Free Fight Of The Day: Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin

There was once a time when the UFC Middleweight division was not held hostage by Anderson Silva. It may seem like centuries ago, but in fact it was only circa 2006 when Rich Franklin was the 185lb. king. At UFC 64: Unstoppable, Franklin put his title on the line against Anderson Silva.

Silva was known to most casual fans for his time in Pride FC and his vicious knockout of Chris Leben, in his UFC debut. The Spider certainly didn’t have the aura of mystery that he possesses today, and many fans expected ‘Ace’ to put Silva away. They couldn’t have been more wrong.

What transpired was a muay thai masterclass, ending in brutal fashion. I’ve always been a fan of Franklin, and a little piece of me died at UFC 64 when Silva put the works on him. Check out the full fight video below and stay tuned to Lowkick!