Rich Franklin Vs. Wanderlei Silva- Catch weight 195lbs

I think that Franklin will have the upper hand in this fight thanks to coaching he received from UFC Middleweight Champion  I think that this will give him the edge that he needs because Anderson and Wanderlei were long-time training partners.

Result: Franklin winner by 2nd KO.

Cheick Kongo Vs.  Cain Velasquez – Heavyweight

Kongo has looked like a beast in has last couple of fights and Velasquez is undefeated.  I don’t think this will be a long fight as Velasquez will look to end it early.  Kongo took this fight on short notice because Heath Herring is injured and that should be the difference in this one.

Result: Velasquez 1st round KO.

Mike Swick Vs. Ben Saunders – Middleweight

Result: Swick 3rd round sumission.

Marcus Davis Vs. Dan Hardy – Middleweight

Result: Hardy decision.

Spencer Fisher Vs. Caol Uno – Welterweight

Result: Fisher submission.

Mirko Cro Cop Vs. Mostapha Al Turk – Heavyweight

Result: Cro Cop  1st round KO.

Akiyama is a decorated Judoka with strong striking, a freakish judo game, and the ability to finish via submission. His lone loss coming at the hands of a pro heavyweight kickboxer, Jerome Le Banner.

“The Ultimate Fighting Championship today announced that it has signed top-ten middleweight contender Yoshihiro Akiyama to an exclusive promotional contract that will see him step into the UFC Octagon for the first time this summer.”

“I’m excited to bring Akiyama into the UFC and I can see him making an immediate impact in the middleweight division,” said UFC President Dana White. “Besides his great judo and submission game, he’s a finisher, and UFC fans are going to love watching him because he always shows up to fight.”

It seems as though the UFC is moving forward with the plans of globalizing their product. MMA is big business in Japan, and by signing Japan’s most famous fighter, this will be much more plausible. Lots of exciting fights for Akiyama in the middlewieght division including Rich Franklin, Yushin Okami, Nate Marquardt, and hopefully Anderson Silva some day.

Many of Akiyama’s fights have included him wearing a full Gi, this is not permitted in the UFC and should be interesting how he deals with it. As a huge Akiyama fan, this is great news.

UFC Inks Akiyama – [UFC]