[bigboydan]

After Chuck Liddell, heavily favored and the most popular figure in mixed martial arts, went down in UFC 71 to Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, upsets are suddenly being talked up in the upcoming UFC matches. Could Rich Franklin be next when he faces Yushin Okami in the main match on the card?

What if Apollo Creed had won the second fight, too?
Will another MMA legend go down at UFC 72?

That’s what it feels like right now in the world of mixed martial arts. Chuck Liddell, the most popular figure in MMA today, was expected to get his revenge on Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson two weeks ago at UFC 71. Instead, Jackson was every bit as dominant as he was four years ago when these two fighters met in Japan. It only took 1:53 for Jackson (+160) to score the technical knockout after putting Liddell down with a right to the jaw.

Now upset is the buzzword in MMA circles. Chalk used to be the king of the octagon, with the best fighters monopolizing both the victories and the purses. This still happens, especially when it comes to the payouts, but lesser-regarded fighters are picking up more and more wins as the level of competition in the sport continues to rise.

This is not a good sign for Rich 'Ace' Franklin. The former UFC middleweight champion is still feeling the sting of losing his belt last October to Anderson Silva as an even-money favorite. Franklin got his groove back in March with a victory over Jason McDonald, a fighter who simply isn’t at Franklin’s level. Now Franklin has June 16 circled on his calendar; that’s when he faces Japan’s Yushin Okami at the main event of UFC 72 in Belfast.

Okami isn’t exactly what the UFC had in mind. Franklin’s opponent was originally scheduled to be Martin Kampmann, but plans changed when Kampmann withdrew due to a knee injury. Franklin emphasized on his website that he will "continue preparing a fight...not a person."

But he’ll be preparing for a better fight than he anticipated. Kampmann’s 20-2 record in MMA was built almost entirely in minor federations; Okami (20-3) is a Top-10 fighter with a respected background in Japan.

Franklin carries -200 odds into this bout; Liddell had the same price when he fell to Jackson at UFC 71. It isn’t easy staying on top of the mountain these days. As Dave Doyle pointed out for FOX, there is a horde of challengers lining up at the door, and they are doing whatever they can to get in, including watching every minute of every match on video.

Doyle also says that some of the elite fighters who have lost of late were simply being lazy. Franklin does not fall into that category. One of the reasons Franklin is considered one of the best in the game is his outstanding work ethic, on full display both mentally and physically. The Cincinnati alum has a master’s degree in education and a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Liddell may have been distracted versus Jackson by his media commitments; some may fear Franklin will likewise be looking ahead to a potential rematch with Silva. He is unlikely, though, to lose focus on the task at hand.

Not that it does Franklin any good to have his task change the month before the fight. His new opponent has already beaten Silva (albeit via DQ) and would love just as much as Franklin to bag a big-money rematch. Okami will also have a short time to prepare for June 16, but he should have no ring rust to speak of after fighting five times in the past 12 months, the last four of those in UFC. And he’ll have a little added motivation after rumors that Franklin’s camp wanted Okami to replace Kampmann, thereby avoiding No. 3-ranked middleweight Paulo Filho.

The other matches on the main card for UFC 72 are Forrest Griffin vs. Hector Ramirez, Tyson Griffin vs. Clay Guida, and the aforementioned Jason MacDonald vs. Rory Singer. The host venue in Belfast will be The Odyssey, the largest indoor stadium in all of Ireland.

[goldengoat]

1st of all Franklin is not a MMA legend

not even close IMO

he is good but has a long way to become a legend

Okami can beat Rich especially in a 3 round match

I would take Rich in a 5 rounder

Okami is good at smothering his opponents offense but he is not good when the other person flurries on him as he will either back straight up or duck and shoot (knee him in the face)

edge to Rich but Okami has a shot at him

my odds would be Rich -180

[bigboydan]

I'm expecting some Dogs to finally start cashing UFC 73.

[goldengoat]

dogs have been cashing in MMA over the last 5-6 months far more frequently than the past 3 years

people often refer to this as "the year of the upset" on the forums as compared to other years where chalk ruled 90% of the time

the price on favorites were insane but recently they have been leveling off due to upsets

[bigboydan]

Heres the promo for UFC 72

[shady610]

it should be all chalk for this one.

[moses millsap]

I'm expecting some Dogs to finally start cashing UFC 73.

Dogs been cashing like crazy in UFC.

[slacker00]

BBD, did you write that article. Good info, my man.

I am 6 months behind in the UFC because I only get it when the DVD comes out.

I just saw Franklin get his face smashed in by Silva (UFC 64). IMO, Franklin's game plan was totally bogus. Franklin thought he would get the best of the clinch, which was exactly the opposite of what happened. He was just like a child when Silva got his hands on him. Franklin is a great technical fighter, so I expect him to recover from that catostrophic fight.

BTW, what's the deal with the Miletich camp losing all of their belts(Franklin, Hughes, Silvia)? Are they getting soft or complacent? Or is everyone else just catching up with what made them so successful?