Tyson Griffin x Hermes Franca- Hermes Franca is the people's champion and a consistent crowd favorite.  He once hammerfisted Manny Reyes Jr. into oblivion for running his mouth on The Underground Forum for the price of exactly one dollar.  He wears his heart on his sleeve, he fights like there's no tomorrow, and he's not afraid to take chances by slinging a slightly sloppy but wallop-packing overhand right or to fling on a risky submission when the opportunity presents itself. Hermes has twice tasted the bitter defeat of back-to-back losses in the UFC.  Josh Thomson and Yves Edwards eked out close decision wins over him back in 2004 when the three were vying for the lightweight title, but the UFC decided to get out of the lightweight business and closed up the 155 shop.  Franca reappeared in '06 and rattled off three straight wins, the biggest being a bashing of technical striker Spencer Fisher with a meathook right hand.  Two losses in a row were handed to Franca by Sean Sherk and Frankie Edgar, both of whom are energetic wrestlers who rode top control to the decision.  It's worth noting that Jamie Varneralso out-wrestled Franca for the bulk of the fight before Hermes executed perfect timing with a brutal knee to the face of the shooting Varner. Therein lies the kryptonite to Franca's superpowers.  Despite carrying a blackbelt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and winning more than half of his fights by submission, he's struggled against the powerful wrestlers at the top of the food chain.  Tyson Griffin is a bad match-up for him.  He was a standout wrestler in high school and college, but he's also honed his stand-up and BJJ game nicely, offering a multi-dimensional threat.  He's a squatty, aggressive little bulldog who will attach himself and gnaw furiously, and although he maintains a vigorous assault and a vivacious pace, all but one of his eight UFC fights have gone to a decision.  Interestingly enough, his two losses are to Sean Sherk and Frankie Edgar, the two fighters that also foiled Franca. Despite his lacking ability to finish at the top level, he's a consistent "Fight of the Night" winner.  His striking game has come together very fluently and with a lot of snap, and he's been utilizing nice angles  to bombard opponents with an accumulation of varied blows, also throwing in rather precise leg kicks from just outside of the pocket to keep his opponents on the defensive. Usually, the fighter who is "pretty damn good" at most things- but not an expert in any one- will experience difficulty against someone who excels in one or more areas.  Franca is a BJJ-specialist with unorthodox but heavy hands, and although Tyson may risk getting caught on feet if he's as willing to stand and trade as he has been in past performances, I see him representing a horrible match-up for Hermes.  Griffin will keep ultra-busy on the feet and use good head movement, defense, and footwork to pick Franca apart and keep the judges smiling, and he's wise enough to avoid any dangerzones in Franca's guard.  Hermes' best chance is to throw strikes with reckless abandon and hunt aggressively for subs and sweeps from the bottom, but I believe Griffin will take the exciting but dependable decision-route to victory.  My guess:  Griffin by decision

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