Post by ~ The Hype Train ~ on May 12, 2016 13:41:07 GMT -5
ManMMA 319 - FIGHT HYPE
Catchweight SuperFight
(HW) Anthony Johnson (15-4) vs. 
(MW) Rich Franklin (46-34)Rich Franklin. It's hard to peg where the elite will match-up, but we're talking about a champion who ran a 9 fight win-streak including 5 title defenses in the middleweight division. It wasn't until the unstoppable Robbie Lawlor showed up and ruined his plans to chase down the longest winning streak in ManMMA history. But since losing his title, Franklin's career has become a buffet of exciting, crowd pleasing, ticket-selling events.
At ManMMA 296, Franklin suffered a heart-breaking KO loss to challenger Robbie Lawlor at 3:13 of the first round. At Zenith-300, he was offered a chance to end the year in a big way - and when I mean big, I mean much larger than a middleweight fight. He accepted a catch-weight bout against top tier kicker, Mirko Cro Cop. Surprisingly, Rich walked away from that fight with minor bruises as he decimated Cro Cop in 71 seconds and secured the KO victory with... a high kick. It was something no fight predictor in their right mind would have offered as a potential match-ender.
His fight team failed to reach the second round of the S15 Grand Prix, but that doesn't mean Rich didn't show up to do his thing. He submitted Cung Le via arm triangle in an excellently matched fight in round 5. At 305, he took on the dangerous and legendary Anderson Silva, and knocked the brazilian out midway through round 3. Then, the second tier of the The Mighty Ducks middleweight contender stepped out front and center - Dan Henderson. After a three-round war, Henderson landed a big elbow and won by KO in round four.
At 310, Rich rebounded with another big high kick KO victory over Lyoto Machida in round 2. At 317, he got a second chance at Dan Henderson, but Hendo decimated him with punches in just under two minutes.
And here he is. Ready to rebound from a loss. If you haven't noticed, Rich likes to collect wins in bunches. He's not a firm collector of paired losses, so suggesting he's ready to go toe to toe in his next bout is an understatement. But that won't be an easy victory, as he is set to take on the #1 ranked Heavyweight fighter in Anthony Johnson.
Johnson's had some tough luck as of late. His surgence kicked off with a 7 fight win streak that resulted in him taking home the SuperFight Championship and successfully defending the title a totla of four times. It took Bas Rutten's punches to undermine the champion. At the season 15 grand prix, Johnson returned to form, knocking out both Junior dos Santos and Chuck Liddell in the first round. In the finals, he lossed to Brock Lesnar via KO in round 3. At ManMMA 307, he returned to the octagon for a shot at the number one contendership for the belt, but had to win a remacth against the beast, Brock Lesnar, do to it. He came up short, suffering another KO loss by ground and pound in the first round. But five cards later, the Rumble returned.
At ManMMA 312, Johnson crushed former champion and perenial contender Cain Velasquez with elbows, earning a KO victory in round 2. And now, the stage has been set for a catch-weight bout with Rich Franklin.
Johnson's career hasn't been a long one, but his mark has been made and it's clear to ManMMA that when it comes to Rumble, no one takes his fights lightly. As noted by his wins and losses, Johnson will push the fight to the edge and at times it gets him into trouble. At other times, he walks away with incredible highlight reel finishes and fight-night bonuses. It's what makes this match-up so damn enticing:
Can Rich Franklin go toe to toe with one of the hardest hitting heavyweights in the league?
Can Johnson withstand one of the best grapplers in the middleweight division and avoid suffering a submission loss?
Both guys are well-rounded and, just like the fans, they're fired up.
Now, it's all about who comes out on top.
Lightweight #1 Contender Bout
Frankie Edgar (31-34) vs. Ryan Hall (3-1)
Frankie Edgar (31-34) vs. Ryan Hall (3-1)
At ManMMA 319, the number one contender match for the Lightweight Division will feature relative newcomer, Ryan Hall, and veteran Frankie Edgar. It will be the pair's first encounter, but what direction is the fight headed? Let's take a closer look at how they got to the golden bridge that will only permit one to cross.
Ryan Hall has had a good start to his ManMMA career. In four fights, he's gone 3-1, including two finished - one by Rear Naked Choke over Joe Lauzon, and an Uppercut KO victory in his debut against Ian McCall. Mixed in between those fights were a split decision win over Rafael dos Anjos, and a TKO loss via elbows from Sean Sherk. Frankie Edgar fought Sean Sherk once in his ManMMA career, and Edgar walked with from that fight with a KO victory by Ground and Pound. But that was way back at ManMMA 70 and a lot has changed since then.
This is Hall's first fight against a fighter in the top 15 in the division, and Frankie Edgar has not had the easiest road to travel to get his chance. After his win at ManMMA 269, Edgar fell apart with a four fight losing streak, which culminated with a knockout defeat at the hands of Roger Huerta at ManMMA 302. After that, Edgar went back to the square one and reassessed how to get his career back on track. His first challenge came in the form of Nate Diaz, where despite the 10 cards-time-off, Edgar managed to edge out a split decision win.
That was a confidence booster. Six cards later, Edgar was ready to return to the octagon and after much preparation, he put away Akihiro Gono in the fourth round by Ground and Pound. Two wins, each an improvement on the last, and now Edgar stares down the newcomer Ryan Hall - an example of energy and freshness on the ManMMA roster.
It's a battle of the veteran vs. the rookie. The two lingering questions are:
Is Ryan Hall ready for the challenge?
And
Is Frankie Edgar ready to return to form?
Most tend to side with experience when the big-fight is on the line, but Ryan Hall might be ready to shred that opinion.
Have 9 points in celebration of this monumental achievement!