THE CANADIAN PRESS
CINCINNATI — Rich Franklin insists Saturday night’s showdown against UFC champion Anderson Silva is just another bout. A fight is a fight, he argues.
Using that logic, UFC 64 last October — when the Brazilian took the middleweight title away from Franklin — was just another outing for Franklin.
Neither is true, whatever Franklin chooses to think.
Silva rocked Franklin’s world that night, punishing his body with knees before smashing his face. Franklin had no answers for Silva’s Thai clinch and paid a nasty price. The lanky Brazilian clamped his hands behind Franklin’s head and demolished the champion in two minutes 59 seconds, denting his reputation while shattering his nose and spreading it an unnatural angle across his face. Facial surgery ensued.
Saturday night’s mixed martial arts rematch at UFC 77: Hostile Territory (available on pay-per-view) offers redemption, revenge, payback and a chance to get his title back. Still Franklin (23-2 including 9-1 in the UFC) is playing it cool.
"Mentally I’ve really tried to eliminate all that stuff out of the equation — the title and all that," he calmly told a news conference Thursday. "To me, a fight’s a fight… . I think I just want to win a little more this time because he beat me last time — and such the fashion that he did, as well. It changes things a little bit."
About as outspoken as Franklin gets is on the UFC’s "Countdown to UFC 77" TV show, in which the former high school teacher concedes he didn’t fight well first time out and has "unfinished business" with Silva (19-4 and 4-0 in the UFC).
With Silva not speaking English and Franklin opting not to stir the pot, the buildup to UFC 77 has been quiet. The fireworks will come in the cage, if the rematch is anything like the first time out.
Franklin, 33, has been questioned for his performance in the lopsided title loss at UFC 64 — "He did nothing," UFC president Dana White said.
The former champion acknowledges his head wasn’t right first time round.
"I think there was a lack of mental focus in that fight and that’s a part of the reason why we went to Wyoming to train, especially with the fight being here in Cincinnati — a lot of distractions," he explained.
Under a spotlight with the fight in his hometown, Franklin took his entire 10-man camp to Pinedale, Wyo., for the final three weeks of preparation. The 82-room Baymont Inn is no Ritz — lightweight Jorge Gurgel called it basic, but said it had everything the fighters needed — including peace and quiet, given its location 130 kilometres outside of Jackson Hole. The one luxury was a hot tub.
The fighters trained, slept and ate. There were no distractions.
"Due to that space and nothing to do between training sessions, we were able to relax, get mentally ready for the next one," Gurgel said. "So every workout, we gave 100 per cent. And that made a huge difference in the way we feel right now.".
The hotel owner, Greg Charles, trains at one of Gurgel’s schools and provided the fighters five rooms free of charge for three weeks.
Gurgel said the isolation got to him towards the end. Pinedale, population 1,500, has one video store and it rents VHS.
The town cinema is only open Friday and Saturdays and when the five fighters walked in one Friday night to see "3:10 to Yuma," they were told the film wasn’t going to show because anything less than 10 patrons wouldn’t be enough to pay the projectionist. So they dug deeper into their pocket to make up the difference.
Pinedale may be small but has a big heart, according to Gurgel, who says the town and its inhabitants will be in the back of his and Franklin’s minds when they both fight Saturday.
Franklin may have his hands full. While the 185-pound weight class is arguably the UFC’s weakest, White considers Silva the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet today.
Silva, meanwhile, seems unfazed about meeting Franklin in his backyard.
"I’m prepared to fight wherever the UFC would like me to fight," the 32-year-old Silva said Thursday through an interpreter. "As far as the pressure, I believe that there’s just as much pressure on him as there is on me. He’s fighting in front of his hometown … we’ll see on Saturday night.".
There are two Canadians on the card: Jason (The Athlete) MacDonald of Red Deer, Alta., takes on Japan’s Yushin Okami while fellow middleweight Kalib Starnes of Vancouver tackles Alan (The Talent) Belcher.
In the co-main event, former heavyweight champion Tim (The Maine-iac) Sylvia meets Brandon (The Truth) Vera. The bout is the first for the six-foot-eight Sylvia since back surgery that followed his March title loss to Randy Couture at UFC 68 in Columbus, Ohio.
Vera has been out for 11 months because of a managerial dispute.
