Franklin catches Belfort

Turns out Rich Franklin (25-4 MMA, 12-3 UFC) and Vitor Belfort (16-8 MMA, 7-4 UFC) won’t be having a light heavyweight matchup at UFC 103 as UFC president Dana White had announced on Friday. According to a post on Franklin’s Twitter account, the fight will be a catchweight showdown at 195 pounds as Belfort requested.

This is Franklin’s second straight bout at 195. He fought Wanderlei Silva to a unanimous-decision win at that weight at UFC 99 in June.

Belfort is a former UFC light heavyweight champ whose last two fights were both at 185 pounds and who was also scheduled for a middleweight bout with Sengoku Middleweight Grand Prix-winner Jorge Santiago at the now-canceled Affliction: Trilogy event. The Brazilian Pride veteran has looked very sharp as a middleweight, knocking out Terry Martin in the second round at Affliction: Banned with a flying knee and a series of punches, and destroying Matt Lindland in just 37 seconds at Affliction: Day of Reckoning.

So does this mean the UFC is considering creating a new 195-pound weight class? If so, while they’re at it, perhaps they could consider a super heavyweight class, say 245 and over. As it stands now, there can be as much as a 40-pound difference between two heavyweight fighters, which is a bit ridiculous and remains one of the last side effects of the early single-weight-class days of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.