UFC 147 Results: Live Play-by-Play & Updates
Sherdog.com will report from Felipe Drummond Stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, at approximately 7 p.m. ET with play-by-play and live results of UFC 147 “Silva vs. Franklin 2”, headlined by the rematch between Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva and featuring the finals of the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil.”
Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card.
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Felipe Arantes vs. Milton Vieira
Round 1
After 30 seconds without any major moves, the rowdy crowd starts letting the featherweights hear it. Vieira pushes forward with a combination, mostly deflected, and Arantes responds with some low kicks inside. Nice right hook comes through for Vieira; a few seconds later, he plows Arantes to the canvas and sets up in half-guard on Sertanejo’s right side. Vieira is trying to extract his other leg, staying heavy on top while Arantes tries to bump out. Vieira passes and leans from right to left across Arantes, framing up an anaconda choke with his left arm. Arantes sees it coming and pops his head free, regaining full guard in the process. Some light ground-and-pound from Vieira now, but Arantes slows him down by throwing up his legs for an armbar. Punches coming a little heavier from Vieira on top, and it opens Arantes up enough to allow “Miltinho” to pass to side control again. Again, Vieira looks to set up the brabo/anaconda choke, and again Arantes twists out to regain full guard. That’s where the round ends.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Vieira
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Vieira
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Vieira
Round 2
Vieira takes the outside, circling until a leaping knee from Arantes gets his attention. Arantes denies a half-hearted single-leg attempt, misses with a kick to the body and lands a left hook. Vieira throws an outside leg kick and Arantes answers with a harder kick inside, then another. Lunging left hook from Vieira misses and he gets stood up on a double-leg shot as well. Moving forward as he has most of the round, Arantes sticks his jab in Vieira’s face. Vieira charges with a wild combo which Arantes seems to avoid any damage from. Another chopping leg kick and a stiff jab land for Arantes, who’s now on his back foot. From nowhere, Vieira wheels around with a spinning back-kick and puts the heel of his foot on Arantes’ face. Arantes looks dazed but doesn’t go down, and in fact lands a takedown to finish the final few seconds of the round on top.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Arantes
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Arantes
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Arantes
Round 3
Arantes goes back to sniping with his jab, cutting angles in front of Vieira and occasionally throwing long one-twos. Vieira is looking the more tired of the two, his mouth hanging open as he absorbs a couple more leg kicks. Arantes sticks a combo in Vieira’s face, then another and Vieira wants to bring it to the ground. Sitting down on the shot, Arantes winds up on top in Vieira’s open guard, dropping big right hands on the jiu-jitsu wiz. Vieira tries to sit up but stalls out on his posterior with Arantes on front of him, throwing more punches. Vieira doesn’t like the shots and falls to his back, and Arantes goes down to his opponent’s open guard. Vieira loops his own right hand under his right knee, which is controlling Arantes’ left arm. The position isn’t enough for ref Marc Goddard, who stands the Brazilians up with a minute left in the bout. Arantes hops around the outside, putting a spinning back-kick in Vieira’s breadbasket and stepping out of the way of the same hook kick that Vieira threw last round. Arantes hears the 10-second clapper and steps forward but neither man lands anything significant down the stretch.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Arantes (29-28 Arantes)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Arantes (29-28 Arantes)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Arantes (29-28 Arantes)
Official result: The judges score the bout 29-28 Viera, 29-28 Arantes and 28-28. The bout is ruled a split draw.
