UFC 93: Franklin v. Henderson.. in Dublin, Ireland - Saturday, January 17th

mogo

CTG Super Moderator
Staff member
UFC 93: Franklin vs. Henderson

Date: Jan 17, 2009
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Venue: The 02
Broadcast: Pay Per View

MAIN CARD

  • Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin
  • Mark Coleman vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
  • Alan Belcher vs. Denis Kang
  • Marcus Davis vs. Chris Lytle
  • Jeremy Horn vs. Rousimar Palhares
PRELIMINARY CARD

  • Alexandre Barros vs. Martin Kampmann
  • Antonio Mendes vs. Eric Schafer
  • Thomasz Drwal vs. Ivan Serati
  • Tom Egan vs. John Hathaway
  • Nate Mohr vs. Denis Siver
 
UFC 93 televised main card revealed

The Ultimate Fighting Championship today confirmed a rash of match-ups for UFC 93, and in the process, revealed the Jan. 17 event's televised main card.

The event, which takes place at The 02 in Dublin, Ireland, features a light-heavyweight main event between Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson, as well as Mark Coleman vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

Other main-card bouts for the pay-per-view broadcast include Alan Belcher vs. Denis Kang, Marcus Davis vs. Chris Lytle, and Jeremy Horn vs. Rousimar Palhares.

The winner of the night's main event was originally expected to earn a coaching spot opposite Michael Bisping on "The Ultimate Fighter: U.S. vs. U.K." The ninth season of the UFC's reality series begins taping immediately following UFC 93, but neither Franklin nor Henderson have seemed especially excited about the coaching possibility.

Since the announcement of the fight, UFC President Dana White has also mentioned Demian Maia as a possible coach, which MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported after UFC 91. Nate Marquardt and Thales Leites have also publicly expressed their interest in the position.

In any manner, UFC 93 also features the long-awaited UFC debut of Kang, a former PRIDE fighter and SpiritMC champion who had previously negotiated with the UFC but never signed a deal. He finally agreed to a contract last month. He meets veteran fighter Belcher in a televised bout.
 
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</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Dan Henderson</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-135
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-130
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-135
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-139
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-125
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Rich Franklin</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+115
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even
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-105
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Even
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-105
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</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Mark Coleman</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+320
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+300
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+250
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Mauricio Rua</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-425
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-370
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-400​
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MOGO should Dan henderson not beat franklin easily? Franklin is just not in henderson league.
Frankling loses to top tier fighters, Silva kicked him good, at least HENDU won a round from Silva and gave him trouble.

I find Franklin to beat the avg fighters but I think Henderson is better at everything, he has fought bigger guys and Frankling cannot trade with Hendu, he will get hit and I think HENDU is a much better figher, he cant be knocked out, his only loss of late was to SILVA, QUinton was a draw anyway.

What do you think buddy?
 
Dan Henderson IMO has slipped a bit. Age, years in PRIDE, etc are taking their toll. I'm not a big Palhares fan, but the fact Hendo didn't get a KO was a bit surprising to me.

Coming off B2B losses to Silva and Rampage you'd think he'd been a bit more "inspired" against Palhares.

Before that he beat a declining but still solid Wanderlai and destroyed a Viktor Belfort, but split with Misaki. In his last 7 fights he's only 4-3 with 1 KO and his 8th fight ago was a split decision.

I'm not a huge Rich Franklin guy, but I think you have to be careful with Hendo. He's a name fighter with a lot of skill, but he's past his prime as much as I hate to say it. Yes he's still a world champion and very dangerous, but I don't think he's the Dan Henderson of even 3 years ago.

Franklin is a product of the UFC, in his first 16 fights, only 3 went past the first round. He's definitely fought some tomato cans and he's been destroyed by top level competition (Silva and Machida). As he's moved up in competition his matches have lasted double the length. What I"m getting at is his 24-3 record is very soft.

However, he's got a ton of confidence and this will legitimize him with this win. 2 careers about to go in opposite directions possibly.
 
What does anyone know about Alan Belcher.

Kang is making his UFC debut.
He has looked bad in his last few bouts in Asia.
 
Alan the talent BELCHER is his name, he is supposed to be good, but I believe he lost to a canadian Jason DOomsday DAY--

BELCHER was not a bad fighter from what i remember.
 
IM curious about the line in that one. I assume they will make kang the fave, considering I know nothing about this Belcher guy. I've watched Kang fight about 6 times. He was on the verge of stardom in Asia until the death of his GF. His good friend and training buddy is GSP. They are both from Quebec.
 
hendo and franklin is a tough matchup to call.... it's a big question mark where these two are heading.... they both have something very big to prove - that they are legit contenders to be champs!

i've always been a franklin fan but thats b/c he knocked dudes out and was tough as nails.... he has however lost a bit of his confidence and maybe his step with his recent slide against the top level competion, the dudes he needs to beat to be the best... he may continue to beat up on this mid level/lower upper level guys but if he can't take care of business against the cream of the crop then forget about it....

dan henderson used to be that lower upper level/upper level guy, and probably still is.... i still think this guy has it and just hasn't put together any good wins in the UFC since the merge.... a 3-round unamious decision win following a loss and a loss to silva and rampage doesn't impress me too much.... henderson has alot he wants to prove to the UFC and has just not been able to put it together and get it done, but i think he does get the win over franklin... i just have to think the henderson is still that great fighter from PRIDE, and absolutely needs to win this fight to prove that... it's really his only path if he wants to keep the quest to be champion alive.... otherwise who knows what role he'll play for the UFC...



i honestly feel this way now, but might reconsider things as the fight gets closer...

i don't like to over-analyze some of these fights too early and get a solid opinion too early when all that matters is how that fighter looks in the weighins and the days & hours leading up to and before the fight... i don't want to think something that might push a "strong opinion" one way and then distort my thinking when i actually do place a bet....
 
