*Anderson Silva (20-3) defeated Rich Franklin (24-3) by knockout.

Not even fighting in his hometown could prevent Rich Franklin from suffering the same fate against Anderson Silva.

Silva scored his second consecutive dominant victory over Franklin, defending his Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title with a second-round technical knockout Saturday night at Cincinnati's U.S. Bank Arena.

The match, which headlined the UFC 77 pay-per-view show, ended in a style reminiscent of Silva's first win over Franklin last October to win the belt. Silva capped a barrage of blows with two knees to Franklin's head, causing him to crumble and referee John McCarthy to stop the fight.

"Just about 30 seconds ago I realized I was in Cincinnati again," Franklin said during his post-fight interview. "Hats off to Anderson. He had me tonight. What can I say? I don't even remember what happened. I'll have to look at the tape."

Franklin survived longer than when he was destroyed by Anderson in an earlier first-round TKO. But he still didn't have an answer for Silva's reach and Muay Thai clinch. Franklin was saved by the bell at the end of the first round after getting knocked senseless by a Silva right hand.

*Tim Sylvia (26-3) defeated Brandon Vera (8-1) by unanimous decision.

Sylvia and Vera were clinched along the fence for most of the first round, generating heavy boos from the soldout U.S. Bank Arena crowd. The second round started in similar fashion after Vera made contact early with a high kick and straight right. Vera scored a takedown on Sylvia with 2:10 left in the round but was quickly tied up. After getting to his feet, Vera was admonished by referee Yves Lavinge for throwing an illegal knee to Sylvia's head before "The Maniac" was completely off the ground. Vera ended the round strong after the fight was restarted, throwing a vicious body kick and right hand in the final 13 seconds.

But while boring to watch, Sylvia's strategy of repeatedly leaning on Vera and throwing knees from the clinch began to pay dividends in the third round. Sylvia took control of a tiring Vera and ended the fight strong with a slew of punches. Vera said he suffered a broken left hand in the first round and "it altered my game plan."

"My hands were a little bit better than his," said Sylvia, who challenged fellow heavyweight Cheick Kongo to a bout afterward.

Before this bout, UFC announced the signing of pro wrestler-turned-MMA fighter Brock Lesnar to a contract.

 * Alvin Robinson (10-2) defeated Jorge Gurgel (14-3) by unanimous decision.

As a Cincinnati resident, Gurgel was a clear hometown favorite. It didn't help. Almost the entire first round was spent on the mat, with Gurgel enjoying the advantage but Robinson never being in any serious danger. Robinson won the ground battle in the second round, bloodying Gurgel with punches and forearms from the mount. A dazed Gurgel wandered toward the wrong corner after the bell. The beating resumed throughout the third round as Robinson sealed the win.

* Stephan Bonnar (14-4) defeated Eric Schafer (9-3-2) via technical knockout at 2:47 of the second round.

This was Bonnar's first televised match since being suspended for steroid use following an August 2006 loss to Forrest Griffin. Schafer had the advantage for a good portion of the first round with his wrestling skills, almost securing a rear naked choke before Bonnar escaped. Schafer again brought the action to the mat early in Round 2, but Bonnar took control and scored repeatedly with punches from the mount. Referee John McCarthy stopped the fight after Schafer rolled onto his stomach as Bonnar continued to pepper him with punches.

"I didn't want to go to the ground," Bonnar said afterward. "There were a couple of punches I thought cracked his skull good and had him dazed. I just had to keep punishing him and finish him."

* Alan Belcher (11-3) defeated Kalib Starnes (10-3-1) via stoppage in the second round.

Belcher blooded Starnes early with a jumping knee and also scored with forearms and punches throughout the first round. Rocked by a right uppercut, Starnes clearly spent the final minute just trying to survive until the bell. The fight was stopped by the ringside doctor early in the second round because of a gash that had opened above Starnes' right eye.