Marcos Vinicius Borges Pancini vs. Wagner Campos
Round 1
The southpaw Campos tries to walk Vinicius toward the cage, winging wide left hands and body shots before accidentally kicking his countryman low. Vinicius recovers immediately and it’s back to trading, now with Vinicius getting off inside leg kicks. All aggression from Campos now, who keeps pouring on the leg kicks and lefts to the ribs. Vinicius tries to come inside with a big right hand and Campos wraps him up, then trips him to the base of the fence. Vinicius keeps his guard open and Campos easily passes to side control, then full mount with just under two minutes left. Campos sits up to throw punches and then slaps on a loose arm-triangle choke on the side. He lets go but stays atop Vinicius, trying again to advance past the guard. Vinicius scores with some good elbows from guard this time, and an upkick before the horn, but he still finishes the round on his back.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Campos
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Campos
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Campos
Round 2
Vinicius comes out the aggressor, switching between southpaw and orthodox stances while lunging at Campos with long punches and knees. Campos catches his man coming in with a leaping knee and an overhand left sends Vinicius to the deck. It’s back to half-guard for Campos, now moving to side control and framing up a kimura on the far side. He lets the hold go and lays across Vinicius from left to right, now halfway through the fight. Vinicius regains guard, gets off a solid horizontal elbow, but Campos is all over him on the floor, continually working to pass. Ref Herb Dean wants to see action as Campos stalls out in half-guard. Vinicius pushes Campos off and scores with some good hammerfists off his back, but Campos leaps forward and back to half-guard, now sporting a cut from Vinicius’ elbow. Campos gets caught crouching in Vinicius’ guard and eats a stiff upkick just before the horn.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Campos
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Campos
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Campos
Round 3
Vinicius opens up with stiff punches from the southpaw stance, then puts Campos in real danger with some powerful knees to the body. A pair of right hooks follow, an uppercut, another knee and another big right hook. Referee Herb Dean steps in to halt the bout and Campos collapses to the canvas. Marcos Vinicius pulls out the comeback win at 1:04 of the third round.
Leonardo Mafra Teixeira vs. Thiago de Oliveira Perpetuo
Round 1
Mafra stays on the outside, swinging leg kicks at the thigh of the larger man. Perpetuo lands a kick to the midsection but Mafra keeps coming forward, throwing kicks and wild combos. A trio of hooks clips the ears of Perpetuo, and the middleweights stay swinging until Perpetuo decides to clinch Mafra into the fence. Mafra won’t be held there, slips out and keeps inching forward on his man. Nice left hook goes for Perpetuo, but the follow up high kick is deflected and Mafra circles out of the pocket. Mafra gets backed into the fence and swings more wide punches as Perpetuo comes in to strike. Perpetuo jabs to the body, has a leg kick caught and gets a pair of punches stuffed in his face. Clubbing right from Perpetuo lands, then a left and he comes in behind the punches to tie up. Perpetuo digs an underhook and puts Mafra on the cage with about 40 seconds to go, grinding away to the horn while landing a couple solid elbows.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Mafra
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Mafra
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Mafra
Round 2
Mafra is the aggressor once again to begin the second round, but he’s eating some hard counters from the bigger, stronger Perpetuo. It looks like Mafra has a tight armbar locked up as he’s taken down against the fence, but Perpetuo shakes his arm loose. Mafra keeps going after the arm, coming less close with each successive attempt, but still managing to avoid much serious damage as he twists and squirms. That changes with 80 seconds left in the round, when Perpetuo manages to pin Mafra down from half-guard and mash with punches and elbows along the fence. Perpetuo stacks up and finishes up with more ground-and-pound that has Mafra marked up by round’s end.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Perpetuo
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Perpetuo
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Perpetuo
Round 3
Perpetuo uses a front kick to the body to put Mafra’s back on the fence, then drops him with a right hook on the jaw. Mafra hits the mat and Perpetuo bashes away with heavy, right-handed ground-and-pound until referee Mario Yamasaki intervenes. The official time of Perpetuo’s TKO victory is 41 seconds of round three.
