In my eyes this is a fight where the winner gains a good deal and the loser does not lose much momentum. It is definitely possible to lose on Saturday and still have a successful 2009 overall.
The winner of this fight at 205 will be moving down to 185 to face Michael Bisping this summer after they coach head-to-head on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter.
A look at Rich FranklinFranklin is 11-2 in the UFC and if you remember correctly those two losses come at the hands of Anderson Silva. He has beat some serious competition. When entering the UFC, Franklin went on a tear and started an impressive 7-0. Then came the Silva fight and Franklin has been looking to regain his top-ranked status ever since.
You have to believe that Franklin has the better striking in this match-up. Just because you get TKO'd twice by Anderson Silva, I think it'd be way unfair to say his chin is questionable. However, I think Franklin is more susceptible to the big punch than Hendo has proven to be.
A look at Dan Henderson
Henderson is not a big name to the new, or casual, UFC fan. This point is not helped by his two losses to Rampage and Anderson Silva. What those fans have not seen were his UFC 17 tournament win or his spectacular knockout of the Axe Murderer. This is a man who held two belts simultaneously in Pride.
It is a near fact that Henderson is the better wrestler her. For this reason he can control where this fight takes place. I am uncertain that he will take this fight to the ground though. Dan loves to stand and throw as much as anyone. He has also proven to have a solid jaw to say the least. With that one punch KO power, anything can happen if the fight does stay standing.
Fight Odds
Hendo is a slight favorite. I am a bit surprised about this fact and expect the line to move closer. At press time the lines were:
Franklin EVEN
Henderson -130
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