Franca Out Of UFC Fight Night 17

by Robert Sargent

Just over one week before his scheduled bout with Joe Lauzon at UFC Fight Night 17, former #1 lightweight contender Hermes Franca has been forced to withdraw from the fight after tearing his ACL. Teammate Jeremy Stephens will take Franca's place.

The injury to Franca's right knee took place during training, but Franca's trashtalking has all but ensured that a showdown with Lauzon will still occur in the future.

In Franca's place will be his teammate, Jeremy Stephens, who is coming off of a highlight-reel knockout of Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 91. However, Stephens's style is vastly different from that of Franca, so Lauzon will need to adjust his game plan accordingly.

While both Franca and Stephens are heavy-handed and can knock out any opponent, Franca's skills lie predominantly in his jiu-jitsu skills, where he has submitted many top-ranked fighters over the years. Stephens, by contrast, prefers to keep the fight standing and will be looking to score a second straight Knockout of the Night.

This battle of young gun contenders could easily have future title implications, and it's Lauzon's chance to redeem himself after losing to Kenny Florian in his only UFC main event fight to date. He'll need to take the fight to the ground to avoid Stephens's lethal right hand.


UFC Fight Night 17 takes place on February 7th and airs live on SpikeTV and Rogers SportsNet in North America.