John Teixeira vs. Hugo Viana
Round 1
A slow opening 30 seconds gives way to a flurry of wild punches inside, with the smaller Viana getting the better of the exchange with quick hands. Teixeira presses the action from the center, flicking out leg kicks while Viana sticks to his punches. Teixeira tries to clinch up, only gets off a single knee. Teixeira comes in with a kick to the body and puts Viana off-balance with a left hand. Now it’s Teixeira slipping on a kick but Viana can’t make anything of it. Another knee to the gut in the clinch from Teixeira and Viana takes a step backward. Viana catches Teixeira coming in and takes his back standing against the fence, but can’t do much with the position against the larger, stronger man. An underhook from Viana puts Teixeira on the fence again for the closing moments of the round.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Viana
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Viana
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Viana
Round 2
Some inside fighting on the fence gives way to a break and a rushing exchange which allows Teixeira to put Viana down at the base of the fence. Viana is warned for striking too close to Teixeira’s spine, and instead he works his way back to his feet. Not enough action going on in the clinch for ref Marc Goddard, who breaks them up. Viana stays on the outside and Teixeira walks him toward the fence, but Viana circles out before he’s trapped. Viana has a head kick partially deflected and misses with a big lead uppercut. Viana rips an overhand right up top but takes a big knee and a leg kick which make him circle out. Left hook lands for Viana but he’s stuffed on the subsequent takedown attempt, all the while getting countered by Teixeira. Still moving forward, Teixeira walks down the smaller man with long punches and front kicks, scoring with a knee to the gut in the clinch before the horn.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Teixeira
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Teixeira
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Teixeira
Round 3
Viana moves around the outside, swinging right hands over the top and left hooks in response to Teixeira’s punches. An inside thigh kick catches Viana on the cup and he needs a moment to recover. After he composes himself, Viana gets back to circling the outside, sticking and moving until there’s two minutes left in the bout and Teixeira pins him on the fence. Viana widens his base to sprawl on the double-leg, stands Teixeira back up and shucks him off. Viana attacks with a combination and Teixeira throws a leg kick. A three-piece combo from Viana goes to the head and body, and Teixeira answers with a jab. Teixeira clinches up again, this time trying to drag Viana down with a waistlock. Viana is warned not to grab the fence, and Teixeira finishes the takedown soon after. Viana pops right back to his feet and finishes the fight throwing hands.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Viana (29-28 Viana)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Viana (29-28 Viana)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Viana (29-28 Viana)
Official result: One judge scores the bout 29-28 Viana, while a second sees it 29-28 Teixeira. The final judge scores it 29-28 for the winner by split decision, Hugo “Wolverine” Viana.
Francisco Trinaldo vs. Delson Heleno
Round 1
Crouching low, Trinaldo looks for a front kick right up the middle but misses the chin. Heleno rushes in to tie up, eats a right hand on the way, but still manages to get Trinaldo in his clutches. They struggle and turn along the fence, Heleno controlling with an underhook. Trinaldo shoves Heleno to the ground and smacks him with a right hand while he’s there, then drills a few knees once Heleno gets back to his feet. Heleno stays after the takedown as the round hits the midway point, now having a little more success keeping Trinaldo on the fence and striking with knees. Heleno botches a trip and winds up with Trinaldo atop him. North-south position for Trinaldo on the kneeling Heleno, and “Massaranduba” gets off with knees to the body and hard punches to the face. Heleno stands momentarily, then goes back to his knees, looking totally drained as he clings to a single-leg with 80 seconds remaining in the round. More rough knees to the body get Heleno’s attention and he goes to his back. Trinaldo sits up in Heleno’s half-guard and slugs away with left-handed hammerfists to his fetal foe until ref Herb Dean calls a halt to the bout at 4:21 of the opening round.
Rodrigo Damm vs. Anistavio Medeiros
Round 1
Medeiros has his trunks cut very high in the Thai style and creeps toward Damm in a kickboxing stance with his right hand cocked. Damm unloads with a few rights of his own and a pair of crisp inside leg kicks. Medeiros gives him one back and then connects low with a switch kick. Damm is ready to resume after a few seconds and he quickly puts Medeiros on wobbly legs with a left hand. Damm gives chase to his wheeling opponent, slugging with a hard right straight and following to the floor when Medeiros finally loses his footing. Damm takes the back, wraps up a tight rear-naked choke and rolls “Gasparzinho” over. Medeiros taps out and goes to sleep just as Damm is releasing the choke. An impressive UFC debut from Rodrigo Damm, who gets the submission victory at 2:12 of round one.