THE CANADIAN PRESS
CINCINNATI — Rich Franklin insists Saturday night’s showdown against UFC champion Anderson Silva is just another bout. A fight is a fight, he argues.
Using that logic, UFC 64 last October — when the Brazilian took the middleweight title away from Franklin — was just another outing for Franklin.
Neither is true, whatever Franklin chooses to think.
Silva rocked Franklin’s world that night, punishing his body with knees before smashing his face. Franklin had no answers for Silva’s Thai clinch and paid a nasty price. The lanky Brazilian clamped his hands behind Franklin’s head and demolished the champion in two minutes 59 seconds, denting his reputation while shattering his nose and spreading it an unnatural angle across his face. Facial surgery ensued.
Saturday night’s mixed martial arts rematch at UFC 77: Hostile Territory (available on pay-per-view) offers redemption, revenge, payback and a chance to get his title back. Still Franklin (23-2 including 9-1 in the UFC) is playing it cool.
"Mentally I’ve really tried to eliminate all that stuff out of the equation — the title and all that," he calmly told a news conference Thursday. "To me, a fight’s a fight… . I think I just want to win a little more this time because he beat me last time — and such the fashion that he did, as well. It changes things a little bit."
About as outspoken as Franklin gets is on the UFC’s "Countdown to UFC 77" TV show, in which the former high school teacher concedes he didn’t fight well first time out and has "unfinished business" with Silva (19-4 and 4-0 in the UFC).
With Silva not speaking English and Franklin opting not to stir the pot, the buildup to UFC 77 has been quiet. The fireworks will come in the cage, if the rematch is anything like the first time out.
Franklin, 33, has been questioned for his performance in the lopsided title loss at UFC 64 — "He did nothing," UFC president Dana White said.
The former champion acknowledges his head wasn’t right first time round.
"I think there was a lack of mental focus in that fight and that’s a part of the reason why we went to Wyoming to train, especially with the fight being here in Cincinnati — a lot of distractions," he explained.
Under a spotlight with the fight in his hometown, Franklin took his entire 10-man camp to Pinedale, Wyo., for the final three weeks of preparation. The 82-room Baymont Inn is no Ritz — lightweight Jorge Gurgel called it basic, but said it had everything the fighters needed — including peace and quiet, given its location 130 kilometres outside of Jackson Hole. The one luxury was a hot tub.
The fighters trained, slept and ate. There were no distractions.
"Due to that space and nothing to do between training sessions, we were able to relax, get mentally ready for the next one," Gurgel said. "So every workout, we gave 100 per cent. And that made a huge difference in the way we feel right now.".
The hotel owner, Greg Charles, trains at one of Gurgel’s schools and provided the fighters five rooms free of charge for three weeks.
Gurgel said the isolation got to him towards the end. Pinedale, population 1,500, has one video store and it rents VHS.
The town cinema is only open Friday and Saturdays and when the five fighters walked in one Friday night to see "3:10 to Yuma," they were told the film wasn’t going to show because anything less than 10 patrons wouldn’t be enough to pay the projectionist. So they dug deeper into their pocket to make up the difference.
Pinedale may be small but has a big heart, according to Gurgel, who says the town and its inhabitants will be in the back of his and Franklin’s minds when they both fight Saturday.
Franklin may have his hands full. While the 185-pound weight class is arguably the UFC’s weakest, White considers Silva the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet today.
Silva, meanwhile, seems unfazed about meeting Franklin in his backyard.
"I’m prepared to fight wherever the UFC would like me to fight," the 32-year-old Silva said Thursday through an interpreter. "As far as the pressure, I believe that there’s just as much pressure on him as there is on me. He’s fighting in front of his hometown … we’ll see on Saturday night.".
There are two Canadians on the card: Jason (The Athlete) MacDonald of Red Deer, Alta., takes on Japan’s Yushin Okami while fellow middleweight Kalib Starnes of Vancouver tackles Alan (The Talent) Belcher.
In the co-main event, former heavyweight champion Tim (The Maine-iac) Sylvia meets Brandon (The Truth) Vera. The bout is the first for the six-foot-eight Sylvia since back surgery that followed his March title loss to Randy Couture at UFC 68 in Columbus, Ohio.
Vera has been out for 11 months because of a managerial dispute.
