UFC 147: Wanderlei Silva disappointed in loss of Vitor Belfort, looks to put on a show against Rich Franklin

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Wanderlei Silva is not a fan of Vitor Belfort. The two fought back in 1998, with a then-21-year-old Belfort knocking Silva out in just 44 seconds. The two wouldn't be brought back together until 14 years later, coaching against one another on the UFC's first international edition of The Ultimate Fighter.

They were set to then square off on this weekend's UFC 147 card in Brazil, but Belfort was forced out of the event after suffering a broken hand in training, bringing Rich Franklin in for Silva to face a second time. The loss of Belfort was a development that was especially disappointing for Silva, and at the time he wasn't sure what it was going to mean for him on this card.

"I was scared because I didn't know if I'd have another opponent," Silva said in an interview with MMAJunkie.com. "It was bad for me. I had trained hard, and I was ready for the fight."

"It was a chance to beat him. I trained for him for two months and I was in really good condition. But I know some day, we're going to fight. No problem. ? I [didn't] like to work with him [on the show]. Someday, I hope we're going to fight."

With Belfort out of the picture for now, Silva is turning his attention to Franklin and, more importantly, giving his home country fans a show on Saturday night.

"Franklin's a really good fighter, and I'm hoping we're going to put on a good show here in Brazil," he said. "The fans understand ? injuries happen. Now we have another good name ? Franklin was the last champion before Anderson [Silva]. He's got a good name, a lot of fans know him in Brazil and the event's going to be a big success. It's a great opportunity and I'm so happy to be fighting in my home country."

Penick's Analysis: The motivations for the fight are immensely different for Silva against Franklin than they were against Belfort, and that could potentially work against him. His desire to put on a show for the fans in Brazil could lead him to be overly reckless, which in turn plays into Franklin's hands. Franklin is wholly capable of delivering a knockout blow in a flurry, and he's not easy to bum-rush and take out unless your name is Anderson Silva. This is a dangerous fight for Silva regardless, and him looking to put on a show may just make it even more dangerous for him.

[Wanderlei Silva art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

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