VIDEO: Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva, UFC 99

Decent fight, not too over-exciting. I wonder how long until Wanderlei packs it in?

VIDEO: Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva, UFC 99
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Rich Franklin rebounded from his controversial decision loss to Dan Henderson by defeating legendary veteran Wanderlei Silva via unanimous decision in a 195-pound catch-weight bout Saturday at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany.

The UFC 99 main event was a close 15-minute battle in which both fighters were on the verge of finishing the duel.

Franklin (25-4) took control in the first round, scoring with effective strikes while staying out of range and frustrating Silva, who was looking to counter. Silva did score a late takedown but could not do much with it.

There was a scare for the former UFC middleweight champ in the second period. Silva landed a hard right hand to the temple of Franklin that left him staggering backward. Silva swarmed but could not find the mark with any of his strikes.

"You know when you get hit and you see black for a second?” said Franklin of the second-round strike. “Everything came to, not like the ones where I get hit and I don't remember where I am for a few minutes."

The third round was a seesaw battle with both fighters scoring with strikes. Silva (32-10-1) charged forward throughout the round, throwing haymakers and imploring the German audience to cheer. Franklin weathered the storm and picked his shots as well, eventually scoring a takedown along the cage with less than a minute left in the fight. Silva climbed back to his feet with just seconds remaining in the bout, but it was not enough for the former Pride champion.

VIDEO: Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva, UFC 99