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Rich Franklin v. Matt Hamill Predictions & Odds at UFC 88
While the Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans main event will get the most publicity in the UFC 88 lineup, the Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hamill bout should not be overlooked. Franklin is one of the bigger names in the UFC and comes in as the -240 favorite at BetUS Sportsbook. Hamill is a UFC newcomer, but has already gained plenty of fan support through watching him on the third season of The Ultimate Fighter reality series. Jimmy Boyd dissects the upcoming September 6th fight in this Franklin/Hamill predictions article.
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Rich Franklin: -240 to win at BetUS Sportsbook
It’s not surprising that Franklin is the favorite to win this fight since he has much more experience than Hamill. Franklin has a professional record of 23-3 and has a UFC mark of 10-2. Oddsmakers appear to be showing some doubt here as the former middleweight champ is moving up to fight in the 205-pound weight division following a pair of 185-pound losses to current title holder Anderson Silva. Franklin has fought in the 205 weight class before though. He did so on The Ultimate Fighter I finale, but that was back in 2005. Franklin is considered among the best 185-pound fighters in the world, but he just hasn’t been able to defeat “The Spider”. Outside of those losses to Silva, Franklin is 11-0 with 10 stoppages in his last 11 fights. His most recent TKO came at UFC 83 against Travis Lutter in the second round. While I’m not sure how I feel about his move to a higher weight class, it does open up some more fight opportunities for him. And it appears to be a business move as fan demand for a third fight with Silva is low.
Matt Hamill: +190 to win at BetUS Sportsbook
Hamill is 4-1 in his young UFC career and will be trying to earn Cincinnati bragging rights as both fighters claim the Cincy area as home. Hamill was forced out of the third season of The Ultimate Fighter due to injury, but has since recovered to become one of the UFC’s brightest young stars. Hamill is a very large and aggressive light heavyweight with very good wrestling skills and improving stand up ability. He demonstrated his stand up improvements most recently with a TKO victory over Tim Boetsch at UFC Fight Night 13. Those who like Hamill here no doubt like the fact that he is a more physically imposing.
Prediction: Take Franklin
I don’t read as much into this weight class change for Franklin as most. While he has competed in the 185-pound class for a while, he has proven that he can do damage in the 205-pound class as well. Franklin is considered big for his division anyway. In 2005, he defeated Ken Shamrock at the 205-pound weight class. That win earned him a middleweight title shot against Evan Tanner, which he won. Whether 185 or 205, Franklin is one of the top fighters in the world, and I don’t think Hamill is ready for a guy of his caliber quite yet.
Franklin -240
Hamill +190
Rich Franklin v. Matt Hamill Odds at Bookmaker
Franklin -225
Hamill +185
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