Iuri Alcantara vs. Hacran Dias
Round 1
The southpaw Alcantara rushes Dias with swiping punches, but Dias reverses the momentum of “Marajo” with a waistlock. Shoving Alcantara into the fence, Dias keeps after the takedown, scooping a leg and tripping Alcantara to the base of the cage. Alcantara inches toward a cage post while Dias slugs away with ground-and-pound, pinning Alcantara’s left arm behind his back. Alcantara gets his arm loose, but Dias steps into mount and frames up a loose arm-triangle on the right side. Alcantara gets free of this danger, too, and puts Dias back in his full guard, but remains on the bottom and absorbs some stiff elbows. Getting to his feet momentarily, Alcantara is air-mailed back to the canvas courtesy of a Dias slam. Dias stays glued to Alcantara, drilling his opponent with knees as Alcantara tries to use the fence to creep up. Alcantara spins to take Dias’ back as they stand, and Dias has to defend from the position before working a standing kimura down the stretch.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Dias
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Dias
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Dias
Round 2
Alcantara catches Dias stumbling on his back foot and clinches up along the fence, but it’s Dias who winds up in top position on the mat as he falls atop his opponent. Dias thumps with some good ground-and-pound, but he leaves his arm in Alcantara’s guard too long and Marajo whips on a tight triangle-armbar. He loses the triangle but keeps the arm and Dias has to stack and struggle to get it out. Back on top, Dias works to pass the half-guard in the middle of the frame with Alcantara’s back to the fence. Alcantara stands briefly but is spun back down to the ground by Dias, who lands in half-guard on Alcantara’s left side, his right side to the cage. Dias drops 10 or so elbows, all of which are partially blocked by Alcantara’s glove. Dias’ pace slows on top and ref Goddard wants the featherweights back on their feet with 40 ticks left. Alcantara backs Dias off with a right hand, then comes forward with a one-two and finishes the round with a left hook.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Dias
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Dias
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Dias
Round 3
Alcantara is the more active puncher early in the final frame, though Dias is doing well to avoid most of the strikes. A kick to the body goes through for Alcantara and Dias responds with a flurry of punches. Alcantara is swinging for the fences, all looping punches and overhand lefts. Dias catches a kick and trips Alcantara to the floor, doesn’t follow. Midway through the final frame and Dias grabs for a single-leg, switches to a waistlock and pulls Alcantara down to the base of the fence. Right hands from Dias aren’t coming terribly hard, but they’re accurate, sneaking under the armpit and socking Alcantara in the mush. Alcantara bursts to his feet and Dias gives chase, immediately clinging to another double-leg and finishing the takedown shortly thereafter with no regard for Alcantara’s kimura try. Ref Goddard stands them up with 40 seconds left and Dias drives for a big takedown. Alcantara sprawls nicely on this one and shoves Dias to his back, then postures up and unloads a couple left hands before the end of the bout.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Dias (30-27 Dias)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Alcantara (29-28 Dias)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Dias (30-27 Dias)
Official result: The judges score the bout 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27, all for the winner by unanimous decision, Hacran Dias.
Fabricio Werdum vs. Mike Russow
Round 1
Werdum steps in with punches and tries to pull Russow into the Thai clinch, but Russow slips away. Lead uppercut from Werdum connects and the big men tie up on the cage for a moment. Another uppercut goes for Werdum and again he misses as he tries to find Russow’s chin with a big knee. Werdum turns Russow’s head with a couple stiff jabs and a corking right uppercut sends Russow to his knees seconds later. Russow is out of sorts, still conscious as he kneels, but not offering anything in response to a series of thunderous right hands from Werdum. Ref Herb Dean tells Russow to fight back, but the American just covers up under fire and this one is over. Fabricio Werdum stops Mike Russow via TKO at 2:28 of the opening round, and the crowd roars “Vai Cavalo.”
“The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” Season 1 Featherweight Final
Rony
“Jason” Mariano vs. Godofredo
“Pepey” Castro
Round 1
The featherweights line up in the orthodox stance, “Pepey” swinging first with a right hand over the top and tying up behind it. “Rony Jason” stays vertical with his back to the fence and the pair starts swinging for the fences after disengaging. Neither man getting off clean in the exchanges and Mariano puts Pepey on his back along the fence with a double-leg. Pepey sits up and isolates the right arm, considering a kimura momentarily before letting go and falling to his back. Pepey lands some right hands to Mariano’s face and ref Marc Goddard warns for punches to the back of the head, even though the shots appeared legal. A few seconds later, Goddard issues a standup order and Pepey begins stalking Mariano again. Mariano cracks Pepey’s chin with a leaping knee and Pepey jumps guard. Mariano slams him down roughly and Pepey gets busy with elbows off his back. Mariano doesn’t do much from top position in the final 40 seconds while Pepey stays active, shifting his hips and attacking from his back.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Mariano
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Castro
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Mariano
Round 2
Some tentative striking begins the second round until Mariano gets near enough for Pepey to jump guard. Again, Mariano is inactive from top position while Pepey works off his back. They’re soon back on the feet. A flurry from Pepey is answered by a stiff left hook from Mariano and a kick to the body. Both men look increasingly hesitant to engage late in the middle frame, Pepey missing with some spinning back-fists and Mariano with a turning kick. Mariano gets the best striking of the round with his counter right hands to Pepey’s wild, winging combinations. In between rounds, Pepey is warned by ref Goddard not to strike to the back of his opponent’s head.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Mariano
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Mariano
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Mariano
Round 3
Another clean right-hand counter from Mariano sends Pepey to the floor early in the final round, but he regains his wits and scrambles to his feet. Mariano is just waiting for Castro to wander into range and throw his wild punches. The technique is working until Castro adds a wild inside thigh kick to the equation: Pepey falls backward from the momentum of his own kick, which catches Mariano on the cup. Mariano takes a minute to recover and they resume. Castro jumps guard again and Mariano shakes him off, then stands over him, throwing leg kicks until ref Goddard tells the grounded fighter to stand up. They’re not on the feet long before Pepey boots Mariano south of the beltline again. Mariano looks to be in real agony this time, falling to his back and writhing on the canvas, then crawling over toward the cage. He finally gets to his feet and they’re back to work inside the final minute. They spin to the ground at the final horn, then bounce back up and Mariano taunts his opponent as Castro is restrained by Goddard.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Mariano (30-27 Mariano)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Mariano (29-28 Mariano)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Mariano (30-27 Mariano)
Official result: All three judges score the bout 29-28 for the winner by unanimous decision and first featherweight champion of “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil,” Rony “Jason” Mariano.
