The 6 Best Photos From UFC 147: Silva vs. Franklin II

As the old saying goes “a picture is worth a thousand words”. The saying applies to this day and without a doubt, applies to mixed martial arts as some of the sports most historic moments are relived through the images that captured them.

There is nothing better than a snapshot of a fighter dealing with tragedy or triumph, or a picture of a perfectly timed strike, every microscopic fragment of impact relived as limbs and jaws collide. A photo can display a range of emotions, happiness and sadness, victory and defeat. Every picture is different, each having a unique distinction and personal story.

That being said, lets look back at the 6 best photos from “UFC 147: Silva vs. Franklin II”.

6. Right In The Kisser
Hacran Dias got a delicious taste of Yuri Alcantara’s glove in the opening fight of the UFC 147 pay-per-view broadcast. The stiff punch didn’t faze Dias, though; he went on to win his octagon debut via lopsided unanimous decision to push his overall record to an impressive 21-1-1.

5. Rich Franklin’s Ground-And-Pound
One of the high-points in the main event for Rich Franklin at UFC 147 came when the 37-year-old took down Wanderlei Silva down to the ground near the end of the third round and unleashed a flurry of punches and elbows to the head and body of the Brazilian. It looked like an uncomfortable position for Silva, who had his head pinned to the mat when Franklin landed some of the blows.

4. Cezar Ferreira’s Capoeira Kick
The 24th winner in the history of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality show was crowned when Cezar Ferreira outpointed Sergio Moraes en route to a unanimous decision in the middleweight finals of “TUF: Brazil”. Ferreira utilized his advantage in the striking department to earn the win and at one point channeled his inner Marcus Aurelio by unleashing a beautiful capoeira kick that nearly took Moraes’ head off.

3. Rich Franklin’s Face
Former PRIDE champion Wanderlei Silva sent ripples through the cheeks of Rich Franklin with a hard right hand to the chin of the former UFC middleweight champion during their main event catchweight affair at UFC 147. Silva is notorious for having some of the most devastating strikes in the history of the sport, which makes Franklin’s ability to eat the shots and earn a decision victory all the more impressive.

2. Felipe Arantes’ Flying Knee
Featherweight fighter Felipe Arantes landed a flush flying knee to the chin of Milton Vieira during their UFC 147 preliminary bout. The knee was one that would have put many fighters down and out, but the Vieira showcased an extremely durable chin continued to scrap. Arantes would have liked the strike to knock Vieira out because it would have earned him a win. The fight was ruled a draw after three rounds by the judges sitting cageside.

1. More Of Rich Franklin’s Face
If photo number three didn’t offer enough Rich Franklin face-distorting action for you, below is another action shot of “The Axe Murderer” causing Franklin’s face to go from a Jim Carrey lookalike to something that could only be compared with a cartoon character. Silva hit “Ace” clean on multiple occasions throughout the bout, but the future Hall-of-Famer battled through it and picked up his second-career win over Silva. There’s no way this felt pleasant.

Mike Bohn, founder and lead writer of FightCove.com, wrote this article. You can follow Mike on Twitter at @FightCoveMike. Also, follow @FightCove on Twitter and “Like” Fight Cove on Facebook.