What are your guys thoughts on The Irish hand grenade fighting in Dublin>? Think he can negate Lytle's ground game with that power?

I think my 2 bets are gonna be Hendo and Davis. How bout you guys
 
Any of you guys betting on this card? I'm leaving for vegas Friday morning. I still like Henderson and Davis. Might throw one of them in a parlay with Kang and Rua
 
i will be on hendo and plan on being on belcher since i dont think kang deserves to be laying 300 plus against a a guy who has been in the cage a good number of times. I know belcher isnt the best but neither is kang. im not interested in bettin on rua or davis. I believe palhares will win but no odds yet... obviously i think pal jits game will be better i dont think he will have the edge in stand up but if u watched the pal/hendo fight , pal doesnt get koed and by no means do i believe horn has a good stand up either. Pal to me should take it pretty easily. I also have a feeling schafer will be a bit overvalued since he won against Houston Alexander (a guy that really has been overvalued in his last fights... fading him has been a gold mind)... I believe antonio mendes at +300 will be a pretty good bet... excited to see drzwal back in action, i dunno about the other guys will have to do some research on them before i make any bets and hopefully the odds will come out soon
 
well i recant my statment about not betting rua... since i did at -370 for the max bookmaker made it lol 250 something lilke 9 something to win 250 and when i hit refresh they moved the line to -400. I found value at -370 since how in the world is coleman gonna beat rua... i mean sure the cage will be colemans strength but the dude it 44 shogun is only 27 and just 18 months ago people were calling him the best lhw... noone knew about his knee injury and it was right for him to gas in the 2nd round without proper cardio training because of his knee. The first round was very close against forrest as was the 2nd till he gassed out. Now, I've seen a couple of his training videos and he is looking great. I usually have a rule against betting on large favorites like this but I think there is value at 370... i laid off the nog/mir fight but i didnt think nog was gonna win but couldnt pull the trigger because nog has been beaten and battered throughout his career and hasnt really looked all that sharp but i just couldnt pull the trigger on mir here. In this spot it is completely different, a very young lhw considered to be the top of the division a year back and is only laying only 370 to a washed up 44 year old who has won 3 out of 7 since 2001... one of them being a freak win over rua via broken arm... beating don frye.... and milco voorn..... so yah give me rua in this one and yes im going against my rule of betting large favs... i hope im not wrong
 
I'm passing on the card, but Rua will win. I've made my money in the past in MMA by spotting value. Despite thinking Nog would beat Mir, the value was on Mir at 3-to-1 on your money (disproportionate pricing IMO). Same mentality led me to cash Griffin over Rampage -- coin flip result so give me plus money. But this weekend, UFC has scheduled a complete mismatch. Coleman's ONLY advantage is strength. Still, I cannot bring myself to lay those odds. Alas, I have no action in MMA.
 
i agree blue but funny i find value on -370 on rua since i give coleman about a 10 percent chance to win
 
i'll try to look at this a little closer tonight and give some more thoughts before friday .... :shake:
 
Performify's Picks for UFC 93

The UFC's latest trip across the Atlantic might not look like the most competitive or compelling card from a fan's perspective, but I believe the card presents several interesting fights and, most importantly, several intriguing betting opportunities.

A loss on my only public pick for UFC 92 brought the running total for my public predictions since UFC 75 to 64-50 for +18.125 units. Plays I'd posted on Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans at better lines than were widely available (thus not eligible for my public record) helped to ease the losses, but they didn't cover them.

Of course, finding out from Dana White after the fact that Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was suffering from both an ACL injury and a staph infection didn't make the unexpected loss to Mir any easier, but it certainly helped explain the extremely poor performance Nogueira exhibited in the bout. It remains to be seen if Nogueira is as "shot" as he seemed, if Mir has improved as much as he appeared in the standup game, or if the outcome was instead significantly impacted by Nogueira's reported injury and illness. I'd warn those gambling on each fighter's next fights to weigh the possibilities carefully.

As usual, except where otherwise indicated, all lines are current market lines from MMAjunkie.com's recommended sportsbook, Bodog. It's easy to open an account at Bodog, and you can fund your Bodog account with as little as $25 and bet as little as $1 on fights. Until you've experienced the added excitement of betting on MMA, you really haven't watched MMA. Having your heart race when "your" fighter steps into the cage -- even if you've only got a few dollars in play -- is a feeling like none other. (But you should only wager you'd feel comfortable losing. Keep it fun.)

If you're interested in learning more about betting on MMA, be sure to check out our MMAjunkie.com MMA Wagering Guide series, which allows even the most novice bettor to be a long-term winner wagering on MMA. You can also stay up to date with the latest MMA and UFC odds directly via our new UFC Odds page.

Rich Franklin (-105) vs. Dan Henderson (-125)

Between them, Rich Franklin (24-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) and Dan Henderson (23-7 MMA, 3-2 UFC) have nine title fights across the UFC and PRIDE organizations. Here, the two face off for a different type of title; the winner of this fight will be named a coach on the ninth season of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality show, coaching the U.S. team opposite Michael Bisping's U.K. squad.

While both are more famous for their work at middleweight, this fight will be contested at 205 pounds. While Franklin is more known from his time in the UFC at middleweight, he spent the first four years of his career at 205 pounds. Henderson is well known for his work in both divisions, especially as the only person to hold both the 185-pound and 205-pound titles simultaneously in the now-defunct PRIDE organization.

