Franklin vs Belfort: Excitement Is More Important Than Titles

The fight between Vitor Belfort and Rich Franklin should be an exciting one for the fans. Vitor Belfort is hoping to get off to a good start in the UFC, and a win over Franklin would be one of the biggest in his career. But the matchup tells more about the state of the UFC than it does about the state of any of the UFC’s divisions.

Picking out the relevance of this fight in regards to MMA rankings and UFC titles is a difficult task at best. Rich Franklin is considered to be a top 10 fighter both the 205 and 185lb weight classes, but it is unlikely that he will fight for a title any time soon.

Franklin’s losses to Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva were complete enough that nobody is seeking a rematch at this point. So instead of fighting for a title, Franklin has embraced a role in which he no longer contends for titles, but instead fights interesting fights against other big names of the sport.

Because of the nature of this role, Franklin’s successes actually seem to be greater. A loss for Franklin means very little, because he’s always losing to a great fighter, and no belt is on the line. A win further cements his legacy of being a guy who competes with the best in the world.

If Franklin loses to Vitor Belfort, his job will still be secure, and nothing will really change. If Franklin wins, he’ll be a few dollars richer, but he won’t really be any closer to a UFC title.

Belfort’s future title opportunities might be a little bit better.

Unlike Franklin, Befort’s UFC losses have been to former champions like Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, and Tito Ortiz. The UFC can still market him as a credible challenger to the current title holders if he manages to get by Rich Franklin.

The problem in considering Belfort’s contendership status lies in weight class. The fight with Rich Franklin is being contested at a catchweight of 195 lbs, and the UFC seems unsure as Vitor’s final weight destination.

He could move up to 205, or down to 185, but either way, he’ll likely need another win to earn himself a shot at the belt.

If there is any particular relevance to the fight between Rich Franklin and Vitor Belfort, it is concerning Belfort’s future in the UFC.

Most new UFC fans don’t know a whole lot about Belfort, which gives him the chance to make a new first impresssion. If he loses, his return in the UFC could be short-lived.

For that reason, the pressure to with the fight is really on Vitor Belfort.

As for the way the fight will actually go, the fight itself should be a lot more interesting than the implications and relevance.

Vitor Belfort and Rich Franklin are both primarily strikers. But Vitor is known more for his hand speed, while Franklin is known more for being able to create angles and picking his shots.

Because of Vitor’s speed, Franklin should be looking to use his movement and conditioning to stay away from any brawling exchanges, and attempt to wear down Vitor.
Vitor needs to pressure Franklin, but needs to make sure that he does not tire himself out he can’t put Franklin away early.

Franklin and Belfort are both pretty difficult to finish, however, because they both posses significant striking power, knockout or TKO victory seems to be the most likely result in this fight. While Vitor stands the best chance early, Franklin is more likely to get the win if the fight lasts more than a round.

One of the great things about this fight, is that it shows the interesting direction that the UFC is taking in terms of promoting the sport of MMA.

The boxing world has become obsessed with fabricating relevance by handing out world titles. As a result, the sheer number of boxing titles has actually decreased the value of owning one. In contrast to that, MMA fights are now being promoted not on their relevance to the title picture, but instead on the merits of the fights themselves.

In boxing it seems like people are calling for a fighter to retire as soon as they lose the championship belt. In MMA, a fighter’s career can last far longer, because people are still interested in seeing the fights. One needs look no further back than UFC 102′s match between Couture and Nogueira to notice this.

UFC 103′s headlining match has the potential to be just as exciting as the main event of UFC 102. But if you’re still looking for title relevance, look at the fight between Mirko Cro Cop and Junior Dos Santos, as the winner there should only be a win away from a shot at Brock Lesnar.

By Darren Wong for FightMania.com

Tags: Anderson Silva, Brock Lesnar, Chuck Liddell, Junior Dos Santos, Lyoto Machida, Mirko Cro Cop, Randy Couture, Rich Franklin, Tito Ortiz, UFC, Vitor Belfort