Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin Given Green Light for UFC 147 Rematch

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Theirs is an unlikely sequel, born not out of public clamor but promotional necessity.

Brazilian icon Wanderlei Silva tipped the scales at 188 pounds for his catchweight rematch with Rich Franklin (190) in the UFC 147 main event on Saturday at Mineirinho Gymnasium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The eight other men lined up to work the main card -- “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” middleweight finalists Sergio Moraes (185) and Cezar Ferreira (184) and “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” featherweight finalists Rony Mariano Bezerra (146) and Godofredo Castro (145) among them -- also met their contracted weight requirements at Friday’s official weigh-in.

Silva has recorded two wins in his past three outings. The 35-year-old last appeared at UFC 139 in November, when he dispatched former Strikeforce champion Cung Le on second-round knees and punches at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. A savage finisher who held the Pride Fighting Championships 205-pound title from Nov. 3, 2001 until Feb. 24, 2007, Silva has secured 24 of his 34 career victories by knockout or technical knockout. Wins over onetime UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (twice), Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba (thrice), 1992 Olympic gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida (twice), former two-division Pride titleholder Dan Henderson and “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 winner Michael Bisping anchor his stellar resume.

An injury replacement for Vitor Belfort, Franklin has not competed since losing on points to Forrest Griffin at UFC 126 in February 2011. The 37-year-old former middleweight champion defeated Silva by unanimous decision at UFC 99 three years ago in Germany. One of the most successful fighters in Ultimate Fighting Championship history, Franklin’s 14 victories inside the Octagon ties him with Jon Fitch for ninth on the all-time list. In more than 13 years as a professional, he has never suffered back-to-back defeats.

UFC 147 “Silva vs. Franklin 2” -- which airs live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT -- will also feature a pivotal heavyweight duel pairing Fabricio Werdum (246) with Mike Russow (248) and a featherweight scrap pitting Iuri Alcantara (146) against Hacran Dias (146). Two hours prior, the FX network will carry four preliminary matchups: Anistavio Medeiros de Figueiredo (146) vs. Rodrigo Damm (146), Delson Heleno (185) vs. Francisco Drinaldo (183), John Teixeira da Conceicao (150) vs. Hugo Viana (145) and Thiago de Oliveira Perpetuo (182) vs. Leonardo Mafra Texeira (184). The two remaining bouts will stream to the UFC’s Facebook page, as Milton Vieira (146) meets Felipe Arantes (146) and Marcos Vinicius (146) toes the line against Wagner Campos (145).

UFC 147 “Silva vs. Franklin 2” Weigh-In Results

Wanderlei Silva (188) vs. Rich Franklin (190)
Sergio Moraes (185) vs. Cezar Ferreira (184)
Rony Mariano Bezerra (146) vs. Godofredo Castro (145)
Fabricio Werdum (246) vs. Mike Russow (248)
Iuri Alcantara (146) vs. Hacran Dias (146)
Anistavio Medeiros de Figueiredo (146) vs. Rodrigo Damm (146)
Delson Heleno (185) vs. Francisco Drinaldo (183)
John Teixeira da Conceicao (*150) vs. Hugo Viana (145)
Thiago de Oliveira Perpetuo (184) vs. Leonardo Mafra Texeira (182)
Milton Vieira (146) vs. Felipe Arantes (146)
Marcos Vinicius (146) vs. Wagner Campos (145)

* John Teixeira da Conceicao failed to make weight.