Fight Week Previews: Tyson Griffin vs. Hermes Franca

Nothing better than kicking off a busy week with a preview of what many feel will be a Fight of the Night contender this Saturday at UFC 103.

As the lightweight division begins to sort itself out, Tyson Griffin and Hermes Franca both look to secure a win and their footing on the competitive ladder by adding a second consecutive win to their already impressive records.

No time to beat around the bush... it's time to break it down.

Tyson Griffin (13-2-0) vs. Hermes Franca (19-7)

Why do many believe this fight will come away with Fight of the Night honors?

For starters, the two combatants have five Fight of the Night awards between them; Griffin earning four and Franca collecting one for his Fight Night bout with Frankie Edgar.

If that's not enough, their last ten combined fights have gone the distance and this one should be no different, meaning fans will be treated to a 15 minute slugfest right off the bat.

Starting where we usually do, Griffin earns the edge in the team competition as the 25-year-old goes through the paces at Xtreme Couture, while Franca is the big dog of his own gym down in Jupiter, Florida.

Where Griffin excels with better training partners, Franca has a similarly stronger opponent history than his opponent on Saturday night.

Franca had built his record to 8-0 before Tyson Griffin even began competing in mixed martial arts, and made his first appearance inside the Octagon at UFC 42. While the two have shared many opponents during their overlapping time in the UFC, Franca has additionally faced the likes of Caol Uno, Josh Thomson, Yves Edwards and Jamie Varner.

And yes, we know Griffin was the first man to defeat Urijah Faber. It's not the same.

Which brings us to the shared opponents portion of the preview. Griffin has danced with each of Franca's last three opponents and interestingly enough, the results have been identical.

Both dropped decisions to Sean Sherk and Frankie Edgar while out-pointing Marcus Aurelio on all three scorecards at the end of 15 minutes. Though Franca went the championship distance with Sherk, it should also be noted that both men didn't do so well when they peed in a cup after the fight.

Sometimes, in tight battles like this, you have to look at little things to help you make a decision, so here are a few little things to consider:

• Franca is ten years the senior of Tyson Griffin and while we've seen Randy Couture dominate men much younger than he is, Hermes Franca is no Randy Couture.
  
  
• This will be Franca's first fight in nearly a year after recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee. With Griffin's strong wrestling base, how the knee holds up against repeated takedown attempts could play a part in the results.
  
  
• Griffin enters the ring to the inspiring sounds of "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor.

Will the younger fighter who channels Rocky come away with the win or will the veteran with dyed hair play the part of Clubber Lang?

Your guess is as good as mine.


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Fight Week Previews: Sherk vs. Edgar

(For every major MMA fight card, Keyboard Kimura will provide a detailed breakdown of the fights on the Main Card, followed by a Saturday predictions piece.)

Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk (37-3-1) vs. Frankie "The Answer" Edgar (9-1)

This could easily end up being the most entertaining fight of the night.

Sherk has gone the distance in four of his last five fights, including two five round battles. Edgar, on the other hand, has lasted until the final bell in three straight and four of his five UFC tilts. These two lightweights have been in three "Fight of the Night" bouts in their UFC careers and this could certainly earn them a little extra pocket money.

For whatever reason, I never seem to think of Sean Sherk as part of the upper echelon of fighters. In reality, the guy has three career losses and they came at the hands of Matt Hughes during the height of his welterweight dominance, Georges St-Pierre after nearly two years without a loss and his most recent defeat at the hands of B.J. Penn. That's it.

Edgar is a guy that I have liked from the beginning, in part because his last name and my first name are one in the same. Silly, I know, but whatever. Monikers aside, Frankie Edgar's willingness to stand and trade and his skills on the mat brought me from a simple "his name is my name" admiration to being a full-fledged fan.

Normally, you could turn to common opponents as a potential indicator of who might get their hand raised at the end of the night, but these two guys are just too similar to allow that.

Both have fought Tyson Griffin and Hermes Franca, which both coming away with Unanimous Decision victories in each fight.

On the experience front and sheer level of competition, you clearly have to give the edge to Sherk, the former UFC Lightweight champ with more than 40 fights under his belt including numerous championship rounds.

But perhaps there is something to be said for youthful exuberance. The 27-year-old Edgar's only loss came at the hands of Gray Maynard, a fighter some including myself feel will be a world champion in the future.

You'll have to wait until Saturday for my prediction, just as you will for the fight. One thing is for sure though, no matter who you got in this tilt, you're in for a great show.
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