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Belfort Drops Franklin to Cap Off UFC 103
It was a great night for UFC, even before the fights started

Posted on Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 12:55 PM
By Jason Reynolds

The idea to show UFC 103 preliminary fights on Spike TV was a brilliant lead into an incredible card that had it all. It may be the future of programming MMA events, and at that point the real winners will be the fans. Saturday night's fans in Texas were the beneficiaries of spectacular mixed martial arts.

Hermes Franca and Tyson Griffin started the night off by standing in the middle of the Octagon and throwing punches. Griffin showed near flawless technique, throwing punch combinations that buckled Franca's knees on numerous occasions. Franca swung wildly at times, but he proved to have a solid chin. Griffin was too powerful and precise though, as he picked up the TKO win at 3:26 in the 2nd round. The win improved Griffin to 7-2 inside the Octagon.

Josh "Kos" Koscheck made fast work in his bout with veteran Frank "Twinkle Toes" Trigg, while also showing that he's still an elite welterweight in the UFC. "Kos" dazed Trigg with a left hook that landed behind the ear before following with a straight right that dropped "Twinkle Toes" on his back. The bout was stopped after "Kos" delivered four undefended right hands at his downed and dazed opponent. Koscheck improved his career record to 13-4 with eleven of those wins coming in the UFC.

English striker Paul "Semtex" Daley made the most of his UFC debut by knocking off Danish kick-boxer Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann at 2:31 of the first round. This fight was originally slated to decide a challenger for Georges "Rush" St. Pierre. Daley continually landed crisp, technical strikes before Yves Lavigne stepped in prematurely while Kampmann bounced off of the fence. The controversial stoppage may have saved "The Hitman" from a brutal knockout. As for the winner Daley, he may be a future star in the UFC, and at the very least, probably earned himself a match against Mike "Quick" Swick to decide the number one contender spot in the welterweight division.

The co-main event featured two of MMA's most feared strikers, when Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic took on Junior "Cigano" Dos Santos in a heavyweight match. Neither fighter appeared eager to take the fight to the ground. Dos Santos threw powerful, lightning-fast strikes that staggered "Cro Cop" throughout the first two rounds. "Cro Cop" tried repeatedly to get "Cigano" in range for his feared left leg kick by pushing off Dos Santos whenever he got inside. "Cro Cop" verbally submitted after taking a straight right from Dos Santos midway through the third round, giving the highly regarded prospect his third victory in the UFC. By defeating "Cro Cop" he showed that he's a legitimate force at heavyweight.

The main event was a 195 pound catch-weight super fight featuring the return of Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort against UFC superstar Rich "Ace" Franklin. The former champions circled each other in the center of the Octagon while the fans in Dallas, Texas chanted their names. Franklin seemed to build confidence as the first round wore on, while still showing respect for Belfort's skills. Belfort appeared patient before exploding on "Ace" midway through the first round, showing the kind of vicious attack that he has long been known for. The end came at 3:02 of the first round. In his last three fights, "The Phenom" hasn't seen the second round- while destroying each of his opponents with lethal strikes. Belfort showed that he is a viable contender for Anderson Silva's middleweight belt.

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