UFC 58 - Rich Franklin (Cincy guy) vs. David Loiseau

[Cyclone792]

Just getting revved up to see the latest pride of Cincinnati, Rich Franklin, defend his Middleweight Title on March 4th at UFC 58.

http://www.richfranklin.com/news.asp?item=29

UFC: All-Access” Airs Next Week

Do you want to see what it’s like to be one of mixed martial arts’ top fighters? Tune in to Spike TV’s “UFC: All Access” next week for a glimpse into the world of UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin as he prepares for the toughest test of his career against David Loiseau at UFC 58 on March 4th.

“UFC: All Access”, which is hosted by Octagon Girl Rachelle Leah and presented by Xyience, follows Franklin through the rigorous training sessions it takes to compete at this level of the hardest sport in the world for a once in a lifetime look inside the life of a champion.

The show premieres on Thursday, February 23rd at 10:30pm, and will be replayed on Saturday, February 25th at 4:00pm, and Sunday, February 26th at 2:30am.

I guess I'll start this thing off...

Of course I am hoping Rich pulls out the win. I think he should take this match as long as he manages to stay off his back. Both Rich and Loiseau have a quality stand up game but I feel Rich should have the advantage on the feet with what he has shown recently in the octagon. Because of this, I don't think Rich is going try to put the crow on his back at any point in the match.

Loiseau has shown he isn't afraid to stand with anyone so I can see this being an exciting stand up battle until one of the two starts landing significant shots. That being said, Loiseau is going to try to use his trademark elbows anyway he can during the match. This is often hard to to with a quality striker who doesn't allow you to close the distance. This could lead to either a significant amount of time in the clinch or the takedown and ground & pound that has worked for the crow so often in the past.

This is where I think the match could get interesting. Neither Rich nor Loiseau have an extensive wrestling background. However, past fights have shown Rich to have a quality sprawl and decent takedown game while this area has often been a problem for loiseau. The crow's lack of a quality wrestling game leads me to believe that he will be unable to take this fight to the ground and Rich will pull off a 2nd round TKO victory as a result.

Even if the fight goes to the ground, Rich has been there before and my be able to survive Loiseau's Ground & Pound. However, not many have been able to survive while on the receiving end of Loiseau's elbows. This is why I think it would be in Rich's best interest to keep this fight standing where he has won so many of his fights in the past.

So after all that we all know one punch could completely change the fight but thats my prediction so GO RICH! 2nd round TKO

[TeamSelig]

I don't see Rich losing this match. In fact, I don't see Rich losing for quite a while.

[Steve4192]

As Bengals broadcaster Dave Lapham would say ... Rich opened up a HUGE can of butt-whip on the Crow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt6wG...klin%20Loiseau
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAyrW...klin%20Loiseau

I'll give Louiseau credit for hanging in there, but he probably would have been better off getting KTFO. He took an incredible beating and his face was hamburger by the end of the fight. Amazingly, Franklin broke his hand early in the second round and sprained his ankle later in the fight, yet he still managed to win all five rounds.

Hopefully, both guys recover from their injuries and get back into the octagon soon.