On a night in which the Ultimate Fighting Championship went head-to-head with one of boxing’s biggest stars, one of the most feared punchers in mixed martial arts returned to form. ... Read More
The UFC heads to Texas tonight for its hundredth-something
broadcast. And since there’s all the chance in the world the audience
in the arena will be armed, it had better be good.
Already, local news has gotten cranky about their presence, with
Dallas Morning News columnist Tim Cowlishaw getting his diapers
in a sailor's knot over it. Cowlishaw passed on a ringside seat
offered by UFC brass in order to watch a college football game on
television. If only some kind of recording device were available. ... Read More
In and out of the cage, Rich Franklin is making a career out of lateral movement: bumped from the middleweight division by Anderson Silva, he appears to have settled into a complacent role as filler putty for headlining holes in the UFC’s main events.
UFC 93 was a light heavyweight bout against Dan Henderson; UFC 99, a catch-weight bout against Wanderlei Silva; now there’s Dallas and UFC 103, which sees him in another 195-pound fence-straddle against a returning Vitor Belfort. It’s hard to ascertain exactly what the fight means: Franklin is supposed to be a 205-pound presence, so beating Belfort -- who eyes the 185-pound division -- can’t influence that much. Belfort has more to gain here. ... Read More
Even if you excuse his dynamic debut performance at UFC 13 -- all hands, no effort -- as the product of subpar opposition, Vitor Belfort is still a sharp, tight stand-up artist who can end fights faster than IV sedation.
The ticks of the clock are Belfort’s biggest issues: as the fight wears, he fades mentally, and instructs his body to do the same physically. Whether that’s been corrected at Xtreme Couture hasn’t been discovered. Rich Franklin will prompt him for an answer. ... Read More
With a only quarter-pound standing between him and Rich Franklin, Vitor Belfort looks to make his awaited Octagon return Saturday in a 195-pound catch-weight bout at UFC 103 “Franklin vs. Belfort” at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
The Zuffa LLC circus has only 72 hours to tear down the Octagon at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City and reconstruct it for UFC 103 “Franklin vs. Belfort” ... Read More
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