Franklin has won four of his past six fights, including his past two, defeating Travis Lutter by TKO at UFC 83 and Matt Hamill at UFC 88 in Franklin's return to the light-heavyweight division. Franklin has lost to only two fighters in his career, fighters who not coincidentally come from the same fight camp: Brazil's Casa Preta, or Black House (which has now reformed as the Nogueira and Silva Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Miami, Fla). After winning 12 fights to open his career, Franklin was first bested by Lyoto Machida back in 2003. Then, after winning eight consecutive fights (including winning and twice defending the UFC middleweight championship), Franklin suffered the two brutal losses to Anderson Silva at UFC 64 and UFC 77.

Henderson has split his past six fights, losing to Kazuo Misaki before winning consecutive fights over Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva in the PRIDE organization, and then dropping consecutive fights in the UFC to Quinton Jackson and Anderson Silva. He most recently defeated Rousimar Palhares by unanimous decision at UFC 88, Henderson's first win in the UFC organization in 10 years.

Henderson is a former Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler and obviously as such has great wrestling skills. Still, for a top-tier wrestler, he will occasionally end up on his back in fights, a byproduct of his lunging and wild striking style. Henderson has huge power in both hands; he's mostly known for his big overhand right, but he also has power in a big looping left hook, which he used to knock Wanderlei Silva out cold at PRIDE 33.

Henderson's typical fight plan goes one of two ways. Henderson frequently depends on a combination of his iron chin and his looping power punches to knock opponents out on the feet, or he'll depend on his wrestling skills and focused ground and pound usually to grind opponents to a decision. Since his major-stage debut at UFC 12 in 1998, nine of Henderson's first 12 fights went to decision, contributing to his less-than-flattering unofficial nickname "Decision Dan." Six of his past eight have gone to decision; the flash KO of Wanderlei Silva and the submission loss to Anderson Silva were the only two that didn't go to the judges.

Franklin has no formal wrestling background, and generally, his wrestling is the weakest part of his game (outside of his defense in the clinch when Anderson Silva has a hold of him, but that's another story). He does have good technical striking with decent (but not overwhelming) power. As a middleweight, Franklin is huge with a strength advantage over just about everyone in the division, but at light heavyweight, where this fight is to be contested, his size and strength advantage is lessened significantly.

This fight line is close with a slight lean toward Henderson. I believe the odds should be reversed and that Franklin should be a slight favorite. Henderson is 38 years old and has been through a lot of long wars in his illustrious career. His standup style of telegraphed, slow-looping power shots should be easily countered by Franklin's ability to remain at range and pepper with fast, accurate jabs and kicks. Franklin is a southpaw, which helps to further negate Henderson's go-to overhand right as Franklin can more easily circle away from Henderson's power and beat him to the punch with quick jabs and one-two combinations.

Franklin possesses underrated jiu jitsu, and he demonstrated some great submission defense recently against Travis Lutter at UFC 83. While I do think Henderson should be able to put Franklin on his back easily if he can get in grabbing distance, I don't think Henderson can just blanket him there; Franklin's submission skills from his back should be able to set up transitions and keep Henderson generally uncomfortable while on top. On the other side, Henderson doesn't present much of an offensive submission threat; it's been more than nine years since his most recent submission victory, which was a power technique in the Japanese organization "Rings."

Franklin also has an edge in cardio. He's been very active in the late rounds of his fights, including going a full five rounds with David Loiseau at UFC 58, four rounds with Evan Tanner at UFC 53, a full three rounds with Yushin Okami at UFC 72, and deep into fights with Matt Hamill, Travis Lutter and Jason MacDonald. Henderson has shown cardio problems several times in past fights, albeit most frequently while fighting at 185 pounds. While he did go a full five rounds with Quinton Jackson, that fight is actually a good example of cardio problems; Henderson handily won the first round, slightly edged the second (winning on two judges cards), then began to show signs of fatigue and lost the final three rounds of the fight.

Between Franklin's ability to win the fight standing with quickness and technique and his ability to threaten and set up transitions when the fight hits the ground, I think he has a decent chance of winning this contest. I do think the fight will be highly competitive in each direction, and as such, it presents a high-variance outcome for betting purposes.

Most likely this fight is headed for decision unless Henderson catches Franklin with a big power shot and puts him away early; it's not likely that Franklin can win by stoppage unless he can stun Henderson with a high kick and get the referee to step in to stop a flurry of aggression. Henderson has been submitted only three times in his career -- by each of the Nogueira brothers and by Anderson Silva -- but Franklin is more likely to use his submission skills to setup transitions than to finish. Franklin does have four wins by technical submission on his record but none against an opponent at Henderson's level.

However, assuming Franklin can execute his likely gameplan by staying at range and circling to the right, keeping Henderson off balance with quick combinations, using his kicks effectively, and forcing transitions via submission skills when he is taken to the ground, I believe Franklin should really be about a 60% favorite, making the "true" line Franklin -150, giving us a decent edge at the current line despite the high volatility of the play.

Mark Coleman (+320) vs. Mauricio Rua (-400)

In case you're a brand new MMA fan, Mark "The Hammer" Coleman (15-8 MMA, 7-3 UFC) is a legend of the sport. Already a member of the UFC Hall of Fame, the 44-year old Coleman is one of the pioneers of the "ground and pound" technique, the concept of putting your opponent on his back and raining down punches and elbows. Coleman has a history of winning; he won an NCAA national wrestling championship for "the" Ohio State University, won the tournaments at UFC 10 and UFC 11, won the first-ever UFC heavyweight title by beating Dan "the Beast" Severn, and won the 2000 PRIDE Openweight Grand Prix Championship.