“The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” Season 1 Middleweight Final
Sergio
Moraes vs. Cezar
Ferreira
Round 1
Moraes swings a wide right hand and motions that he’s been poked in the eye. Ref Herb Dean didn’t see it, so the fight must go on, and the southpaw Ferreira is loading up on big, single left hands. Moraes waits on the outside and puts a hard right kick on Ferreira’s body, but “Serginho” still seems to want no part of a striking exchange. Ferreira repeatedly presses out from the center with straight lefts but can’t pin Moraes on the fence. Moraes throws an elbow over the top to counter the next time Ferreira comes toward him. Moraes takes the toes of a Ferreira front kick in the cup and takes a knee against the cage. He recovers and Ferreira blitzes against the fence, but doesn’t land anything major in the wild flurry. A kick from Ferreira lands to the body and Moraes partially blocks one high before the horn.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Ferreira
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Ferreira
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-10
Round 2
Moraes hits the ground under fire from a Ferreira combination, but it seems to have been at least a partial slip. Nonetheless, Ferreira pounces and tries to pound out his grounded opponent. Moraes twists and scrambles up, only to be dropped again by a spinning kick from Ferreira. This knockdown was clean, and Moraes is busted open around his right eye as he works to regain his composure on the ground. Ferreira is finding his range with his strikes while Moraes is playing to the crowd, calling for noise. Moraes looks content to stay on the outside against his larger opponent, waiting to counter when Ferreira comes inside, or sometimes just sidestepping out of the way. Moraes comes forward hurling punches, doesn’t land anything clean. Ferreira backs Moraes into the fence and Moraes connects with a nasty standing elbow off his back foot, stumbling “Mutante.” Moraes gives chase, desperately trying to pour on punches with the little time he has left, but Ferreira stays alive to hear the horn.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Ferreira
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Moraes
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Ferreira
Round 3
Ferreira sends Moraes to the ground again early in round three. Moraes isn’t dazed that badly, though, and Ferreira doesn’t want to follow him to the ground, instead motioning for ref Herb Dean to bring the fight back up. Ferreira backs Moraes into the fence with front kicks to the breadbasket and Moraes circles off, still keeping his distance. A short right hand lands for Moraes, who then goes back to being passive and baiting Ferreira in. Just over two minutes to go and this round is still up for grabs as the middleweights stand toe-to-toe in the center of the Octagon. More feinting and twitching down to the 90-second mark and Ferreira finally lunges in with a one-two and a push kick. Moraes lands the same short elbow that staggered Ferreira late in round two, but it doesn’t have the same effect. A hard, straight left from Ferreira sends Moraes to his posterior, and Ferreira stands over the grappler, kicking at his legs for the final few seconds of the bout.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Ferreira (30-27 Ferreira)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Ferreira (29-28 Ferreira)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Ferreira (30-28 Ferreira)
Official result: The judges have it 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27, all in favor of the winner by unanimous decision and inaugural middleweight champ of “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil,” Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira.
Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva
Round 1
Referee Mario Yamasaki is in charge of tonight’s main event, a catch-weight affair at 190 pounds. Franklin begins by inching Silva toward the fence, creeping in the southpaw stance and testing the range with jabs. Silva counters a body kick perfectly with a right hand over the top. Franklin stays on the offensive, keeping Wand on the fence and striking with a pair of straight left hands. Jabs and right hooks connecting now for “Ace,” and he catches a high kick from Silva. It’s the “Axe Murderer” who lands a few blows while he’s off-balance, however, and Franklin lets go of the limb. Two minute to go in the opening round and Franklin clips Silva with a short right hand in the pocket. Silva stumbles to the ground but stands right back up and resumes circling the outside counter-clockwise while Franklin tries to cut off the angles. Franklin is finding his range now, working his straight shots and adding kicks and hooks to the body. Silva lands a head kick but Franklin shakes it off and deflects the next one with his forearms.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Franklin
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Franklin
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Franklin
Round 2
Silva takes the center of the Octagon to start the second round, but he’s soon back to moving backward while Franklin presses forward. Silva hits the ground after throwing a low kick, looking perhaps like he twisted his ankle, but the Brazilian shows no sign as he stands back up. Franklin is controlling the cage, choosing his windows to step inside and rough up the bloodied face of Silva, then dip back out before the former Pride star can unload. The veterans trade head kicks, neither landing clean, and the crowd jolts alive when a pair of short punches from Silva get through Franklin’s guard. Franklin pays him back with a few combinations and a body kick, but Wand backs him off with a right hand. Silva staggers Franklin with a right hook and that’s just the beginning of an onslaught which includes knees and another nasty right which puts Ace flat on his back. Silva is vicious but unable to put away Franklin, who manages to get to his knees and turtle up under fire. Silva just won’t relent, blasting away with hammerfists which very nearly prevent Franklin from seeing the third round. Ref Yamasaki gives Franklin every opportunity to recover, and somehow the former UFC champ hears the horn.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-8 Silva
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-8 Silva
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Silva
Round 3
Franklin appears recovered but is nowhere near as aggressive as the third round begins, content to simply follow Silva around the outside and flick out jabs. Silva, meanwhile, may have overexerted himself trying to finish at the end of the second round, as he just trods around the outside, putting up his guard and not throwing much of anything in return. Franklin sticks some long punches in the face of Silva, who continues his passivity as the round enters its final minute. Franklin gets a waistlock and trips Silva to the floor, landing in half-guard on the Brazilian’s left side near the fence. Franklin stands up in the final 15 seconds and bashes away with elbows and punches to close out the round.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Franklin
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Franklin
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Franklin
Round 4
It’s more of the same from Franklin to begin the fourth, pawing with right hands over the top while staying out of range of what minimal offense Wanderlei offers (slow hooks and the occasional head kick). A straight left from Franklin splits Silva’s guard, followed closely by a nice right hook. Despite his strong finish to round two, Silva has seen the fight slipping out of his hands with every moment since. He’s just getting picked apart by the jabs of Franklin, who’s keeping his distance even in the late going. Franklin takes a shin on the cup and it’s a bad one; Ace needs a couple minutes to shake himself up and the fight resumes with 65 seconds left in the round. Left straight-right hook combo from Franklin gets through again and he adds a leg kick to the end. The crowd cheers as Silva counters a body kick with a right hand over the top, but it’s the most they’ve had to cheer for in the last 10 minutes.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Franklin
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Franklin
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Franklin
Round 5
Silva is throwing more this round than in the previous two, but it’s still Franklin looking the fresher, keeping the Brazilian on the end of his jab. Good footwork and head movement from Franklin down the stretch is keeping him out of any serious trouble from Silva’s sporadic power punches. The jab of Franklin is working well, too, further bloodying the bridge of Wanderlei’s nose and leaving Silva no option but to come forward continually and push the pace. Silva lands a right hand and Franklin wheels away, prompting Silva to wave him on. Another right from Silva and Franklin keeps backpedaling, flicking out jabs as he goes. Silva is still giving chase at the final horn, pinning Franklin against the fence. Franklin gets the final word, knocking Silva to the ground with a left hand in the last exchange. The two veterans of the sport grin and embrace at the end of the fight while the Brazilian crowd explodes.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Franklin (48-46 Franklin)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Franklin (48-46 Franklin)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Franklin (48-46 Franklin)
Official result: All three judges score the bout 49-46 for the winner by unanimous decision, Rich “Ace” Franklin.
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