It was clear that Franklin wanted to remain on the outside of Silva’s power shots from the outset of the fight, however that didn’t mean that the “Axe Murderer” couldn't get his hands.

“You know when you get hit and you see black for a second? Then everything came to, not like the ones where I get hit and not remember where I am for a few minutes,” Franklin stated following the fight about getting caught in the second round by Silva.

Although conditioning seemed to be a factor for both fighters as the fight wore on, Franklin looked a little fresher as the weight cut didn’t seem to affect him as much.

“The cut in weight wasn’t overbearing and it’s just more doable for me. If there was a 195 pound weight class, it’d be perfect, but until then I guess I’ll stick around at 205,” Franklin explained.

With a win over the “legendary” Wanderlei Silva, as Mike Goldberg likes to say, Franklin may have put himself into a position to possibly be a top contender down the line at the light heavyweight division.