Punctuated by these wins, Coleman's career has been an interesting mixture of ups and downs. After winning the first ever UFC heavyweight title, Coleman lost his next four fights and made an exit from the UFC in the process. Coleman won the 2000 PRIDE Openweight Grand Prix Championship as a heavy underdog but then fought only five times over the next five years while dropping three of the five fights.

Brazilian Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (16-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was widely considered the top light heavyweight in the world thanks to an impressive career in the now-defunct PRIDE organization. "Shogun" won 12 of his first 13 fights with his only loss a submission to Renato "Babalu" Sobral late in the third round of a fight in which Rua was ahead on the cards.

During this stint, Rua won the PRIDE 2005 Grand Prix for the middleweight (93 kg) weight class, which was arguably one of the most stacked tournaments in MMA history. The list of fighters bounced from the tournament by the people he later beat -- Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, Dean Lister, Igor Vovchanchyn, Kevin Randleman, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Kazushi Sakuraba -- is almost as impressive as the list of fighters Rua himself dispatched. In the four rounds of the grand prix, "Shogun" bested Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Alistair Overeem and Ricardo Arona.

Following the grand prix victory, Rua faced off against Mark Coleman at "PRIDE 31: Unbreakable." The event's title would prove to be a bad omen; Rua completely dislocated his elbow less than a minute into the fight trying to brace himself against a takedown thus losing by TKO. Rua returned to action only seven months later and won his next four fights in PRIDE before the organization was acquired/raided/demolished by the UFC.

Rua made his UFC debut against Forrest Griffin at UFC 76. "Shogun" nearly pulled out of the fight weeks before with a serious knee injury, but he pushed on to fight anyway to follow the tradition of many Brazilian fighters. There, he fought a tough fight against the now-recently dethroned champ. Despite fighting under the shadow of a very significant knee injury, Rua had a competitive first round that could have gone either way (we scored it slight edge for Griffin in our play-by-play), won the first part of the second round (scoring a takedown and opening Griffin with an elbow) but then gassed heavily after the exertion, and he was beaten soundly in the second half of the second round and throughout the third round of the fight, where poor conditioning from a serious knee injury would present itself the most. And it's not like the knee injury was an after-the-fact excuse, either: it was well documented prior to the fight (see: "'Shogun' injured, may be scratched from UFC 76 debut").

As a fighter, Rua is typically extremely aggressive and extremely versatile. He's equally at home on his feet (courtesy elite Muay Thai skills) and deadly on the ground, courtesy a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt earned from legendary BJJ master (and Black House grappling instructor) Nino Schembri

I have all the respect in the world for Coleman as a legend and pioneer of this sport, but unfortunately, he is quite a bit past his prime in both age and in performance. Thanks to his own knee injury, which kept him being force-fed to (and likely brutally demolished by) Brock Lesnar at UFC 87, it has been two and a half years since his most recent professional fight, which took place at PRIDE 32, where he was absolutely abused by the hands of Fedor Emelianenko.

I have to mention one of my all-time favorite MMA moments that came from that contest. In one of the best post-fight scenes in MMA history, Coleman dragged his two young daughters into the ring, both of them openly weeping at the sight of their bloodied and beaten daddy, to introduce them to his opponent. Photographer Sam Morris of the Las Vegas Sun won the University of Missouri Journalism School's 64th annual Pictures of the Year International's first place award in the sports journalism category for capturing this moment on film:

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As previously mentioned, Coleman is 44 years old, and outside of an absolutely freak victory over "Shogun" in their previous fight, in the past seven and a half years, he's beaten only Milco Voorn and Don Frye (at the tail end of his own legendary career). Before an army of commenters brings up the point, yes, Randy Couture is a genetic freak and has been successful into his 40s in MMA. Couture is essentially the only fighter past 40 to have significant success on the major stage and is very much the exception, not the rule. Coleman is not Randy Couture; he's been through several bloody wars, he's coming off a significant knee injury, and he lacks the same history of wins over top-tier competition in the modern era.

For those questioning if Rua has adequately healed from his knee injures, I present exhibits A and B: training videos from Rua's camp courtesy of Bad Boy MMA. You can see Rua's confidence as he plants, twists, kicks and moves. Speaking as someone who has rehabbed very significant injuries personally, I can attest that you can generally tell from how someone moves just how much confidence he has in his post-injury knee, and Rua very much appears to be 100 percent.


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Despite being a heavy favorite, I believe Rua is still a worthwhile bet at the current odds of -400. Coleman's chances of winning outside of the usual statistical outliers like another injury are slim. Rua has a very significant edge in striking and also in conditioning. Rua is extremely dangerous on the ground and significantly likely to submit his opponent in the event the fight does go to the ground (four of Coleman's past five losses have come by way of submission). I expect "Shogun" to start strong, damaging Coleman with kicks and knees, and I will be extremely surprised if the fight gets out of the first round.

Alan Belcher (+240) vs. Denis Kang (-300)

UFC veteran Alan "The Talent" Belcher (13-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) comes in as a heavy underdog to journeyman veteran Denis Kang (31-10-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) who is making his UFC debut. Kang has been fighting professionally since 1998, and he's been fighting frequently at an average of more than four fights a year. Kang holds a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt earned under Marcus Soares. Between 2003 and 2006, Kang went on a 19-fight win streak, a streak stopped by Kazuo Misaki in the final round of the PRIDE Bushido 185-pound grand prix. However, that fight deserves at least two separate asterisks; Kang tore his right biceps defeating Akihiro Gono in the previous round of the tournament, and Kang was fighting barely 30 days after the death of his longtime girlfriend and fiancée (and professional boxer and mixed martial artist), Shelby Walker.

