Beyond all that stuff, this should be one heckuva fight.

Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hamill at UFC 88 Preview

Matt Hamill will bring a 4-1 overall MMA record into his fight against the man they call Ace. Of course, that one loss on his record-to Michael Bisping - sure was a controversial one. In other words, many look at Hamill as an undefeated fighter. Regardless, there's a reason for the stellar record. Namely, Hamill has some of the best wrestling in the light heavyweight division. That means his takedowns and takedown defense are outstanding.

You'd also be hard pressed to find a physically stronger fighter in MMA today.

Further, in recent fights Hamill has shown that his striking has improved tremendously since his appearance on TUF. He even showed a strong jaw in his recent fight against Tim Boetsch.

In terms of weaknesses, there appear to be two. First, despite his outstanding wrestling skills Hamill has only shown sporadic ground and pound effectiveness. In other words, beyond just a few select moments he hasn't really done a good job in his fights-to date, anyway-of improving his position or doing a lot of damage once on the ground. And second, he's still learning when it comes to the submission game.

Former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin will bring a 23-3 overall MMA record into this fight. The people he's lost to? How about Anderson Silva (twice) and Lyoto Machida?

This guy doesn't lose to nobody's- know what we mean?

Get more pictures like this from SHERDOG.COM Franklin has proven to have some of the best cardio in the middleweight division and is a very good athlete, though it's hard to know if the jump up in weight will impact his conditioning. Still, he has solid technical striking skills with good power on his feet, better than average technical wrestling skills, and underrated and quite strong jiu jitsu/ submission skills.

In other words, Rich Franklin is the total package.

Perhaps the only true weakness is that he doesn't have one of those can't stop himkinds of jaws. It's not that he isn't tough-see his fight against David Loiseau for proof of that-it's just that if you hit him he can be hurt.

Obviously anyone can, but some more than others.

Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hamill Prediction

Matt Hamill is the better pure wrestler here, and guess is that Franklin will have some trouble with his size and strength. Though improved on his feet it's still hard to imagine him outdoing or stopping Franklin, a man with a much better striking resume, with his stand up. So the points will likely go Franklin's way when the two are upright; in fact, there could even be a knockout there, though Hamill's strong jaw might make that unlikely. When things hit the canvas, which eventually they probably will due to Hamill's wrestling and pure power advantage, it will be about damage and staying active. Can Hamill avoid submissions against a guy with underrated skills in that area and hurt him?

Guess is that Franklin will do some damage on his feet and may pull off, or come close to pulling off, a submission or two. Hamill may succeed in getting some ground and pound in, but overall Franklin should take home a win due to more damage and fight ending attempts when it's all said and done.

Rich Franklin wins via unanimous decision. This may be a learning experience that propels Hamill to greater things later in his career. Right now, he's losing out in a big way in experience to Ace, and that may show.

Then again, it may not. And that's why they have the fights.

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