After about a month away, the world famous Great Sherdog Debate has resurfaced and is back with a vengeance. Sherdog.com columnists Greg Savage and Mike Sloan duke it out to see who will prevail this Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Will UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin (Pictures) walk out of the Mandalay Bay Events Center with the belt still in his possession, or will the explosive Anderson Silva turn the division on its ear? Only one man knows for certain: The question is who?

Mike Sloan:Ouch! I had my four fight-winning streak snapped like a twig (or my arm, take your pick) and I would have lost our last debate had we actually gotten around to doing it. My good friend Stephan Bonnar (Pictures) let me down against Forrest Griffin (Pictures) and I had my entire bankroll on B.J. Penn (Pictures) to reclaim his welterweight title from Matt Hughes (Pictures).

Luckily for me I was too lazy to get around to debating with you, Greg, because I’d be staring out of the bottom of a deep hole.

This time around, though, I am thankful that my guy, Anderson Silva, is going to fight for the UFC middleweight title. His duel with Rich Franklin (Pictures), I think, will be a war for the ages. Regardless if the fight lasts only 20 seconds or the full five rounds, this should be an all-time classic.

Both men have vaunted striking power. Each has scored his fair share highlight reel knockouts. And neither has weaknesses that can be capitalized on within seconds. This is actually a debate that I wouldn’t mind losing as long the fight is superb, which I am confident it will be.

Obviously I know who you are going to pick in this one, so I made it easy for you and chose Silva to pull off the slight upset. This is as perfect a middleweight bout one can make and it pits easily the two best strikers in the division against each other.

How could we go wrong? My guess, though, is that while “Ace” has the slight edge in raw punching power, I feel as though Silva is the better pure striker. He is smoother, more accurate and his punches are just a fraction more precise than Franklin’s. Then again, Rich has come a long way over the years and one would have to be an absolute film hog to pick apart subtle nuances in their striking to truly differentiate the two.

As for the rest of the striking game, I am afraid that Silva has the upper hand … or, uh, feet. He is definitely a better kicker than Franklin and his knees are more crippling. When it comes down to pure all around striking, I honestly don’t think anyone in the sport of mixed martial arts is better than Anderson Silva.

Franklin has a better ground game, but he’ll want to prove how bad he is and that will be Franklin’s blunder. I see Silva scoring an awesome knockout kind of early, like the end of round one or sometime in round two.

Greg Savage: Well, well, well. Look who poked his head out of his little hole. Is that Mike Sloan? Why yes it is.

So you were too lazy to debate the Matt Hughes (Pictures)-B.J. Penn (Pictures) fight, eh? More like scared if you ask me. And with good reason, I might add.

As for Rich Franklin (Pictures)-Anderson Silva of course you knew I would take “Ace.” The man is a machine. However, I am not without my concerns. This is a very tough fight after taking seven months off due to a plethora of serious injuries.

Anderson Silva is no joke, as Chris Leben (Pictures) and his legions of reality show fans found out last June. In dismantling Leben, Silva went Nuke La Louche on the UFC, announcing his presence with authority. Unfortunately for Silva, Franklin is a much more complete fighter than Leben and will be prepared for this middleweight showdown.

The only weaknesses I have seen in Franklin’s game are his average wrestling skills and a suspect chin. The wrestling will not pose a problem in this match but his ability to remain conscious may be tested. Franklin has recovered well when dropped in the past but I would suggest he refrain from testing his recuperative skills in this bout.

Silva is a killer who may not allow “Ace” to make that turn from Queer Street back onto Main like he did against Evan Tanner (Pictures) and David Loiseau (Pictures). I am sure Franklin is aware of Silva’s skill set and, like always, will put together a game plan that will give him a competitive advantage over the crafty Brazilian.

I know Rich is taking this fight very seriously, that’s not to say Anderson won’t be, but coming back from an extended layoff preparation will be a big key for Franklin.