THE CANADIAN PRESS
CINCINNATI — Rich Franklin insists Saturday night’s showdown against UFC champion Anderson Silva is just another bout. A fight is a fight, he argues.
Using that logic, UFC 64 last October — when the Brazilian took the middleweight title away from Franklin — was just another outing for Franklin.
Neither is true, whatever Franklin chooses to think.
Silva rocked Franklin’s world that night, punishing his body with knees before smashing his face. Franklin had no answers for Silva’s Thai clinch and paid a nasty price. The lanky Brazilian clamped his hands behind Franklin’s head and demolished the champion in two minutes 59 seconds, denting his reputation while shattering his nose and spreading it an unnatural angle across his face. Facial surgery ensued.
Saturday night’s mixed martial arts rematch at UFC 77: Hostile Territory (available on pay-per-view) offers redemption, revenge, payback and a chance to get his title back. Still Franklin (23-2 including 9-1 in the UFC) is playing it cool.
"Mentally I’ve really tried to eliminate all that stuff out of the equation — the title and all that," he calmly told a news conference Thursday. "To me, a fight’s a fight… . I think I just want to win a little more this time because he beat me last time — and such the fashion that he did, as well. It changes things a little bit."
About as outspoken as Franklin gets is on the UFC’s "Countdown to UFC 77" TV show, in which the former high school teacher concedes he didn’t fight well first time out and has "unfinished business" with Silva (19-4 and 4-0 in the UFC).
With Silva not speaking English and Franklin opting not to stir the pot, the buildup to UFC 77 has been quiet. The fireworks will come in the cage, if the rematch is anything like the first time out.
Franklin, 33, has been questioned for his performance in the lopsided title loss at UFC 64 — "He did nothing," UFC president Dana White said.
The former champion acknowledges his head wasn’t right first time round.
"I think there was a lack of mental focus in that fight and that’s a part of the reason why we went to Wyoming to train, especially with the fight being here in Cincinnati — a lot of distractions," he explained.
Under a spotlight with the fight in his hometown, Franklin took his entire 10-man camp to Pinedale, Wyo., for the final three weeks of preparation. The 82-room Baymont Inn is no Ritz — lightweight Jorge Gurgel called it basic, but said it had everything the fighters needed — including peace and quiet, given its location 130 kilometres outside of Jackson Hole. The one luxury was a hot tub.
The fighters trained, slept and ate. There were no distractions.
"Due to that space and nothing to do between training sessions, we were able to relax, get mentally ready for the next one," Gurgel said. "So every workout, we gave 100 per cent. And that made a huge difference in the way we feel right now.".
The hotel owner, Greg Charles, trains at one of Gurgel’s schools and provided the fighters five rooms free of charge for three weeks.
Gurgel said the isolation got to him towards the end. Pinedale, population 1,500, has one video store and it rents VHS.
The town cinema is only open Friday and Saturdays and when the five fighters walked in one Friday night to see "3:10 to Yuma," they were told the film wasn’t going to show because anything less than 10 patrons wouldn’t be enough to pay the projectionist. So they dug deeper into their pocket to make up the difference.
Pinedale may be small but has a big heart, according to Gurgel, who says the town and its inhabitants will be in the back of his and Franklin’s minds when they both fight Saturday.
Franklin may have his hands full. While the 185-pound weight class is arguably the UFC’s weakest, White considers Silva the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet today.
Silva, meanwhile, seems unfazed about meeting Franklin in his backyard.
"I’m prepared to fight wherever the UFC would like me to fight," the 32-year-old Silva said Thursday through an interpreter. "As far as the pressure, I believe that there’s just as much pressure on him as there is on me. He’s fighting in front of his hometown … we’ll see on Saturday night.".
There are two Canadians on the card: Jason (The Athlete) MacDonald of Red Deer, Alta., takes on Japan’s Yushin Okami while fellow middleweight Kalib Starnes of Vancouver tackles Alan (The Talent) Belcher.
In the co-main event, former heavyweight champion Tim (The Maine-iac) Sylvia meets Brandon (The Truth) Vera. The bout is the first for the six-foot-eight Sylvia since back surgery that followed his March title loss to Randy Couture at UFC 68 in Columbus, Ohio.
Vera has been out for 11 months because of a managerial dispute.
