"Everyone has their own problems," Anderson Silva told the UFC 77 post-fight press conference Saturday night. "Mine are in the 185-pound division."
If Silva has 99 problems, Rich Franklin ain't one. Silva TKO'd the challenger in the second round with a barrage of precision striking that sent Franklin to the hospital to get his nose set for the second time in a year.
After referee John McCarthy stopped the fight, Franklin told Joe Rogan, "I just remembered I'm in Cincinnati about 30 seconds ago." Franklin was fighting before 16,054 of his hometown fans, breaking U.S. Bank Arena's single gate record with $2.54 million in ticket sales.
The Cincinnati full-house represented as poorly as their fighters, booing heavily and erupting into at least one fight.
After the event, UFC President Dana White proclaimed Anderson Silva "the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world" and awarded him the "Knockout of the Night" award worth and additional $40,000 to Silva's purse.
When asked who he'd like to fight next, Silva said, "I would love to fight my clone."
White responded, "Yeah, I'll get right on that," then mentioned Thales Leites as a possible next opponent for Silva.
Leites last fought at UFC 74 in August. He submitted Ryan Jensen, who was submitted again Saturday by debuting Demian Maia.
White also threw Alan Belcher into the 185-pound mix, but called him a "young and up-and-coming kid".
Grinning tauntingly, Belcher ate up Kalib Starnes with his striking Saturday in a fight that was ended by a gash over Starnes's right eye.
"Everytime I see [Dan Henderson], I want to head but him," White described his frustration with Henderson's disinterest in returning to the 185-pound division he ruled in PRIDE.
Noticeably absent from White's remarks on the division was Yushin Okami, a winner in all rounds by unanimous decision Saturday over Jason MacDonald. The fight was deliberately paced and won unremarkably by Okami's infamously powerful ground'n'pound.
"Boo all you want," White warned, "[Tim Sylvia] is a tough fucker!"
Sylvia was just too much man for Brandon Vera, returning after an 11-month layoff due to management changes. Sylvia wore Vera down in the clinch and connected crisply with combinatons when at a distance.
Sylvia repeated a challenge to "Sheck" Kongo before UFC Matchmaker Joe Silva corrected him to use "Cheick Kong".
"I'll call him whatever I want," Sylvia retorted and explained, "I've heard rumors. I think he's a bully and he's cocky. I think two of the biggest guys in the division should fight."
During the pay-per-view broadcast, the UFC announced the addition of another big guy, four-time All American and NCAA champion wrestler, Brock Lesnar.
White briefly mentioned the Randy Couture resignation controversy, saying "When's the last time you heard of someone resigning from a contract. I think it's stupid! You retire from a contract." He wouldn't talk about whether or not Couture had nine months left on his contract.
White also stated that a rumored Chuck Liddell versus Wanderlei Silva fight is not official, though "a possibility".
Silva had confirmed the fight, according to a report at the post-fight press conference Saturday; but, White corrected the matter.
"Fight of the Night" honors were awarded to the night's first bout, a lightweight see-saw between Matt Grice and Jason Black. The result was announced a draw, then corrected in favor of Grice.
On the UFC 77 undercard, Cincinnatian Jorge Gurgel was disappointed by Alvin Robinson in a one-sided unanimous decision. Light Heavyweight Stephan Bonnar TKO'd former training partner Eric Schaefer. Welterweight Josh Burkman stole a split decision from Forrest Petz with a flattening left hook with a minute to go in the final round.
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