With all the hype for the upcoming UFC 61 centered around Tito Oritz and Ken Shamrock, it is easy to overlook some of the other fights on this card. Sure you also have a heavyweight title fight between Andre Arlovski and Tim Sylvia (…snore…), but UFC 61 will also feature Joe Stevenson vs Yves Edwards, Josh Neer vs. Josh Burkman, Frank Mir, and Drew Fickett. The fighter I’m excited about however, is the return of Hermes Franca to the UFC.
Hermes last fought in the UFC in 2004 where he suffered back-to-back decision losses to Josh Thomson and Yves Edwards. Hermes had a very tough 2005 losing all three of his fights that year in Euphoria, Shooto, and K1. This year has been much kinder to Hermes. In 2006, Franca has won all four of his fights in the first round, and currently holds the Lightweight title in both the AFC and the WEC.
Hermes will face rising prospect Roger Huerta in his UFC return. Huerta currently has a record of 14-1 and many consider him to be a top prospect in the 155 lb. division.
The current school of thought holds that the winnner of the Sam Stout vs. Kenny Florian fight on June 28 will face Sean Sherk for the “vacant” UFC Lightweight belt. I say vacant because Jens Pulver really still holds the belt in most MMA fan’s minds. When the UFC decided to disband the lightweight division the belt was vacated. With his return, Franca joins the likes of Spencer Fisher, Yves Edwards, Joe Stevenson, and Kenny Florian as possible holders of the Lightweight crown.
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[...] In a prior story about the return of Hermes Franca to the UFC, I mentioned that the lightweight belt was vacated in 2002 when the only lightweight champion the UFC ever had, Jens Pulver, could not come to terms on a renewal contract. Pulver won the initial UFC belt against Caol Uno and defended the title against Dennis Hallman and BJ Penn. [...]
THERE IS NO WAY IN HIZELL THAT FRANCA WILL DEFEAT SHERK NO WAY