THE CANADIAN PRESS
CINCINNATI — Rich Franklin insists Saturday night’s showdown against UFC champion Anderson Silva is just another bout. A fight is a fight, he argues.
Using that logic, UFC 64 last October — when the Brazilian took the middleweight title away from Franklin — was just another outing for Franklin.
Neither is true, whatever Franklin chooses to think.
Silva rocked Franklin’s world that night, punishing his body with knees before smashing his face. Franklin had no answers for Silva’s Thai clinch and paid a nasty price. The lanky Brazilian clamped his hands behind Franklin’s head and demolished the champion in two minutes 59 seconds, denting his reputation while shattering his nose and spreading it an unnatural angle across his face. Facial surgery ensued.
Saturday night’s mixed martial arts rematch at UFC 77: Hostile Territory (available on pay-per-view) offers redemption, revenge, payback and a chance to get his title back. Still Franklin (23-2 including 9-1 in the UFC) is playing it cool.
"Mentally I’ve really tried to eliminate all that stuff out of the equation — the title and all that," he calmly told a news conference Thursday. "To me, a fight’s a fight… . I think I just want to win a little more this time because he beat me last time — and such the fashion that he did, as well. It changes things a little bit."
About as outspoken as Franklin gets is on the UFC’s "Countdown to UFC 77" TV show, in which the former high school teacher concedes he didn’t fight well first time out and has "unfinished business" with Silva (19-4 and 4-0 in the UFC).
With Silva not speaking English and Franklin opting not to stir the pot, the buildup to UFC 77 has been quiet. The fireworks will come in the cage, if the rematch is anything like the first time out.
Franklin, 33, has been questioned for his performance in the lopsided title loss at UFC 64 — "He did nothing," UFC president Dana White said.
The former champion acknowledges his head wasn’t right first time round.
"I think there was a lack of mental focus in that fight and that’s a part of the reason why we went to Wyoming to train, especially with the fight being here in Cincinnati — a lot of distractions," he explained.
Under a spotlight with the fight in his hometown, Franklin took his entire 10-man camp to Pinedale, Wyo., for the final three weeks of preparation. The 82-room Baymont Inn is no Ritz — lightweight Jorge Gurgel called it basic, but said it had everything the fighters needed — including peace and quiet, given its location 130 kilometres outside of Jackson Hole. The one luxury was a hot tub.
The fighters trained, slept and ate. There were no distractions.
"Due to that space and nothing to do between training sessions, we were able to relax, get mentally ready for the next one," Gurgel said. "So every workout, we gave 100 per cent. And that made a huge difference in the way we feel right now.".
The hotel owner, Greg Charles, trains at one of Gurgel’s schools and provided the fighters five rooms free of charge for three weeks.
Gurgel said the isolation got to him towards the end. Pinedale, population 1,500, has one video store and it rents VHS.
The town cinema is only open Friday and Saturdays and when the five fighters walked in one Friday night to see "3:10 to Yuma," they were told the film wasn’t going to show because anything less than 10 patrons wouldn’t be enough to pay the projectionist. So they dug deeper into their pocket to make up the difference.
Pinedale may be small but has a big heart, according to Gurgel, who says the town and its inhabitants will be in the back of his and Franklin’s minds when they both fight Saturday.
Franklin may have his hands full. While the 185-pound weight class is arguably the UFC’s weakest, White considers Silva the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet today.
Silva, meanwhile, seems unfazed about meeting Franklin in his backyard.
"I’m prepared to fight wherever the UFC would like me to fight," the 32-year-old Silva said Thursday through an interpreter. "As far as the pressure, I believe that there’s just as much pressure on him as there is on me. He’s fighting in front of his hometown … we’ll see on Saturday night.".
There are two Canadians on the card: Jason (The Athlete) MacDonald of Red Deer, Alta., takes on Japan’s Yushin Okami while fellow middleweight Kalib Starnes of Vancouver tackles Alan (The Talent) Belcher.
In the co-main event, former heavyweight champion Tim (The Maine-iac) Sylvia meets Brandon (The Truth) Vera. The bout is the first for the six-foot-eight Sylvia since back surgery that followed his March title loss to Randy Couture at UFC 68 in Columbus, Ohio.
Vera has been out for 11 months because of a managerial dispute.
