Franklin, Henderson, and Parisyan Face Stiff Tests in UFC 88 Bouts

By Thomas Gerbasi

Three of mixed martial arts’ biggest stars – former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin, former PRIDE two-division champ Dan Henderson, and longtime welterweight contender Karo Parisyan – will be pushed to the limit in bouts just made official for September 6th’s UFC 88 card in Atlanta.

Franklin will return to the light heavyweight division for the first time in over three years when he takes on The Ultimate Fighter 3 standout Matt ‘The Hammer’ Hamill, who is coming off the biggest win of his career over Tim Boetsch in April.

Henderson looks to fight his way back into the 185-pound title mix when he battles once-beaten grappling wizard Rousimar Palhares, who made quite an impression on UFC fans in May when he submitted out veteran Ivan Salaverry in one round.

Parisyan will also be tested in his welterweight bout against Japan’s Yoshiyuki Yoshida in what may be the greatest clash of judo black belts ever seen in the Octagon.

Tickets are on sale now for UFC 88: Breakthrough, which will be held at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. In the main event, Chuck ‘The Iceman’ Liddell returns to take on unbeaten ‘Sugar’ Rashad Evans.