UFC 147: Rich Franklin Outpoints Wanderlei Silva in Rematch
UFC 147: Silva vs. Franklin II took place on June 23, 2012, at Mineirinho Gymnasium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Rich Franklin stepped in for the injured Vitor Belfort and defeated Wanderlei Silva by unanimous decision in a 190-pound catchweight rematch. The event also crowned the first two winners of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, while Fabricio Werdum, Hacran Dias, Rodrigo Damm, and several other Brazilian fighters delivered important performances.
Event video: UFC 147 in Belo Horizonte.
Franklin survives Silva’s second-round surge
Franklin and Silva had first met at UFC 99, where Franklin won a close unanimous decision. Their rematch came together on short notice after Belfort withdrew from the planned fight with Silva. Franklin agreed to meet Silva at 190 pounds and again found himself in a competitive five-round contest.
Franklin’s straight punches and measured combinations gave him the better of much of the opening round. Silva changed the fight dramatically late in the second, hurting Franklin with a right hand and unloading along the fence. Franklin survived the surge and recovered during the break.
From the third round onward, Franklin returned to a disciplined striking rhythm and repeatedly scored with cleaner combinations. Silva remained dangerous and pressed late, but all three judges scored the fight 49–46 for Franklin. Their back-and-forth rematch earned Fight of the Night honors.
Ferreira and Rony Jason win the first TUF Brazil finals
Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira defeated Sergio Moraes by unanimous decision to win the middleweight tournament. Ferreira used his athletic striking and takedown defense to manage the three rounds and complete a tournament run that had originally been expected to end against Daniel Sarafian before an injury changed the final.
Rony Jason won the featherweight tournament by unanimous decision over Godofredo Pepey. Jason’s cleaner striking and stronger positional work gave him the edge in a bout between two fighters who had become familiar faces to Brazilian viewers during the reality-show season.
Werdum finishes Russow; Dias wins his UFC debut
Fabricio Werdum stopped Mike Russow at 2:28 of round one. Werdum hurt him with an uppercut and followed with punches as Russow tried to recover, giving the Brazilian heavyweight his second straight UFC victory after returning to the promotion at UFC 143.
Hacran Dias made his UFC debut with a unanimous decision over Yuri Alcantara. Dias mixed takedowns and top control with steady striking and won by unanimous decision with scores of 30–27, 30–27 and 29–28.
Preliminaries produce three bonus-winning finishes
Rodrigo Damm dropped Anistavio Medeiros before finishing a rear-naked choke at 2:12 of the first round, earning Submission of the Night. Marcos Vinicius survived difficult grappling exchanges with Wagner Campos before exploding in the third round and forcing a TKO at 1:04; the comeback earned Knockout of the Night.
Francisco Trinaldo stopped Delson Heleno with punches at 4:21 of round one. Thiago Perpetuo stopped Leonardo Mafra 41 seconds into round three, and Hugo Viana edged John Teixeira by split decision. Teixeira had weighed 150 pounds, four pounds above the non-title featherweight allowance, and forfeited 25 percent of his purse.
The opening bout between Felipe Arantes and Milton Vieira ended in a split draw after three rounds.
Complete UFC 147 results
Main card
- Rich Franklin def. Wanderlei Silva — unanimous decision; round 5, 5:00. Catchweight: 190 pounds.
- Cezar Ferreira def. Sergio Moraes — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00. TUF Brazil middleweight final.
- Rony Jason def. Godofredo Pepey — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00. TUF Brazil featherweight final.
- Fabricio Werdum def. Mike Russow — TKO (punches); round 1, 2:28.
- Hacran Dias def. Yuri Alcantara — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
Preliminary card
- Rodrigo Damm def. Anistavio Medeiros — submission (rear-naked choke); round 1, 2:12.
- Francisco Trinaldo def. Delson Heleno — TKO (punches); round 1, 4:21.
- Hugo Viana def. John Teixeira — split decision; round 3, 5:00. Catchweight after Teixeira missed the featherweight limit.
- Thiago Perpetuo def. Leonardo Mafra — TKO (punches); round 3, 0:41.
- Marcos Vinicius def. Wagner Campos — TKO (knees and punches); round 3, 1:04.
- Felipe Arantes vs. Milton Vieira — split draw; round 3, 5:00.
UFC 147 was defined by Franklin’s recovery against Silva, the first TUF Brazil tournament winners, and a preliminary card that produced several of the evening’s sharpest finishes. Explore more of our MMA coverage.
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UFC 147, UFC Results, MMA History, Rich Franklin Outpoints Wanderlei Silva in Rematch