After UFC 63 in Anaheim, I was interviewing Jorge Gurgel (Pictures) in his room and Rich was leaving to run while the rest of his team was going out to celebrate Gurgel’s win. The man may be the most dedicated fighter I have ever come across in my years of covering this sport.

As for a prediction, I am looking forward to a much longer fight than you are anticipating. I see this going into the fourth or fifth round and Franklin retaining his belt via TKO or decision. If he is able to finish Silva I feel it will come via a ground-and-pound barrage that will leave the challenger bloody and battered.

You give up yet?

Sloan: Give up? Come on, Greg, you should know me better than that. I must admit, though, that I am taken back by your honesty with your assessment of the battle. Usually you just ramble on and on about how your fighter is the best on the planet, try to insult me and make up random reasons why the guy you picked is going to win.

Then again, you have whipped my ass in these debates, what, eight times so I guess you have a valid reason. Going into this fight I was apprehensive about picking Silva over Franklin for the simple fact you mentioned: the champ’s dedication. But I doubt Silva will enter the ring much less prepared than Rich.

This is really a pick ‘em fight in my opinion and I can easily see it going to either fighter and ending any which way imaginable. I believe that the best way for Silva to wrest the title away from Franklin is to get to him early and try to pounce.

Franklin was rocked badly by Evan Tanner (Pictures) in their rematch, stopped seconds into the second round against Machida (still a fluke loss if you ask me), a little reckless early against Shamrock (then again, that fight did end early) and a little overzealous against Loiseau early on. Luckily for Franklin, Loiseau was a tad gun shy in that fight or else we might be debating Spider-Crow right now.

Another intangible that might come into play is Franklin’s injured hand. He broke it when it ricocheted off Loiseau’s head and I’ve seen my fair share of hand injuries coming back to haunt fighters in future fights. I can’t even begin to name and count the number of boxers who have made careers out of breaking their hands — and that is with gloves two to three times as big. If Franklin lands a shot off Silva’s dome just the wrong way that injury will resurface instantly.

All in all, it should be a strong candidate for Fight of the Year. It could go either way, it should be explosive and when it’s all said and done, we should be salivating for a rematch down the road. I still feel that Silva will prevail via knockout (thinking back, maybe not in the first round) but I heed that notion that my prediction could easily be flung out the window. We’ll see what happens.

Savage: You raise some valid points about Franklin’s hand and his penchant for getting dropped. And I too agree that Silva’s best chances will come in the early rounds. The difference maker in the fight for me is Franklin’s ability to recover and always do what it takes to win.

You mention his broken hand but let’s not forget he fought through the pain of two injured hands and an injured foot to defeat David Loiseau (Pictures). He is as tough as they come, both physically and mentally. He is the definition of a well-rounded mixed martial artist who does all the little things well. Hell, he has to. He is not the most gifted athlete but with dedication and heart he has become a legitimate superstar in this sport.

Anderson Silva has never submitted anyone in MMA and I don’t think Franklin will be the first. That means he will have to take him out on the feet. While that is not a far-fetched possibility, I think the champ is smart enough to know that if Silva is getting the better of him on the feet he will need to get the fight to the ground. Once there he should have a marked advantage. And if Franklin ends up with the upper hand in the striking department Silva will not be walking away with the strap.

What’s with you talking about a rematch already? Who are you, Joe Silva? (Just kidding Joe.)

There are plenty of opponents to face for the winner of this match. Too many, in fact, to start talking rematch. First off there is the winner of the TUF 4 contract. Then there is Nathan Marquardt (Pictures). And we can’t forget that outside of the UFC there is a man named Matt Lindland (Pictures), who very well may be the best middleweight in the world at the moment. The UFC made a run at him for this season’s reality show so he cannot be ruled out as a possible opponent somewhere down the line in 2007.