Kang fought in the DREAM 2008 Middleweight Grand Prix and lost to eventual champion Gegard Mousasi by triangle choke in the first round of the tournament (and the first round of the fight).

Kang fights out of Florida's American Top Team camp and is still mentored by Soares, a Carlson Gracie disciple, of Soares Jiu Jitsu in Vancouver. Kang also spent much of 2008 training with UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre in Canada.

Belcher holds a purple belt in BJJ and runs his own school, Remix MMA, in Biloxi, Miss. Belcher is a game fighter with a history of stepping up repeatedly on short notice; he made his UFC debut against Yushin Okami at UFC 62 on only two weeks' notice while filling in for David Terrell. Later Belcher stepped in against Sean Salmon at UFC 71 on only 10 days' notice while filling in for an injured Eric Schafer.

Belcher has also been on the other side, affected by injuries and withdraws; he was scheduled to fight at UFC 81 against Ricardo Almeida, but he had to pull out two days before the fight due to a severe case of bronchitis. Belcher was then scheduled to fight Patrick Cote at UFC 83 in Montreal, but unfortunately, Cote had to withdraw due to a knee injury. Rookie Jason Day stepped in on short notice and stopped Belcher with strikes in the first round.

Belcher rebounded from the disappointing loss to Day with a close split-decision win over Ed Herman at UFC Fight Night 15 in Omaha.

This fight is a definite step up in competition for Belcher and is an important test for Kang, who has split three of his past six fights. At 31, Kang has a solid MMA record, but he has not really beaten any top competition in his lengthy career, and he is at an important turning point after his recent losses. If he can turn things around, Kang could become a top contender in the UFC's razor-thin middleweight division, and he could find himself fighting for the title before his four-fight deal is up if he can string together three decisive wins.

Kang should be able to handle Belcher here while possessing an edge on the feet and a moderate edge in grappling if the fight hits the ground. From a gambling perspective, I think the line is well set with Kang as a 75% favorite, and I do not see an edge betting either fighter. I do expect to see Kang to carry a unanimous decision.

Marcus Davis (-145) vs. Chris Lytle (+115)

If this were a college bowl game, Marcus Davis (15-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) would be considered to have home-field advantage despite technically fighting on neutral turf. Not only is Davis extremely proud of his Irish heritage, but he's also fought on every overseas UFC card in recent history: UFC 89 in Birmingham (England), UFC 85 in London, UFC 80 in Newcastle, UFC 75 in London, and UFC 72 in Belfast. In fact, it's been almost two years since Davis fought in the U.S. (UFC 69 in Texas).

Davis is a former professional boxer with great standup skills, and he has won 12 of his past 13 fights, losing only a unanimous decision to Mike Swick at UFC 85 in that stint. Despite the boxing background, Davis has become a well-rounded mixed martial artist and now has more than half his 15 wins by way of submission.

There's a lot of pre-fight hype for this match with a lot of predictions for "Fight of the Night" honors for this bout. The prediction isn't much of a stretch; it would make the second time winning the award for Davis and the second straight "Fight of the Night" honor for Chris Lytle (26-16-5 MMA, 5-8 UFC). In fact, between them the two fighters, they have collected three "Fight of the Night" awards, two "Knockout of the Night" awards, and three "Submission of the Night" awards -- just in their past six fights each.

Lytle comes into this fight off a brutal war against Britain’s Paul Taylor at UFC 89. We scored the fight as a close win for Taylor; however, the judges saw it as a unanimous decision win for Lytle, surprising us as well as the crowd in attendance. The close win improved Lytle to 3-4 in his past seven fights, which has included losses to Matt Serra, Matt Hughes, Thiago Alves and Josh Koscheck in that stretch.

Lytle is a dangerous veteran and a very game, well-rounded fighter, but I give Davis the nod in this matchup. Davis' southpaw style and better boxing pedigree should give him the edge on the feet, and he's proven well rounded enough in wrestling and jiu jitsu to effectively balance Lytle's skills on the ground. Lytle has never been knocked out, has never been submitted, and has never even been stopped in a fight outside of a cut. I expect Davis to break this streak with a third-round TKO, though given Lytle's history of cut stoppages that's not out of the question either (assuming Davis' hand-speed advantage and better defensive head movement ends up with Lytle eating a lot of little shots early).

While I think this fight is worth a play, as it's still a close fight in both directions and especially since Lytle possesses the ability to end fights by knockout or submission. This definitely presents a high-variance fight to bet on, and those significantly risk adverse should probably pick a safer fight.

Jeremy Horn (+280) vs. Rousimar Palhares (-350)

Omaha's Jeremy Horn is one of the most experienced fighters in all of MMA with an 80-18-5 MMA record. That's no typo; this will be Horn's 104th professional fight and his 13th in the UFC, where he holds a 6-6 record. Horn has dropped four of his past six fights and his past two consecutively, which came to Dean Lister at The Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale and Nate Marquardt at UFC 81.

Brazilian Rousimar Palhares trains with Brazilian Top Team and holds an 8-2 MMA record. "Toquinho" won six fights in a row, including submission victories over Fabio Negao, Chute Boxe's Daniel Acacio and Ivan Salaverry in his UFC debut at UFC 84, before dropping a unanimous decision to Dan Henderson at UFC 88.

Palhares is incredibly strong and very compact with the excellent grappling skills you would expect from a BTT member with a BJJ blackbelt under Murilo Bustamante. Palhares' standup was awful in the match against Henderson and depended exclusively on slow, telegraphed backkicks that let Henderson completely dictate the location of the fight throughout.