THE CANADIAN PRESS
CINCINNATI — Rich Franklin insists Saturday night’s showdown against UFC champion Anderson Silva is just another bout. A fight is a fight, he argues.
Using that logic, UFC 64 last October — when the Brazilian took the middleweight title away from Franklin — was just another outing for Franklin.
Neither is true, whatever Franklin chooses to think.
Silva rocked Franklin’s world that night, punishing his body with knees before smashing his face. Franklin had no answers for Silva’s Thai clinch and paid a nasty price. The lanky Brazilian clamped his hands behind Franklin’s head and demolished the champion in two minutes 59 seconds, denting his reputation while shattering his nose and spreading it an unnatural angle across his face. Facial surgery ensued.
Saturday night’s mixed martial arts rematch at UFC 77: Hostile Territory (available on pay-per-view) offers redemption, revenge, payback and a chance to get his title back. Still Franklin (23-2 including 9-1 in the UFC) is playing it cool.
"Mentally I’ve really tried to eliminate all that stuff out of the equation — the title and all that," he calmly told a news conference Thursday. "To me, a fight’s a fight… . I think I just want to win a little more this time because he beat me last time — and such the fashion that he did, as well. It changes things a little bit."
About as outspoken as Franklin gets is on the UFC’s "Countdown to UFC 77" TV show, in which the former high school teacher concedes he didn’t fight well first time out and has "unfinished business" with Silva (19-4 and 4-0 in the UFC).
With Silva not speaking English and Franklin opting not to stir the pot, the buildup to UFC 77 has been quiet. The fireworks will come in the cage, if the rematch is anything like the first time out.
Franklin, 33, has been questioned for his performance in the lopsided title loss at UFC 64 — "He did nothing," UFC president Dana White said.
The former champion acknowledges his head wasn’t right first time round.
"I think there was a lack of mental focus in that fight and that’s a part of the reason why we went to Wyoming to train, especially with the fight being here in Cincinnati — a lot of distractions," he explained.
Under a spotlight with the fight in his hometown, Franklin took his entire 10-man camp to Pinedale, Wyo., for the final three weeks of preparation. The 82-room Baymont Inn is no Ritz — lightweight Jorge Gurgel called it basic, but said it had everything the fighters needed — including peace and quiet, given its location 130 kilometres outside of Jackson Hole. The one luxury was a hot tub.
The fighters trained, slept and ate. There were no distractions.
"Due to that space and nothing to do between training sessions, we were able to relax, get mentally ready for the next one," Gurgel said. "So every workout, we gave 100 per cent. And that made a huge difference in the way we feel right now.".
The hotel owner, Greg Charles, trains at one of Gurgel’s schools and provided the fighters five rooms free of charge for three weeks.
Gurgel said the isolation got to him towards the end. Pinedale, population 1,500, has one video store and it rents VHS.
The town cinema is only open Friday and Saturdays and when the five fighters walked in one Friday night to see "3:10 to Yuma," they were told the film wasn’t going to show because anything less than 10 patrons wouldn’t be enough to pay the projectionist. So they dug deeper into their pocket to make up the difference.
Pinedale may be small but has a big heart, according to Gurgel, who says the town and its inhabitants will be in the back of his and Franklin’s minds when they both fight Saturday.
Franklin may have his hands full. While the 185-pound weight class is arguably the UFC’s weakest, White considers Silva the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet today.
Silva, meanwhile, seems unfazed about meeting Franklin in his backyard.
"I’m prepared to fight wherever the UFC would like me to fight," the 32-year-old Silva said Thursday through an interpreter. "As far as the pressure, I believe that there’s just as much pressure on him as there is on me. He’s fighting in front of his hometown … we’ll see on Saturday night.".
There are two Canadians on the card: Jason (The Athlete) MacDonald of Red Deer, Alta., takes on Japan’s Yushin Okami while fellow middleweight Kalib Starnes of Vancouver tackles Alan (The Talent) Belcher.
In the co-main event, former heavyweight champion Tim (The Maine-iac) Sylvia meets Brandon (The Truth) Vera. The bout is the first for the six-foot-eight Sylvia since back surgery that followed his March title loss to Randy Couture at UFC 68 in Columbus, Ohio.
Vera has been out for 11 months because of a managerial dispute.
