UFC 93:
Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin

Update: Click here for the UFC 93 Fight Results

On January 17, Rich Franklin battles Dan Henderson in a light heavyweight bout to determine who will oppose Michael Bisping on the next season of the Ultimate Fighter. Whether or not either of them wants to be a coach and fight at 185 is another story. Elsewhere, Mauicio “Shogun” Rua makes his return to the UFC to settle a score with Mark “The Hammer” Coleman.

Main Card Bouts:
Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin
The implications for the winner need to be discussed. Those who watched the countdown show will remember how these two were promoted as fighters who benefited from staying at the 205-weight class. What wasn’t discussed at all was the fact that the winner will go on to do the The Ultimate Fighter routine with Michael Bisping. Whoever wins this match will prove that he is good enough to hang with the best of the light heavyweight division. It’s strange that the winner will then be forced (demoted, if you will) to fight a mid-level fighter at a lighter weight class. Shouldn’t the loser consider dropping a weight class? That’s what Bisping did when he had his first (official) loss at 205. They could have used the countdown show to sell the viewer on what a great opportunity the winner will have to coach a stale reality show and fight the U.K. poster boy. The fact that they didn’t even try is most disturbing. Anyway, on to the fight itself…

Rich Franklin has the more technical stand-up but Dan Henderson has just as much power in his fists. I doubt that Dan Henderson could perform a fight-ending body kick like Rich. What Dan Henderson can do is take Franklin down to the mat and hold him there. If he’s smart, that’s what he’ll try to do. However Dan Henderson loves to throw when he feels he’s close to a KO. Against Anderson Silva, Dan Henderson found himself on the other end of that knock out. Both of these guys are on the brink of a title shot in whatever weight class they wind up in (you’ll have to flip a coin on that one) so I expect this to be a close fight. In the end, Rich Franklin’s skill will help him achieve victory. All he has to do is stay on the outside and pick his shots like he did against Matt Hamill. Despite both competitors having fight-ending power they’re too evenly matched to see things wrap-up before the fifteen-minute mark. If there’s a finish I’d place my money on Rich Franklin’s diversified striking over Dan Henderson’s wild haymakers.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Mark Coleman
The bad blood in this feud approaches Rampage/Wanderlei levels. Unfortunately, nothing could top the post-fight camp brawl at the end of their first fight. Nobody wants a fighter to one-up the throat stomp that Wanderlei Silva received when he tried to come to Shogun’s aid. After all, us UFC fans don’t enjoy excessive violence. Ahem. What we do want to see is both fighters reaching their full potential. Given the massive age gap between them, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has much better odds of in this fight. It’s uncertain whether Mark Coleman with his limited skill set can overcome the young guns at light heavyweight. We don’t even know if he can make the weight cut to 205. However it should be noted that Shogun hasn’t fought in over a year. The last time he was in a UFC ring Forrest Griffin was choking him out. Mark Coleman on the other hand has left us with the image of his two daughters crying in the middle of the PRIDE ring while he tried to convince them that Fedor was a nice guy. So, there’s no doubt that both fighters have a lot to prove. Mark has a lot less time in his career so this may be his last shot on a big stage. As much as I hate to tow the line on this I’m going to predict a victory for Shogun. That’s not to suggest by any means that he’ll go on to demolish the rest of the 205 division. Both fighters have big question marks hanging over the heads. However Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is a well-rounded fighter (when he was in PRIDE anyway) and there’s little evidence to suggest that Mark Coleman has moved beyond being a 1-dimensional wrestler. I genuinely want to see a good showing from “The Hammer” but my objectivity points my vote the other way. Such is life.

Denis Kang vs. Alan Belcher
Most casual UFC fans will know Alan Belcher as a middle of the road fighter who has had just enough wins in the UFC to stay employed. Denis Kang has had more notable success in his MMA career but not many folks watching this show will be aware of that. That’s a shame too because Kang had quite the storied career overseas. Much like Shogun in 2007, Denis Kang will have to build his UFC reputation from the ground up. The middleweight division is lacking in challengers. We’re still in disbelief that Thales Leites is getting a title shot. I haven’t seen any of Denis Kang’s fights so I will base my opinion of him on this one fight. As for Alan Belcher, a win here will give him enough money to afford a pair of shorts that stay on properly. As for a prediction, feel free to be a robot and pick the better-known fighter. Don’t feel bad about it though. Nobody wants to see a man with unstable bottoms do a victory dance.

Rousimar Palhares vs. Jeremy Horn
Jeremy Horn has fought over a 100 fights in his MMA career, which upgrades him from “veteran” status to the dubious title of “man who can’t get enough punishment”. The problem with Horn is that he hasn’t been relevant in the UFC division since he was trotted out to be Chuck Liddell first title defense victim back in 2005. The more pressing concern is that his greatest strength (that being submissions) will likely be trumped by the younger, less beat-up fighter in Rousimar Palhares . Bashing a man who has contributed so much to this sport both inside and outside the cage/ring is in poor taste. However any sportsman loses respect from the fans when he sticks around longer than he should. Feel free to make a Ken Shamrock joke. Also look for Rousimar Palhares to get his career back on track by defeating a fighter with much more experience. A submission win would be perfect, so much so that it’s almost too good to come true. However Rousimar’s non-grappling skills are passable at best so any other method of victory he could achieve is not something you should bet on. Betting on Jeremy Horn is for the hardcores only.

Chris Lytle vs. Marcus Davis
These guys are the prime candidates to win fight of the night honors. They have both showed that they love to put on a great slugfest. The UFC brass must have been salivating at the thought of putting this fight together. Don’t expect much of that silly ground fighting here. What Chris Lytle should expect is a loss if he doesn’t pace himself properly. Marcus Davis would do well to adopt the “box a brawler” strategy and not get carried away. He showed solid discipline in his victory over Paul Kelly. He will have to work a bit harder to put away Chris Lytle but it is something he’s capable of. So, place a bet on “The Irish Hand Grenade” if you need to make a prediction. Who are the real winners here? Yes, that’s right…the fans. How nice.

Preliminary Bouts:
Antonio Mendes vs. Andre Gusmao
Ivan Serati vs. Thomasz Drwal
Nate Mohr vs. Dennis Siver
Tom Egan vs. John Hathaway

January is teeming with MMA shows and this is one is just as worthy of note as any of them, despite the lack of a flashy title match in Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin. Especially more so than the one that T-shirt Company is putting on. Hopefully this PPV will prove that you don’t need to spend millions of dollars on the fighters’ payroll to produce a quality night of entertainment. However Affliction lovers will probably miss the rock concert portion. My advice for those people: Put on some Megadeath whenever Mike Goldberg starts talking.

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