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.

The UFC confirmed its latest over seas offering today, the first ever card in Dublin, Ireland on January 17, 2009. The card will take place inside The O2, featuring a 205lb showdown between Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson. It’s scary to think that Anderson Silva chased both these men out of the division, and yet these guys are good enough to headline a pay per view. Guess that just shows how dominant a fighter Silva is.

In the co-main event, Mauricio Rua will look to re-establish himself as a top 5 205′er, when he takes on aging veteran Mark Coleman. Rua will look to avenge a loss to Coleman when an awkward take down by Coleman broke Rua’s arm. Coleman proceeded to celebrate as if it were a legit victory, prompting rage from the Rua camp.

Here is the rest of the card:

Main event:
205 lbs.: Rich Franklin (24-3) vs. Dan Henderson (23-7)

Main card (Televised):
205 lbs.: Mauricio Rua (16-3) vs. Mark Coleman (15-8)
185 lbs.: Denis Kang (31-10-1) vs. Alan Belcher (13-5)
205 lbs.: Andre Gusmao (5-1) vs. Antonio Mendes (15-3)
155 lbs.: Nate Mohr (8-5) vs. Dennis Siver (12-6)

Under card (May not be broadcast):

170 lbs.: Marcus Davis (15-4) vs. Chris Lytle (26-16-5)
185 lbs.: Rousimar Palhares (8-2) vs. Jeremy Horn (80-18-5)
205 lbs.: Ivan Serati (10-2) vs. Tomasz Drwal (14-2)
170 lbs.: Thomas Egan (3-0) vs. John Hathaway (9-0)

How the Davis/Lytle fight can end up on the under card is beyond me. The UFC had been pimping Davis for the last 5-6 cards over seas, almost making him an exclusive European fighter. Then, after finally matching him up with another slugger in Lytle, they proceed to place them on the un-televised portion. Makes no sense. Especially after seeing the relative unknown Gusmao/Mendes and Kang/Belcher bouts in the pay per view portion. Kang is a well known fighter in hardcore circles, but an unknown commodity state side. Siver I can understand, as he’s from Germany and they’re hoping to raise his profile for UFC 99 in Germany.

Hope the UFC wakes up and pushes the Lytle/Davis card up to where it belongs.