Sometimes a failed game plan leaves egg on your face. Then there are those times it leads to a sadistic feng shui facial rearranging, which is exactly what Rich "Ace" Franklin (Pictures) received courtesy of Anderson "The Spider" Silva in October 2006.

Having learned the somewhat obvious lesson that clinching with a Muay Thai expert is unwise, Franklin, 22-2 with one No Contest, must now discover a strategy that actually works in Saturday's rematch. The task is well within reach for the Ohio native, who once dismantled top contenders such as David Loiseau (Pictures) and Evan Tanner (Pictures) with the kind of disciplined approach you'd expect from a former math teacher.

While a one-sided thrashing of Jason MacDonald (Pictures) appeared to signal a return to form for Franklin, he followed that performance with an unusually cautious approach against Yushin Okami (Pictures). Despite notching a unanimous decision, Franklin was tentative throughout the match and nearly fell victim to Okami's late rally.

Balancing aggression with caution has become Silva's personal calling card in the UFC. Hardly the stereotypical headfirst brawler, Silva, 19-4, has befuddled his opposition with flawless counterpunching and a surprising breadth of skills. Grappling is a facet of Silva's game that remained under wraps until he caught jiu-jitsu black belt Travis Lutter (Pictures) with a slick triangle choke and hit a beautiful single-leg switch transition on Nathan Marquardt (Pictures). In both instances victory soon followed.

Overcoming Silva's newfound versatility as well as his paralyzing Thai plum are two hurdles that not even Edwin Moses could clear, but if anyone can balance this trigonometric polynomial, it is Franklin.

Keeping Silva off balance will be Franklin's best shot at reclaiming the title he lost to Silva just one year ago. That means scoring quick points on the feet and just as quickly taking it to the ground. Dictating the tempo by keeping it on the ground will be key for Franklin, who has shown powerful ground striking in the past and, given his considerable size advantage, could perhaps wear Silva down. The problem inherent to this approach is Silva's improved groundwork and his willingness to create stalemates from the guard, which forces referee restarts on the feet.

Don't be surprised if Franklin starts this match firmly in control. However, it is incredibly difficult to remain in control of a fight for five full rounds against an opponent as dynamic as Silva. The pressure of executing a game plan predicated on making no mistakes will create all the openings that Silva needs.

Franklin will once again find himself losing every exchange, and he won't be able to mount any significant offense on the ground either. Eventually Franklin will be a bit too bold on the feet and pay for it with another knockout loss.

I can only pray that the producers of "Dancing With The Stars" take notice of Silva's elegant post-fight dance routines.