Former middleweight champion and seemingly outmatched Rich Franklin (pictured), 37, battled the Brazilian legend who was thought of as unbeatable — Wanderlei Silva, 35 — at Saturday's Ultimate Fighting Championship 147 event in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Franklin not only lived to tell the tale, despite a second-round knockout, but he actually defeated Silva, who bears the charming nickname, "The Axe Murderer," in the third round for a unanimous 49-46 decision by all three judges.
"I honestly don't remember it," Franklin said of his near defeat in the second round of the UFC match, reports USA Today. "When that kind of stuff happens, you remember bits and pieces … I was operating on autopilot for awhile." Franklin's autopilot is apparently serving him well, because he came back to outpoint the possibly overconfident Silva, catching him in the final seconds of the fight. All this after Franklin took the fight on only four weeks notice for the injured Vitor Belfort. He also suffered a shoulder injury that recently had him on a 16-month layoff.
In slightly less sensational UFC 147 news, Cezar Ferreira defeated Sergio Moraes, Bony Mariano Bezerra outpointed Godofredo Castro, Fabricio Werdum bested Mike Russow, and Hacran Dias got the one-up on Iuri Alcantara.
Franklin also beat Silva three years ago at UFC 99.
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