THE CANADIAN PRESS
CINCINNATI — Rich Franklin insists Saturday night’s showdown against UFC champion Anderson Silva is just another bout. A fight is a fight, he argues.
Using that logic, UFC 64 last October — when the Brazilian took the middleweight title away from Franklin — was just another outing for Franklin.
Neither is true, whatever Franklin chooses to think.
Silva rocked Franklin’s world that night, punishing his body with knees before smashing his face. Franklin had no answers for Silva’s Thai clinch and paid a nasty price. The lanky Brazilian clamped his hands behind Franklin’s head and demolished the champion in two minutes 59 seconds, denting his reputation while shattering his nose and spreading it an unnatural angle across his face. Facial surgery ensued.
Saturday night’s mixed martial arts rematch at UFC 77: Hostile Territory (available on pay-per-view) offers redemption, revenge, payback and a chance to get his title back. Still Franklin (23-2 including 9-1 in the UFC) is playing it cool.
"Mentally I’ve really tried to eliminate all that stuff out of the equation — the title and all that," he calmly told a news conference Thursday. "To me, a fight’s a fight… . I think I just want to win a little more this time because he beat me last time — and such the fashion that he did, as well. It changes things a little bit."
About as outspoken as Franklin gets is on the UFC’s "Countdown to UFC 77" TV show, in which the former high school teacher concedes he didn’t fight well first time out and has "unfinished business" with Silva (19-4 and 4-0 in the UFC).
With Silva not speaking English and Franklin opting not to stir the pot, the buildup to UFC 77 has been quiet. The fireworks will come in the cage, if the rematch is anything like the first time out.
Franklin, 33, has been questioned for his performance in the lopsided title loss at UFC 64 — "He did nothing," UFC president Dana White said.
The former champion acknowledges his head wasn’t right first time round.
"I think there was a lack of mental focus in that fight and that’s a part of the reason why we went to Wyoming to train, especially with the fight being here in Cincinnati — a lot of distractions," he explained.
Under a spotlight with the fight in his hometown, Franklin took his entire 10-man camp to Pinedale, Wyo., for the final three weeks of preparation. The 82-room Baymont Inn is no Ritz — lightweight Jorge Gurgel called it basic, but said it had everything the fighters needed — including peace and quiet, given its location 130 kilometres outside of Jackson Hole. The one luxury was a hot tub.
The fighters trained, slept and ate. There were no distractions.
"Due to that space and nothing to do between training sessions, we were able to relax, get mentally ready for the next one," Gurgel said. "So every workout, we gave 100 per cent. And that made a huge difference in the way we feel right now.".
The hotel owner, Greg Charles, trains at one of Gurgel’s schools and provided the fighters five rooms free of charge for three weeks.
Gurgel said the isolation got to him towards the end. Pinedale, population 1,500, has one video store and it rents VHS.
The town cinema is only open Friday and Saturdays and when the five fighters walked in one Friday night to see "3:10 to Yuma," they were told the film wasn’t going to show because anything less than 10 patrons wouldn’t be enough to pay the projectionist. So they dug deeper into their pocket to make up the difference.
Pinedale may be small but has a big heart, according to Gurgel, who says the town and its inhabitants will be in the back of his and Franklin’s minds when they both fight Saturday.
Franklin may have his hands full. While the 185-pound weight class is arguably the UFC’s weakest, White considers Silva the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet today.
Silva, meanwhile, seems unfazed about meeting Franklin in his backyard.
"I’m prepared to fight wherever the UFC would like me to fight," the 32-year-old Silva said Thursday through an interpreter. "As far as the pressure, I believe that there’s just as much pressure on him as there is on me. He’s fighting in front of his hometown … we’ll see on Saturday night.".
There are two Canadians on the card: Jason (The Athlete) MacDonald of Red Deer, Alta., takes on Japan’s Yushin Okami while fellow middleweight Kalib Starnes of Vancouver tackles Alan (The Talent) Belcher.
In the co-main event, former heavyweight champion Tim (The Maine-iac) Sylvia meets Brandon (The Truth) Vera. The bout is the first for the six-foot-eight Sylvia since back surgery that followed his March title loss to Randy Couture at UFC 68 in Columbus, Ohio. Vera has been out for 11 months because of a managerial dispute.