Still, Horn's standup isn't anything significant -- considering most specifically that he was submitted in his last fight by the equally one-dimensional Dean Lister -- so in this fight there's no reason to think that Palhares can't get the fight to the ground. And on the ground, while Horn has a great jiu-jitsu pedigree, he's lost three of his past four by submission, and I expect him to fall in to the same pattern here. In a fight between two equally skilled jiu-jitsu practitioners, strength can become a deciding factor, and Palhares has a very significant strength advantage. He should be able to utilize that advantage to lock in an early fight-ending submission.

Horn has an illustrious MMA career that is clearly drawing to a close, and I would expect him to exit the UFC, if not retire from competition entirely, to focus on running his Elite Performance gym in Utah.

Undercard

Alexandre Barros (+345) vs. Martin Kampmann (-425)

Martin Kampmann (13-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) looks to rebound from a brutal first-round knockout at the hands of Nate Marquardt at UFC 88. The Danish Muay Thai specialist trains at Xtreme Couture.

Alexandre Barros is a Brazilian fighter under Gracie Barra with a 13-5 MMA record and is riding a nine-fight win streak. He holds a black belt in Muay Thai and blue belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu. However, Barros is being overrated here in my opinion thanks in no small part to a padded record developed against low- and mid-level Brazilian fighters and very little experience outside of Brazil. His nine-fight win streak includes a 20-month layoff from 2006 to mid-2008, the combined record of those opponents is 65-42, and nine of his past 13 fights have gone to decision. He's also lost all three times he's been outside of Brazil, which included a 2000 fight against Matt Hughes in which Barros submitted due to exhaustion.

Kampmann is dropping down to 170 pounds for this fight, and there's certainly a legitimate concern about his first fight cut down from middleweight. However, that is essentially the only real concern I have for this fight. Barros hasn't demonstrated anything of significance in his past fights; he does have decent Muay Thai skills, but Kampmann has a significant reach advantage (Barros is only 5-foot-9) and should be able to leverage that reach advantage to pick apart his opponent and secure a one-sided victory. I predict Kampmann wins by second round TKO in a one-sided fight.

Antonio Mendes (-105) vs. Eric Schafer (-125)

Brazilian Antonio Mendes (15-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) is a tough and technical striker who made his UFC debut against Thiago Silva at UFC 84. There, Mendes was a fish out of water once the fight hit the ground, and Silva quickly wrapped up the fight with a submission via strikes. Mendes does have four submission wins on his record, so it's possible that his ground skills aren't nearly as bad as they looked in the fight against Silva.

Eric Schafer (10-3-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) demonstrated nicely in his most recent fight against Houston Alexander that he has the standup skills and the toughness to hang with an aggressive and dangerous striker long enough to get the fight to the ground, and there he will look to duplicate that success against Mendes.

I think this fight can go either way. Schafer was clipped by Alexander a couple times and was nearly knocked out, so it is not unreasonable to think that Mendes can end the fight on the feet especially given that Schafer isn't really very dangerous standing. Schafer most certainly has a significant edge on the ground, but he hasn't demonstrated the wrestling skills necessary to ensure that a fight gets there every time. Alexander, for example, was able to stuff three takedowns from Schafer before succumbing to the fourth through a technical mistake in his takedown defense.

If either fighter became a significant underdog, I'd probably take a small flier at positive numbers. However, with the lines this close, I can't recommend a bet on either side on such a high-variance fight. I'll predict Schafer by submission but really won't be surprised if Mendes scores a TKO.

Ivan Serati (+175) vs. Tomasz Drwal (-215)

Polish fighter Tomaz Drwal (14-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) looks to rebound from a loss to Thiago Silva in his UFC debut back in September 2007. Drwal was on a 13-fight win streak before the loss to Silva, and he hasn't had a professional fight since the loss 16 months ago. His opponent, Italian fighter Ivan Serati (10-2 MMA), makes his UFC debut on a four-fight win streak.

Drwal demonstrated terrible cardio in his fight against Silva, but he has decent power and strength before he gasses. Serati should be outmatched on the feet and if put on his back, but if he can get the fight to the ground in a dominant position, he has shown a decent top game in past fights and could win via ground and pound if Drwal gasses and he can get to top position later in the fight.

The odds are almost worth a shot on Serati here, essentially betting against Drwal's gas tank. However, with so much action elsewhere on the card, I'm going to stay away from this match. Drwal wins by TKO in the first, or Serati wins by TKO in the third. It's very doubtful we see a decision here unless both fighters just gas horribly, in which case we could be in for a horribly sloppy fight with almost no chance of seeing the televised broadcast.

Tom Egan (+230) vs. John Hathaway (-290)

Tom "The Tank" Egan is a local Irish fighter with only a 3-0 professional MMA record. The 20-year-old has a background primarily in boxing and trains MMA at Pro Team Ireland gym. He faces Englishman John Hathaway, who holds a 9-0 professional record while fighting primarily for England's Cage Rage organization. Egan should have the edge on the feet, but Hathaway is well-rounded and experienced, and one would expect him to look for an early takedown to neutralize Egan's boxing skills and look for a victory via ground and pound.

It will be interesting to see if Hathaway's significant edge in experience can overcome what will be the overwhelming support of the hometown crowd. Early line movement indicates that the rest of the betting market doesn't think so; almost all the early money has come in on Hathaway.

Nate Mohr (+130) vs. Dennis Siver (-160)

Iowa's Nate Mohr (8-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) takes on Germany's Dennis Siver (12-6 MMA, 1-3 UFC) in this lightweight battle to open the night. Both fighters are strikers, and both fighters look completely uncomfortable if the fight even hints at heading toward the ground. Expect a striking bout with Mohr trying to use his reach advantage to counter Siver's edge in handspeed. I'm not remotely interested in betting on this one; given both fighters history of sub-par performances in the octagon, it's simply too hard to predict how this one turns out.


