Mixed martial arts superstar Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva is looking forward to mix it up with former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight king Rich “The Ace” Franklin when they meet head on in UFC 99 “The Comeback”.

“This is a great fight. He has the same style as me, he likes to standup,” said Silva in a UFC 99 promotional video.

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert, who was a former middleweight titlist himself in the defunct PRIDE Championships, is hungry for a win after his knock out loss to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in UFC 92 in December 2008.

He fought Jackson in the junior heavyweight division. In fighting Franklin, he would be dropping to a catch weight of 195 pounds.

“It’s a very important fight for me, my first fight at 195 [pounds],” said Silva (32-9-1, with 1 no contest). “After this, I’m going to drop to 185 [pounds].”

UFC commentator Joe Rogan said dropping to 195 is a wise move for Silva, whom he said is considerably “small” among the junior heavyweights.

“It's probably a very good idea for Wanderlei to move down to 185 pounds. Wanderlei Silva is really undersized for 205 pounds,” said Rogan.

“Guys like Forrest griffin, that's a huge low five. I mean Griffin is 6'3", walks around like 225, in comparison to a guy like Wanderlei Silva who really is 205 pounds,” he added.

Franklin, who is also coming off a loss prior this fight against Silva, is also excited for the match.

“Wanderlei's fighting style reminds me of a blender. Once his arms start moving, bad things happen,” said Franklin, who totes an MMA record of 26-4-0, with 1 no contest.

Silva will collide with the “Ace” at the Lanxess Arena in Germany on June 13.

When asked what he thinks about Franklin, Silva said: “He's afraid… he knows the power of my hands.” 

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