UFC 77 – Hostile Territory – Countdown
There are basically two main events for this pay per view.
First is Rich Franklin trying to avenge his title loss to Anderson Silva. Rich does seem a lot more refocused for this fight, but Silva is a very well rounded fighter. A lot of fighters are classified as ‘well rounded’ but Silva is not mediocre at a few things, he is outstanding at numerous aspects of the game. As much as I like Franklin and respect his game, I have a hard time seeing him winning this fight.
Brandon “The Truth” Vera will challenge Tim “The Maine-iac” Silvia for a contender spot for the heavyweight championship title vacated by Randy Couture. Some herald Vera as the new breed and future of the heavyweight division. He is a perfect 8-0 although the criticism is that he is untested. Silvia did not look very good in his last few outings including a title loss to Couture; however, Silvia has since had his back injury taken care of and claims to be in top form. There are two questions for this match – which Tim Silvia will we see and even if we see the best Tim Silvia, can that version beat Vera? This should be a great fight. Vera hasn’t found in the UFC due to managerial issues but says he has been training the whole time. Training is not the same as fighting, but Vera will be truly tested facing Silvia at UFC 77.