Performify's Picks for UFC 93
  • Rich Franklin (-105) : 2.1 units to win 2 units
  • Mauricio Rua (-400) : 6 units to win 1.5 units
  • Marcus Davis (-145) : 1.45 units to win 1 unit
  • Rousimar Palhares (-350) : 3.5 units to win 1 unit
  • Martin Kampmann (-425) : 5.95 units to win 1.4 units
 
on a side note...the next Affliction...great value on...

Gilbert Yvel (+476)

Vitor Belfort (+161)

Gonna wait until after the weigh ins...but I like Belfort a lot and Yvel at that price? Hard to pass up (even a small play) with such a violent striker - better than a punchers chance.
 
Denis Kang expecting a brawl with Alan Belcher at UFC 93

Denis Kang (31-10-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) may be making his UFC debut on the main card of Saturday's UFC 93 pay-per-view event, but don't expect him to have any of the dreaded "octagon jitters."

Eleven years as a pro, along with 42 professional fights, have taken care of that.

"It's just another fight," Kang recently told TAGG Radio (www.taggradio.com), the official radio partner of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "When it boils right down to it, it's still the same thing. Whether I'm fighting in the UFC or King of the Cage or anywhere else really, a punch is still a punch."

Kang debuted professionally in 1998 for the Canadian-based Ultimate Warrior Challenge. After compiling a mediocre 7-7 record in his first 14 bouts, Kang went on an amazing run of 22 consecutive bouts without a loss between 2003 and 2006 fighting primarily for PRIDE and SpiritMC.

That run had many MMA observers considering Kang among the world's top middleweights, but a 1-3 stretch between 2006 and 2008 -- which included losses to Gegard Mousasi, Yoshihiro Akiyama and Kazuo Misaki -- left the 31-year-old at a career crossroads.

"I think I was beginning to get a little burned out around that time," Kang said. "I was taking the fight, but it's hard to explain. My motivation to really fight and succeed wasn't there. I was just kind of getting in there like a zombie as a reflex. I needed to take a little time off to re-find my focus after that."

Kang returned to Canada after visa issues made it impossible for him to continue his training at American Top Team. While Kang was initially disappointed, the move turned out to be beneficial.

"I think coming to train in Montreal is one of the best things I did," he said. "Looking at the way that Georges St. Pierre trains and things like that really brought my motivation back and my concentration. Just seeing all the perseverance and the dedication he puts in his training really made me realize what I was missing."

The training resulted in two straight wins for Kang, as well as a trip to the UFC.

"I thought it was time for a change in my career," Kang said. "You see a lot of the better fighters going to the UFC nowadays, and I wanted to be a part of that. I was sick of fighting all the way in Asia all the time I wanted a little bit of a change."

Kang will once again test the results of his training adjustments this Saturday against seven-time UFC veteran Alan Belcher (13-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC). While it will be his first bout for the UFC, Kang is unconcerned with any added pressure of fighting in the world's largest MMA promotion.

"Everything is going to be the same," Kang said. "There is a little bit of added hype to it, but overall it's going to be the same. I'm not putting any extra pressure on myself."

In addition to adjusting to a new organization, Kang will also be transitioning to fighting in the cage after recently spending the majority of his time in the ring. Kang said he felt the adjustment would be a simple one based on his past experience.

"My last fight was in a cage, so I trained for it and got used to it," Kang said. "It's not really a factor anymore. I wouldn't say that I really had to change my style that much. I think I just needed to adapt a few things to working against the fence and things like that.

"But you've got to remember I've fought in a cage a bunch of times before. My last dozen or so fights were in the ring, but before that I was fighting in cages a lot. I knew what to do already."

While many fans may be unaware of Kang's career accomplishments in Japan and Korea, the Canadian resident thinks his bout with Belcher may put him quickly on the UFC map.

"I think it's going to be a great fight," Kang said. "We both have pretty aggressive, stand-up styles. But we can also fight on the ground. He's primarily a Muay Thai guy, but you can tell that he has evolved on the ground and with his wrestling.

"I think it's going to be a brawl." :box:
 
I like Kang in this one (and overall) a lot, it's just too bad he's such a big fav...I was hoping the general pub (and Vegas) would look at Kang's 0-0 in the UFC and say who the Fook is this guy???

Disappointing. When it was announced I thought this was going to be money in the bank.
 
"Inside MMA" preview: Bas Rutten predicts Dan Henderson wins at UFC 93

In one of the more evenly matched main events in recent UFC history, former middleweights Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson meet in a light-heavyweight bout Saturday at UFC 93.

While fans have been split with their predictions, at least one MMA notable thinks Henderson has the edge.

In a sneak peak of Friday's new episode of the weekly MMA news show, "Inside MMA" host and longtime fighter Bas Rutten makes his case for "Hollywood Henderson."

"It's going to be a good fight," Rutten said. "I think he's going to push Franklin forward, and then it's really hard for Rich to counter that with strikes because [Henderson] is coming forward.

"And, of course, his wrestling is top notch. He's going to take him down, ground and pound. That's what going to happen this week."

This week's "Inside MMA" panel includes Josh Barnett and Gilbert Yvel, who meet next weekend at "Affliction: Day of Reckoning," and Sports Illustrated writer and Blood in the Cage author, Jon Wertheim.

For the full preview of this week's "Inside MMA" episode, which airs Friday night on HDNet, check out the embedded clip.