UFC 64 Quick Picks

Kenny Florian (Pictures) vs. Sean Sherk (Pictures):
Sloan: Call me nuts but I am taking the man with half as many fights and an eighth of the muscle mass. My pick is Florian via unanimous decision in a close, tactical-but-exciting fight. Florian takes home the belt and then starts to film Meet the Florians.
Savage: You are not just nuts, you are out of your damn mind thinking Florian can hang with Sherk for five rounds. The only way Florian wins this fight is by stoppage and as the old cliché says, don’t hold your breath. Sherk will have his way in this match, to the point where we may even here Stan and Kyle scream, “He killed Kenny.”

Jon Fitch (Pictures) vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka (Pictures):
Sloan: I absolutely love the fact that Zuffa is brining in all these Japanese fighters, but so far they haven’t fared too well inside the Octagon. Fitch is one of the best fighters nobody knows so he’ll take out Hironaka in the second.
Savage: This is a definite test for Fitch but one I anticipate him to pass with flying colors. The kid is a machine in the gym and that translates into the cage very well. This will be Fitch’s coming out party at the UFC, seeing how he has never made it onto a televised card despite the fact that he has climbed into many peoples Top 10 rankings in the welterweight division.

Cheick Kongo (Pictures) vs. Carmelo Marrero:
Sloan: Should be another impressive outing for the menacing Kongo. I don’t see why he won’t knockout Marrero in the first. This one should be of highlight reel proportions.
Savage: All I can say is, who cares? Kongo by KO, I guess.

Spencer Fisher (Pictures) vs. Dan Lauzon:
Sloan: Is Lauzon for real? I don’t know but Fisher is no joke. Still, my pick is another Lauzon scores an impressive win in the Octagon, probably by decision.
Savage: Man, you make this too easy for me sometimes. Fisher is going to send “The Upgrade” back to the manufacturer for repairs. Can lightning strike twice? Sure, but I, for one, am not betting on it. Fisher by TKO.

Keith Jardine (Pictures) vs. Mike Nickels:
Sloan: This is a waste of time for Jardine. No offense to Nickels, but he is not in the same league as Jardine. I see Jardine whipping the tattoo monger’s butt and stopping him via ground-and-pound.
Savage: I concur completely on this one. I say this is a gimme for Jardine and would suggest he take Nickels out if he wants to be regarded as a legitimate contender.

Yushin Okami (Pictures) vs. Kalib Starnes (Pictures):
Sloan: I am convinced that Starnes is the goods and had he not injured his ribs in TUF 3, he may have been the champ of the season. He should take his time and eventually stop Okami. It’ll be good, but the Canuck will prevail.
Savage: Starnes is my choice as well. I was tempted to take Okami because of his big fight experience but he will not have the height and length advantage he is accustomed to in this one. Starnes is tall and lanky and will break down his Japanese opponent finishing him in the third.

Justin James (Pictures) vs. Clay Guida
Sloan: Like his brother Jason, Clay can take a beating but it will do him no good. I see James winning this one on points and it’ll be a pretty boring one.
Savage: Not gonna happen kid. Guida will grind out a decision win from the top using his superior wrestling ability to control the pace throughout the fight. James better be ready to go 15 minutes because Guida has a motor that never stops running. After watching him go 25 minutes with both Josh Thomson (Pictures) (a win) and Gilbert Melendez (Pictures) (a loss) I say you will have a tough time finding a grittier fighter than Guida.

Kurt Pellegrino (Pictures) vs. Junior Assuncao:
Sloan: I don’t believe I have ever seen Assuncao fight before, have you? Since I don’t know what to expect, I am picking Pellegrino to have his hand raised when it’s over, probably because of a submission due to strikes.
Savage: Nope, can’t say I have. I was just down in Florida doing some work at the American Top Team facility and was told that Assuncao definitely worthy of a shot. However, I believe the Armory’s Kurt Pellegrino (Pictures) with get the upper hand with his wrestling ability and score the decision win.

GSD Career Totals:
Savage: 8-5
Sloan: 7-8
Sherwood: 0-1
Gross (ret): 0-1