MMAVu

Does UFC 93 appear to be the “forgotten” pay-per-view? Broadcast on tape-delay, in another country with little hype and with a lukewarm main event. Given the fact they’ve already aired a hype package for UFC 94, its clear to me that is the case. In any event, the fights should still be good.

RICH “ACE” FRANKLIN vs DAN “HENDO” HENDERSON

It appears to be a fight that was thrown together, like these were the two biggest names still “available” at the time. Add to the fact the winner of this fight, at 205lbs, will face Michael Bisping at 185lbs makes even less sense. Both Franklin and Henderson failed in their attempts at beating Anderson Silva, the 185lb king, pitting them against Bisping and possibly derailing Bisping’s road to Silva makes even less sense. In any event, Franklin’s crisper striking and sub-defense will be the difference maker, and he’ll eke out a decision.

MARK “THE HAMMER” COLEMAN vs MAURICIO “SHOGUN” RUA

I like Rua in this one. 17 years younger, way less mileage, better technique and he’s finally healthy. Look for Rua to make it a short night for Coleman, with a TKO in round 1.

ALAN “THE TALENT” BELCHER vs DENIS KANG

This is Kang’s big debut. He’s huge overseas, but an unknown to casual fans. Hopefully that changes after this fight. Kang is just one notch better at everything than Belcher, and I expect him to take the decision.

JEREMY “GUMBY” HORN vs ROUSIMAR “TOQUINO” PALHARES

Horn has been around forever, with over 100 fights, but he’s still younger than Rich Franklin. That adds up to a huge amount of wear and tear, and give Palhares the submission victory. Say, round 2.

MARCUS “THE IRISH HAND GRENADE” DAVIS vs CHRIS “LIGHTS OUT” LYTLE

Ok, so this one will be a stand-up war, with one of these guys getting knocked out. It just HAS to happen, with two good friends, both former boxers and a ton of friendly trash talk. I say Davis by TKO in the 2nd round. It really could go either way though.

MARTIN “THE HITMAN” KAMPMANN vs ALEXANDRE BARROS

I know nothing about Barros, but I know Kampmann is quite impressive, even fighting above his weight class. I say Kampmann by TKO, round 2.

ERIC “RAVISHING RED” SCHAFER vs ANTONIO “SUMURAY” MENDES

Hmm, Mendes by TKO, round 2. He looked really good in a losing effort to a Brazilian buzzsaw in Thiago Silva.

Here are the official weigh-in numbers for UFC 88, which will air live on pay-per-view September 6 from Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.  Like I said before, I picked Chuck to win judging by how pissed off he looks in this poster.  Evans merely looks agitated.  Chuck looks like he wants to eat Rashad’s kids…if he had any.

Main Event
Rashad Evans (205) vs Chuck Liddell (204)

Main Card
Matt Hamill (205) vs Rich Franklin (204.5)
Dan Henderson (185) vs Rousimar Palhares (184.5)
Nate Marquardt (185) vs Martin Kampmann (184.5)
Matt Brown (170) vs Dong Hyun Kim (170)

Thiago Tavares (155) vs Kurt Pellegrino (156)
Tim Boetsch (205.25) vs Michael Patt (205.25)
Jason Lambert (185) vs Jason MacDonald (185)
Ryo Chonan (170) vs Roan Carneiro (170)

Let’s see here.  Liddell by 2nd round KO, Rich Franklin by unanimous decision, Dan Henderson by round 3 TKO, Nate Marquardt by unanimous decision, Dong Hyun Kim by round 2 TKO, Kurt Pellegrino by unanimous decision, Tim Boetsch by round 1 TKO, Jason MacDonald by round 2 TKO, and Ryo Chonan by round 2 tapout.   There, I said it.

I’m a bit surprised the Battle of the Jasons is on the under card.  Despite the Karo Parisyian vs Yoshiyuki Yoshida being scrapped to to Karo’s injury, the UFC chose to bump Matt Brown vs Dong Hyun Kim up instead.