or kicked unconscious. Once a terrifying fighter with an animalistic fighting style, the ‘Axe Murderer’ showed flashes of his old brilliance in his December 2007 decision loss to Chuck Liddell and his 36-second mauling of notorious slow-starter Keith Jardine, but the three other losses are worrying ones.
In September 2006, a prime Cro Cop almost kicked Silva’s head off, and then, five months later, Dan Henderson blasted him unconscious. In his last fight Silva ended up the same way, knocked out in frightening fashion by old enemy Quinton Jackson with the first real punch of the fight. It’s difficult to shake the feeling that, at only 32 years old, Silva may already be over the hill.
His chin, once pretty solid, now seems fragile and a long career (13 years in the ring and cage) and the legendary gym wars at Chute Boxe’s training camps, seem to have caught up with him. Franklin isn’t the most destructive puncher in the sport (despite his unforgettable KO of Nate Quarry back in 2005) but he hits more than hard enough to wobble Silva.
Pete Irving
No mystery remains about Wanderlei’s style or intentions in the cage. It’s been a long time since his game evolved. He’s been doing his job with the same tools for several years and, now that he’s left without his soccer kicks or his once potent ability to intimidate from the outset, the ‘Axe Murderer’ is significantly diminished.
71.9%
Percentage of Silva’s wins by TKO
Franklin appears to have psychologically overcome his cruel defeats to Anderson Silva, and must have his sights firmly set on Wanderlei’s questionable chin. Silva has in the past used the plum clinch to great effect, and Franklin must still have some traumatic memories of the beatings he took trapped in this position. Technically and physically, this Silva is a different animal though, and it would be surprising if he should succeed in utilizing this tie-up to any great effect against the taller American.
Though still powerful and ferocious, he lacks the finesse of former teammate Anderson. Franklin should have far less trouble countering the clinch and evading the winging short hooks and leg kicks of Wanderlei.
Neither man is famous for refined jiu-jitsu skills, and it’s unlikely that grappling fans will be treated to some Abu Dhabi-level submission fighting. Both Silva and Franklin are totally solid on the floor however, and possess a ‘hit them from any position’ attitude to ground fighting that is sure to entertain. Expect Franklin to scramble hard if Wanderlei tries to impose a dominant position.
Franklin’s conditioning is always first class, and although he’s not the most explosive athlete the UFC has to offer he rarely diminishes over three rounds. Wanderlei, by contrast, has been known to go wild and punch himself out and could leave himself susceptible to Franklin’s accurate, well-chosen shots.
Dan Hardy (21-6-0; 1NC) vs Marcus Davis (16-4-0)
UFC 99, June 13th 2009, Cologne, Germany
BREAKDOWN BY THE NUMBERS
4
Inch height advantage Hardy has over the 5’8” Davis.
6
Number of fights Davis has had outside of the US. This will be his first in Germany.
4
Number of children Davis has (three girls, one boy).
9
Years Davis is older than 26-year-old Hardy.
Andrew Garvey
Four months on from his devastating first-round KO of Rory Markham in London, the ‘Outlaw’ faces Davis in a welterweight fight that promises plenty of quick, aggressive and clinical striking. One of the fastest-rising stars in the talent-rich 170lb division, Hardy asked for a fight with the crowd-pleasing Irish-American after crushing Markham and edging past the tricky and experienced Akihiro Gono last October.
6
Number of fights Hardy has outside of the UK. He has fought in Holland, the USA and Japan
Almost a decade older than Hardy, at 35 Davis is 3-0 against English fighters. Aside from an injury-hampered UFC 85 decision defeat to Mike Swick he hasn’t lost since late 2005 and has greatly improved over the last few years. Like Hardy, Davis is a striker first and foremost, and an effective finisher with 13 of his 16 victories coming inside the distance.
Facing a former professional boxer, Hardy has trained under Freddie Roach, sharpening up that aspect of his already very well-developed and diverse striking game. Both men have very good chins and more than enough stamina to go all-out for the full three rounds. Davis is a very stiff test for Hardy, but the younger man may turn out to be a little more creatively well rounded, less predictable in his approach and able to score a close decision win that edges him nearer to title contention.
Pete Irving
Hardy’s reach should be an advantage over the compact, power-punching Davis, and ought to allow him to control the outside with superior kicking and long punches. Davis’s knockout left cross is hardly a secret, but he still carries the advantage that every lefty does: he’s more accustomed to fighting orthodox opponents than vice-versa. Neither man’s striking skills or knockout abilities are in question, but how Hardy deals with Davis’s stance will be a telling factor.
50%
Percentage of Davis’s 16 wins that have come by submission.
It’s not the norm to see either of these confident strikers elect to take their fights to the ground, but Davis may well wish to test the waters on the mat if he can‘t control the distance standing up. Historically a defensive (yet still entertaining) ground fighter, perhaps this will be the match where Hardy unveils a little more of his attacking jiu-jitsu game.
Spencer Fisher (22-4-0) vs Caol Uno (25-11-4)
UFC 99, June 13th 2009, Cologne, Germany
BREAKDOWN BY THE NUMBERS
50
Percentage of fights Fisher has won by TKO.
10
Number of fights Fisher has had in the UFC.
19
Age Uno made his professional MMA debut.
5
Years since Uno last fought for the UFC.
Andrew Garvey
One of the most experienced lightweight fighters in the world, Uno makes his UFC return after an absence of almost six years to face one of the promotion’s 155lb regulars. Now 34, Uno has struggled in recent years, losing to the likes of Kid Yamamoto, Joachim Hansen, JZ Cavalcante and Shinya Aoki. Anyone writing Uno off should be wary, as he only loses to the very best.
Uno showed some of his old brilliance in his submission win over Ishida last May and remains a superb grappler. Uno has faced much bigger names in his 13-year career but Fisher (making his 11th UFC appearance) may be just the type of aggressive, well-rounded and energetic fighter that will give the Japanese star trouble. Fisher’s time in the UFC’s 155lb division has seen him amass a 7-3-0 record in that time (including a win over Thiago Alves). Whoever wins, this should be a fascinating and entertaining lightweight fight.
Pete Irving
Uno’s Wajyutsu grappling-style might appear baffling to someone accustomed to traditional wrestling and jiu-jitsu. He breaks all the rules, giving his back fearlessly to avoid the pin. His defense is so good that even on the few occasions when he has lost it has been largely by way of decision (such as fending off even the phenomenal Aoki in his last bout in Dream).
52%
Percentage of fights Uno has won by submission
His striking has come a long way since his earlier appearances in the UFC. The Uno of today kicks like a true Muay Thai fighter. Uno has also developed physically as well as technically, and backs up his unorthodox grappling with genuine strength and athleticism.
Fisher is a competent grappler in anyone’s book (he boasts eight submission wins) but it would be a shocking feat to catch Uno. His real strength is his explosive striking skill. Where Fisher has historically fallen down is when faced with strong, aggressive wrestlers. If Uno can bring that kind of intensity and avoid Fisher’s knees and punches on the inside then the ‘King’ is in trouble. The question is, after 40 fights has K1 and Dream had the best of the aging Uno?
