UFC fighter Wanderlei Silva is amped to come back and fight in front of his home country against former middleweight champion Rich Franklin in a five-round 190-pound-catchweight rematch at UFC 147.
The even will air live on Pay-Per-View from Estadio Jornalista Felipe Drumond in Belo Horizonte, Brazil Saturday June 23, 2012.
In a phone press conference, The Roman Show had the opportunity to interview both Silva and Franklin. Silva spoke about returning to fight home.
“It is a great opportunity,” he told The Roman Show. “I haven’t fought in Brazil in a long time. I am happy.”
The UFC has become a popular sport in the South American country he said.
“The UFC is a great success. Everyone is talking about it. The Ultimate Fighter Brazil Live is
one of the top TV shows,” he said. “All the gyms have lots of members here.”
As for Franklin, he said he is aware of the boisterous crowd.
“It’s not like any other fight,” he said. “It’s like am on stage.”
Franklin said he has a secret to forget about any distraction.
“It doesn’t matter how loud they will be,” he said. “I just pretend they are cheering for me.”
Listen to The Roman Show Tuesday and Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. at www.blogtalkradio.com/rodolforoman or www.rodolforoman.com. @romandh #romanshow.
