LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- By Frank Curreri

Managing Editor, FOX5Vegas.com

Anderson Silva breezed through his three-minute fight, while Sean Sherk spent most of a 25-minute battle covered in blood. In the end, despite vastly different workloads, both Silva and Sherk were crowned Saturday as new UFC champions.

Silva stands atop the 185-pound division after demolishing Rich Franklin with a relentless barrage of knees to the face. Silva did not break a sweat during the bout, but one of his knees did break Franklin’s nose, UFC president Dana White confirmed after the fight.

The one-sided affair, which forced Franklin’s wife to tears at ringside, was as an exclamation point to the Brazilian’s meteoric rise in the UFC. Five months ago, many mainstream UFC fans had never heard of Silva. Then, in June, he knocked out Chris Leben – known for having a granite chin and heavy hands – in just 49 seconds.

On the strength of Saturday’s cakewalk, Silva has now waltzed unscathed through two of the UFC’s top 185-pounders in less than four minutes of action. Consider this: Franklin and Leben boasted a combined record of 38 wins – 31 of them stoppages – and only three losses. But despite his convincing wins and championship performance, Silva seemed remarkably soft-spoken and stoic immediately after dethroning Franklin.

“I don’t think I’m any better than him,” said Silva, whose calm demeanor more befitted a neurosurgeon about to operate than a new champion poised to celebrate. “It’s just my night and I beat him.”

Silva, a Muay Thai specialist and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who entered Saturday’s showdown as a nearly 2-to-1 underdog, exposed Franklin by trapping him in the clinch. Franklin seemed bewildered at how to defend and free himself from the ultra-tight grip around his neck, which set up the series of brutal knees that rendered Franklin fallen on the canvass and needing to be saved by the referee.

But while Franklin had a hard night, Kenny Florian endured an even more grueling outing. Florian, who walked into the Octagon before his bout with Sherk wearing traditional Samurai attire and a sword, showed tremendous fighting spirit. Unable to stop Sherk’s double-leg takedowns, Florian spent most of the tussle on his back, absorbing an increasing number of elbows and punches as the fight wore on.

Though the judges rightly awarded Sherk the UFC 155-pound title by unanimous decision, it was nevertheless a competitive fight where Florian had his moments, occasionally connecting on high kicks to Sherk’s head and opening a gash on the explosive wrestler with a wicked elbow. With both fighters cut, blood splattered about the ring, transforming Florian’s white trunks to pink.

“I got to say, your blood tastes delicious,” Florian, his face crowded with lumps and bruises, joked to Sherk at the post-fight press conference.

Florian’s gutsy performance likely made believers out of critics who contended he was given a shot at the vacant 155-pound title, not because he was most qualified, but because he was a popular, well-known commodity on the Ultimate Fighter I reality series. Florian proved he is more than just a glamour boy throughout the ordeal, especially in the fourth-round, when Sherk violently slammed him to the ground. Florian’s head smacked against the canvass; he remained conscious, and kept fighting.

“I knew it was going to be a battle,” said Sherk, who notched his 31st victory and has only lost to Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre. “A lot of people overlook this guy, but I got exactly what I expected.”

For Sherk, the milestone moment was a far cry from his life a few years ago, when he defected from the UFC and fought on lesser shows while making a living in construction. Now, the former UFC castaway is a UFC champ, and beating the short brute will be a tall order.

“I don’t see too many people getting by this guy,” Florian said, nodding toward Sherk.

Frank Curreri can be reached at: fcurreri@kvvu.com