A UFC mainstay will look to rediscover old form in an old weight class on Saturday while one of the new guard will hope to make good on a world of promise while overcoming a wave of pressure to go along with it.
In the suddenly stacked 205-pound division, new jack and old dog alike can ill afford losses in what is one of the more intriguing bits of matchmaking on the UFC 88 ledger.
Hamill Scouting Report
Ht/Wt: 6’1”/205 lbs.
Age: 31
Hometown: Loveland, Ohio
Fighting out of: Utica, N.Y.
MMA record: 4-1
Did you know? One of Hamill’s training partners for this bout was Steve Mocco, a former Division I collegiate wrestling champion who represented the U.S. at the 2008 Beijing Olympic games in freestyle wrestling as a super heavyweight.
Bio: Perhaps best known for being the only deaf competitor in UFC history, Hamill started out as Tito Ortiz’s own personal golden goose on the third season of “The Ultimate Fighter” before bowing out of the competition due to injuries.
Despite failing to take home the show’s grand prize, Hamill entered the UFC with a considerable cache thanks to his considerable wrestling pedigree. Ortiz was all but proclaiming him the second coming of Dan Gable, but a string of lackadaisical performances against middling competition stoked the fires of doubt amongst many an observer.
The baptism by fisticuffs proved a solid test of Hamill’s mettle, however, and he has since rebounded with a controversial split decision loss to Michael Bisping (Pictures) and a thorough undressing of the barbarous one, Tim Boetsch (Pictures).
Why he’ll win: In his short UFC tenure, Hamill has shown that he can rag doll opponents in the clinch and on the ground. That sort of meat-grinder style can wear down most anyone and Franklin, an undersized light heavyweight, never took on an opponent like Hamill in his first run as a 205-pounder.
Why he’ll lose: This is the first time Hamill has been matched with someone who can give him fits on the feet and on the ground. Throw in Franklin’s big-fight experience and Hamill has an awful lot to overcome given his unproven submission defense and raw striking.
The X factor: The pressure of the big-fight atmosphere that is part and parcel of the UFC can wear down any up-and-comer. How Hamill holds up under the weight of that pressure is anyone’s guess.
Photo by Sherdog.com
Rich Franklin is one of the original
division-jumping success stories,
says Tomas Rios.
Ht/Wt: 6’1”/205 lbs.
Age: 33
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Fighting out of: Cincinnati, Ohio
MMA record: 23-3 (1 NC)
Did you know? Franklin’s trainer, Matt Hume (Pictures), is one of the original pioneers of cross training in MMA. While some judge him based on his early days in shady Pancrase bouts, Hume was effectively employing both striking and grappling in the mid-90s while others were still struggling to grasp the basics of jiu-jitsu.
Bio: One of the original division-jumping success stories in MMA, Franklin started out as a talented light heavyweight who was hounded by questions of how he’d fare against the rogues’ gallery of enormous contenders waiting in the wings for him.
A disastrous knockout loss to Lyoto Machida (Pictures) provided all the motivation needed for Franklin to make the move down to middleweight -- a change that made Franklin into one of the UFC’s biggest stars as he became both the champion and face of the middleweight division.
The glory days soon came to an end, however, thanks to the unexpected arrival of Anderson Silva. The Brazilian quickly supplanted Franklin thanks to a pair of brutally one-sided fights that closed the book on Franklin’s run as the world’s premier middleweight.
Left to deal with being the second-best middleweight in the UFC, Franklin now has to return to a division that no one was sure he could handle in the first place.
Why he’ll win: Franklin’s saving grace against bigger opponents was always his versatility and intelligence, which allowed him to find the holes in his quarry’s style and exploit them with the coldhearted efficiency of an assassin. Against Hamill, Franklin has both the striking and submissions to test “The Hammer” from bell to bell.
Why he’ll lose: Versatile as Franklin’s offense may be, his wrestling has always been lacking and Hamill has no qualms about barreling forward in search of a takedown. If Franklin can’t corral the strongest part of Hamill’s repertoire, he may find himself playing a losing defensive game.
The X factor: After spending nearly four years as a physically dominant middleweight, Franklin may no longer know how to handle being the smaller man inside the cage. Worse yet, it’s hard to predict how his body will respond to a change in fighting weight.
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The bottom line: The litany of variables that make this fight so interesting also make it impossible to predict. With that said, Hamill remains a raw prospect who is still getting used to the relentlessly high level of competition that defines the UFC. Meanwhile, Franklin is a consummate professional with the skill and smarts to give Hamill fits every step of the way. Watch for Franklin to gradually take control of the bout on the feet by using fleet footwork and angles to pick apart Hamill from a distance en route to a decision win.