UFC 103 Franklin vs. Belfort Preview
Dallas, Texas Hosts Several Intriguing Matches On September 19th
At one point in time, Vitor Belfort was such a hot prospect that analysts weren't sure if he would ever get beat. Combining explosive power with a good amount of skill, Vitor seemed to have it all, but it was all too much too soon for 'the Phenom'.
He was thrown into the UFC at the young age of 19, and it was only a year later that he was put in with Randy Couture, an experienced wrestler. He was able to restrict Belfort and take away what was then his greatest skill - his boxing. Since that loss, his career has had its highs and lows, but currently he is on a four fight winning streak, meaning we might just see the best of Belfort now.
In contrast, Rich Franklin was built up perfectly. He was given the correct opponents at every stage of his career, and arguably, now he is as good as he will ever be. His last victory was a unanimous decision over Wanderlei Silva, and he truly belongs in the upper echelon of the sport.
The style of Belfort should gel nicely with that of Franklin. Both are crowd pleasers, and this is bound to be exciting. Belfort is coming off some good wins, but Franklin is an extremely good fighter, and he should have the edge.
Belfort would be better off on the ground, but taking Franklin down and keeping him on his back is easier said than done. Dan Henderson had a real struggle doing this, so Belfort would be making a real statement if he could keep 'Ace' down. In contrast, the plan for Franklin should be to use a lot of leg kicks, and keep the striking unorthodox as usual.
This fight will take place at a catchweight of 195lbs, but this shouldn't affect the outcome as both have fought at both middleweight and light heavyweight previously. Fireworks should be expected, and the outstanding cardio of Franklin combined with his unorthodox striking should make all the difference for him.
Paul Daley vs. Martin Kampmann
Originally, Mike 'Quick' Swick was meant to meet the Dane Martin Kampmann, but Swick has had to pull out of the fight, and undercard fighter Paul 'Semtex' Daley has stepped up to the plate.
Kampmann will be the inevitable favourite in this bout as he is so well rounded, but if Daley can manage to keep it standing, he will always have a chance as he also has excellent stand-up. However, the takedown defence of Daley will probably not be good enough to resist Kampmann, and the Dane should take this by submission or decision.
Mike Swick coincidentally has stated that he will be ready to fight as early as UFC 104, as he only has a minor concussion, but as of now, there are no fights on the horizon for him.
Best Of The Rest
Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic will fight Junior Dos Santos on the card. Both are excellent strikers, but 'Cro Cop' is slightly more experienced, and should do well on his feet. However, if Santos manages to take 'Cro Cop' down (which is admittedly very unlikely), he will have a big advantage there, but it would be very surprising to see this bout go to the ground. Filipovic will probably win via TKO in round two or three.
Frank Trigg will return to the octagon as well on September 19th. He hasn't got an easy night ahead of him though as Josh Koscheck, a great wrestler with increasingly good stand-up is the man he has to beat. It's hard to see Trigg pulling this out of the bag, as 'Kos' will be motivated as he is coming off a big loss to Paulo Thiago, and even if he wasn't coming off that loss, he probably has the better skill set. 'Kos' will most likely get a unanimous decision.
An intriguing bout sees rising star Tyson Griffin fight Hermes Franca. This will be a good gauge as to how far Griffin will be able to go, as Franca poses a serious threat everywhere. Most likely though, Griffin will grind out a decision, but he will have to be careful to avoid the ground game of Franca in particular.
UFC 103 – Will It Deliver?
There is no reason why this event can't be as good as UFC 102, and the main event should be electric. Both Franklin and Belfort are very capable of pulling this one out of the bag, and their styles make for an interesting fight. Arguably the best looking fight on the card though is Swick vs. Kampmann, which looks like it could be an all out war.
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