FanHouse Tyson Griffin

DALLAS – While Rich Franklin will likely never say it, he didn't want a fight in September, let alone one against Vitor Belfort. Franklin would have preferred some time off, but the need for a headliner for UFC 103 pushed him into making the decision to participate.

Franklin may be a company man, but that loyalty – along with Belfort's considerable skills – cost Franklin, as Belfort returned to the UFC with a shocking first-round TKO over the ex-UFC middleweight champion in front of 17,428 at the American Airlines Center.

---

---

Tyson Griffin had one of the most impressive fights of his UFC career Saturday, defeating Hermes Franca by second-round knockout at UFC 103 in Dallas.

This is the UFC 103 live blog for Hermes Franca vs. Tyson Griffin, one of the featured bouts from the night's pay-per-view card.

I'm cageside at the American Airlines Center in Dallas for all the blow-by-blow. You can also keep track of all the action by following me on Twitter.

The live blog begins below.

---

---

The Ultimate Fighting Championship formally announced today that UFC 103 will take place on September 19 in Dallas, and four fights have been set: Mike Swick vs. Martin Kampmann, Efrain Escudero vs. Cole Miller, Josh Koscheck vs. Frank Trigg and Tyson Griffin vs. Hermes Franca.

Notice anything missing?

Day 2 of Dana White's WEC 41 video blog features UFC fighters making their predictions on the Mike Brown-Urijah Faber featherweight title fight. Wanderlei Silva, Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans all pick Faber, while Gray Maynard picks Brown. But the most interesting comments come from Tyson Griffin.

Gina Carano is America's most popular female fighter, but for the past seven months she's been a cage fighter without a cage to fight in.

That may soon change, as Carano -- who lost her promotion when the EliteXC organization went under -- told FanHouse that she's about to sign with Strikeforce, which could put together a superfight with the other star of women's MMA, Cris Cyborg.

Carano also talked about her aspirations as a fighter, her fame, and the new line of figurines bearing her likeness that the Round 5 company has put out. The full interview is below.

How big a surprise was Frank Edgar's victory over Sean Sherk at UFC 98? So big that UFC President Dana White thought it was impossible.

Rising lightweight star Frankie Edgar scored a major upset over former UFC champion Sean Sherk, while Chael Sonnen and Drew McFedries were among other early winners at UFC 98.

In a matchup featuring two lightweight fighters primarily known for their wrestling abilities, Frankie Edgar earned the biggest win of his young career by defeating former champion Sean Sherk in a dominant performance, taking all three rounds on every judge's scorecard.

Sherk, coming off a win over Tyson Griffin in which he out-struck him, opted to stick with his standup, largely staying away from takedowns until late in the third round. That strategy turned out to be a big mistake. Edgar got the best of most of the exchanges, bloodying Sherk's face in the process.

Former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk may be one of the most polarizing champions in MMA history. Almost two years after his steroid suspension following a successful title defense against Hermes Franca at UFC 73, Sherk (33-3-1) continues to try and prove that he is a clean fighter.

Last October, the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy fighter briefly quieted his critics by dominating rising star Tyson Griffin for three rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory. Next, he faces Frankie Edgar (9-1), another up-and-coming lightweight, at UFC 98 on May 23.

FanHouse spoke to Sherk about his upcoming fight against Edgar and his place in the lightweight division. The full interview is below.

Tyson Griffin and Rafael dos Anjos put together a terriffic fight at UFC Fight Night 18 Wednesday in Nashville, one that had action on the ground and on the feet and ended with Griffin winning a unanimous decision.

In the first round, dos Anjos caught Griffin in a knee compression lock and appeared to have him in serious trouble. Although Griffin eventually pulled himself free of the submission attempt, he was limping badly on his left knee, and UFC announcer Joe Rogan speculated that he might have blown out his anterior cruciate ligament.