THE UFC CONTINUES its quest for global domination with its historic first ever event in China this weekend as Rich Franklin and Cung Le look to put on a good show in front of a potentially lucrative new market.
In a move that has been seen as long overdue, Dana White and co bring their take on MMA to a country that is steeped in martial arts history and will look to do a similar job as the “PRIDE FC” organisation did in Japan before they folded in 2007.
Tiequan Zhang is the sole Chinese representative on the card and will no doubt have the support of the whole arena when he faces Jon Tuck while Thiago Silva, Takanori Gomi and Dong Hyun Kim are all in action.
Return to middleweight for Franklin
Rich Franklin returns to the division where he once held the belt in as he fancies one last tilt at the title before he hangs up his gloves. In Cung Le, he faces an unorthodox striker who is coming into this fight off the back of an impressive win over Patrick Cote.
Le used his kicks effectively to overcome Cote in his last bout but his cardio was once again called into question as he weakened considerably in round three, something he cannot afford to do against Franklin.
Ace’s cardio was always one of his strong points which would make him favourite if the fight goes the distance but that might not be the case as both men have a plenty of KO victories on their records.
Cung Le’s form is as erratic as his fighting style and with Rich Franklin finally putting all his injury worries behind him everything points to a Franklin victory. Whether this is the start of one last title run for Franklin however, remains to be seen.
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Best of the rest
Dong Hyun Kim and Paulo Thiago were both touted as potential champions at one stage in their respective careers but both have suffered some devastating defeats recently that has knocked them down the divisional ladder. Kim lasted only 47 seconds in his last fight with Damien Maia when a bizarre rib injury robbed him of the chance to compete properly while Thiago lasted 5 seconds less than Kim as he was KO’d by Siyar Bahadurzada last April.
Both men have notable victories over top contenders on their records and while Kim could be regarded as better on the ground, Thiago is better on the feet so the outcome will rest on where the fight takes place.
Thiago Silva’s place in the organisation is on the line after losing three of his last four fights and he faces the unbeaten Bulgarian, Stanislav Nedkov, who returns to the Octagon after stopping Luis Cane in his debut.
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In truth, this fight could prove to be the final nail in the coffin for Silva’s chequered UFC career which has stalled completely, having never recovered after failing two drug tests in 2011. Nedkov’s stock could improve rapidly with a win over the Brazilian. Takanori Gomi and Mac Danzig and Jon Tuck and Tiequan Zhang make up the main card.
