UFC 93 took place in Dublin, Ireland; and as it has been the case with many of the overseas UFC events, it did not feature a very strong card. In the main event, Rich Franklin took on Dan Henderson for a chance to coach the upcoming season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ opposite of Michael Bisping. Strangely enough, the Franklin-Henderson fight was at 205 lbs, despite the fact that the winner would face Bisping at 185.
The co-main event was a rematch between Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua and Mark Coleman – both men making a return to action after a long layoff. The only other notable bouts on the card were the UFC debut of Denis Kang (facing Alan Belcher) and a bout between two gatekeepers of the welterweight division – Marcus Davis and Chris Lytle. Let’s see how it all turned out:
Marcus Davis vs. Chris Lytle (170 lbs)
This was a bout between two former professional boxers, and both fighters have vowed to keep the fight on the feet prior to the event. They kept their word, as neither man attempted any takedowns, and Davis refused to follow Lytle to the ground despite knocking or throwing him down on several occasions. Lytle was the aggressor throughout the fight, and overwhelmed Davis in the beginning of both the first and second rounds, forcing Davis to literally turn his back and run away in the second. However Lytle was not able to capitalize and Davis successfully played the role of a counter-striker. The very close fight ended with a split decision for Marcus Davis (28-29 on all three scorecards, with two judges calling it in Marcus’ favor and the third picking Lytle.)
Fight Grade: 3.5/5 – would have been 5/5 if this were a kickboxing bout, but I would like to see a bit more “mixing” in “Mixed” Martial Arts
Aftermath: Both fighters will remain gatekeepers in the very deep welterweight division. Chris Lytle’s UFC record falls to an impressive 5-9.
Denis Kang vs. Alan Belcher (185 lbs)
In his Octagon debut, Denis Kang controlled the action for most of the first two rounds, winning the standup and taking Belcher down at will. Kang was able to pass Belcher’s guard a number of times, and attempted to secure first a d’arce choke, then a kimura. Belcher defended the submission attempts and hung in there despite not offering much offense. Late in the second round, Kang shot for another takedown and was caught in a guillotine choke, tapping out after a brief struggle.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Aftermath: A very disappointing debut for Kang, who was once considered a Top 10 middleweight but has been very inconsistent in the recent years. A big come-from-behind win for Belcher, who has also not been very consistent throughout his UFC career. Belcher claims to be a couple of fights away from a title shot in his post-fight interview; it remains to be seen whether he can string a few wins together.
Jeremy Horn vs. Rousimar Palhares (185 lbs)
Leglock master Palhares dominated the veteran Horn for the majority of this bout, dragging or slamming Horn down multiple times in each round. Palhares wasn’t able to do much damage to Horn on the ground or even have any close submission attempts, making for a fairly lackluster fight. Horn had a slight edge in standup due to his reach advantage, and briefly gained dominant position in the second round, mounting Palhares and attempting an arm triangle choke. Ultimately, Horn’s inability to stop Rousimar’s takedowns cost him the fight, 30-27 on all three scorecards.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Aftermath: Palhares has been touted as the next big thing at middleweight after an impressive submission over Ivan Salaverry. The hype has died down after a loss to Dan Henderson, and Rousimar hasn’t done enough in the bout with Horn to be considered a contender. A matchup with Alan Belcher would be a good next step. For Horn, this was his third consecutive loss – looks like his illustrious career is quickly drawing to an end.
Tom Egan vs. John Hathaway (170 lbs)
In a quick-paced fight between two UFC newcomers, the undefeated Hathaway repeatedly slammed Egan to the ground, and pounded him out with punches and elbows for a TKO stoppage late in the first round.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Aftermath: I would expect to see Hathaway, and possibly Egan as well, on the upcoming season of ‘The Utlimate Fighter: US vs UK’.
Mark Coleman vs. Mauricio Rua (205lbs)
Coleman and Rua has met once before – in a heavyweight bout in Pride FC, which ended with a freak injury when Rua landed awkwardly on his arm and dislocated an elbow after being taken down by Coleman. The rematch took place at 205 lbs – the first time ever Mark Coleman had to cut weight for an MMA bout. The weight cut along with age and a long layoff from competition took their toll on Coleman’s conditioning, as he was gassed by the end of the first round. Rua’s gas tank did not last much longer than Coleman’s, making this one of the sloppiest matchups I’ve ever witnessed in the UFC.
Despite both fighters being so tired that they couldn’t keep their hands above their waist for the majority of this bout, it was a midly entertaining train wreck of a fight. Coleman was able to take Rua down consistently through the three rounds, but did very little on the ground. As expected, Rua clearly won the standup, rocking Coleman with punches and knees, but surprisingly ate many punches himself. In the third round, the referee briefly halted the action, warning Rua for an illegal knee to the head of a downed opponent. The replay showed that the knee was actually to the body. With thirty seconds left in the bout, the lethargic Rua dropped Coleman with an uppercut-cross combination, and the ref quickly stops the fight. Coleman protested the stoppage; it did look a bit premature.
Fight Grade: 4 3/5 1 point deduction for questionable reffing
Aftermath: Coleman asks for a rubber match in the post-fight interview. That is not meant to be, as Rua will face Chuck Liddell in the main event of UFC 97. The way he looked tonight, ‘Shogun’ might be in for a long (or a very short) night against the ‘Iceman’. Coleman should simply call it quits.
Rich Franklin vs. Dan Henderson (205lbs)
In the main event, Henderson started out strong, rocking Franklin with punches early in the first round. The fighters clashed heads moving into a clinch, and Franklin was on the losing end of the unintentional headbutt, bleeding from two cuts on his forehead. Though Henderson slowed down a bit as the fight went on, he was able to control the fight by alternating standup and takedowns to keep Franklin guessing. Rich turned it up a notch in the third round, and was winning the stanza until Henderson’s finger landed squarely in Franklin’s eye, sending him to the ground in obvious pain. Franklin was given two minutes to recover, and finished the round strong despite a visibly swollen eye. Henderson took the first two rounds, while Franklin won the third. Two of the judges agreed with this assessment; however the third inexplicably called the fight 30-27 for Franklin, giving Dan a split decision.
Fight Grade: 4 3/5 1 point deduction for the headbutt and eye-poke that contributed to Franklin’s demise, and for the 30-27 decision.
Aftermath: Dan Henderson goes on to be the ‘Team US’ coach in the next season of ‘TUF’, and will eventually return to 185 lbs to face Michael Bisping. Rich Franklin should remain in the light-heavyweight division, as there are more interesting matchups for him there than at middleweight.
All in all, not a very memorable UFC.