<embed src="http://blip.tv/play/AebCXIvTeQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="390" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed>
 
<table width="95%" bordercolor="#cccccc" cellpadding="1"><tbody><tr><td width="22%" bgcolor="#000000">
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]UFC 93 Odds[/FONT]​
</td> <td width="16%" bgcolor="#000000">
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</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Dan Henderson</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-115
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-125
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-140
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-139
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-125
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Rich Franklin</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-105
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-105
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
even
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
Even
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-105
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Mark Coleman</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+315
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+335
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+255
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+250
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+285
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Mauricio Rua</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-380
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-415
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-400
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-400
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-365
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Denis Kang</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-280
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-275
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-325
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-295
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Alan Belcher</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+240
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+215
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+210
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+235
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Marcus Davis</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-145
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-145
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-140
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-145
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Chris Lytle</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+125
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+115
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
even
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+115
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]UFC 93 Odds[/FONT]​
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
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</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">
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</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Jeremy Horn</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+320
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+310
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+325
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">R. Palhares</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-390
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-380
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-450
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Alex Barros</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+350
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+375
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+400
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+400
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Ma Kampmann</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-485
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-455
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-500
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-600
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Antonio Mendes</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
even
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+115
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-110
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-105
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Eric Schafer</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-130
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-145
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-130
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-125
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Ivan Serati</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+210
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+215
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+185
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+230
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Tomasz Drwal</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-270
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-275
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-250
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-290
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Tom Egan</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+190
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+200
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+175
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+230
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">John Hathaway</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-250
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-250
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-225
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-290
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Nate Mohr</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+130
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+125
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+135
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
+135
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#000000">Dennis Siver</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-160
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-155
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-175
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
</td> <td bgcolor="#000000">
-165
</td></tr></tbody></table>
 
<table class="data_table" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="data_title"><td colspan="7">Rich Franklin Vs. Dan Henderson </td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td width="15">
</td> <td valign="top" width="150"> <table class="data_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Name:</td> <td>Rich Franklin</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Height:</td> <td>6' 1" (185 cm)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Weight:</td> <td>205 (93 kg)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Record:</td> <td>26-3-0</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td valign="top" width="185">

"Ace"
</td> <td width="95">
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</td> <td valign="top" width="150" align="right"> <table class="data_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Name:</td> <td>Dan Henderson </td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Height:</td> <td>6' 1" (185 cm)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Weight:</td> <td>205 (93 kg)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Record: </td> <td>23-7-0</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td valign="top" width="185" align="right">

"Hendo"
</td> <td width="15">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="7" bgcolor="silver">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

<table class="data_table" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_title"> <td colspan="7"> Mark Coleman Vs. Mauricio Rua </td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td width="15">
</td> <td valign="top" width="150"> <table class="data_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Name:</td> <td>Mark Coleman</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Height:</td> <td>6' 1" (185 cm)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Weight:</td> <td>205 (93 kg)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Record:</td> <td>15-8-0</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td valign="top" width="185">

"The Hammer"
</td> <td width="95">
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</td> <td valign="top" width="150" align="right"> <table class="data_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Name:</td> <td>Mauricio Rua </td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Height:</td> <td>6' 1" (185 cm)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Weight:</td> <td>205 (93 kg)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Record: </td> <td>16-3-0</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td valign="top" width="185" align="right">

"Shogun"
</td> <td width="15">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="7" bgcolor="silver">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

<table class="data_table" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_title"> <td colspan="7"> Alan Belcher Vs. Denis Kang </td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td width="15">
</td> <td valign="top" width="150"> <table class="data_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Name:</td> <td>Alan Belcher</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Height:</td> <td>6' 2" (188 cm)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Weight:</td> <td>185 (84 kg)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Record:</td> <td>12-4-0</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td valign="top" width="185">

"The Talent"
</td> <td width="95">
events_vs.gif


</td> <td valign="top" width="150" align="right"> <table class="data_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Name:</td> <td>Denis Kang </td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Height:</td> <td>5' 11" (180 cm)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Weight:</td> <td>185 (84 kg)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Record: </td> <td>31-10-1</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td valign="top" width="185" align="right">

</td> <td width="15">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="7" bgcolor="silver">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

<table class="data_table" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_title"> <td colspan="7"> Jeremy Horn Vs. Rousimar Palhares </td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td width="15">
</td> <td valign="top" width="150"> <table class="data_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Name:</td> <td>Jeremy Horn</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Height:</td> <td>6' 2" (188 cm)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Weight:</td> <td>185 (84 kg)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Record:</td> <td>88-18-5</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td valign="top" width="185">

</td> <td width="95">
events_vs.gif


</td> <td valign="top" width="150" align="right"> <table class="data_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Name:</td> <td>Rousimar Palhares </td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Height:</td> <td>5' 8" (173 cm)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Weight:</td> <td>185 (84 kg)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Record: </td> <td>17-2-0</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td valign="top" width="185" align="right">

"Toquinho"
</td> <td width="15">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="7" bgcolor="silver">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

<table class="data_table" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_title"> <td colspan="7"> Marcus Davis Vs. Chris Lytle </td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td width="15">
</td> <td valign="top" width="150"> <table class="data_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Name:</td> <td>Marcus Davis</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Height:</td> <td>5' 10" (178 cm)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Weight:</td> <td>170 (77 kg)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Record:</td> <td>20-5-0</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td valign="top" width="185">

"The Irish Hand Grenade"
</td> <td width="95">
events_vs.gif


</td> <td valign="top" width="150" align="right"> <table class="data_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Name:</td> <td>Chris Lytle </td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Height:</td> <td>5' 11" (180 cm)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Weight:</td> <td>170 (77 kg)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Record: </td> <td>36-16-4</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td valign="top" width="185" align="right">

"Lights Out"
</td> <td width="15">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="7" bgcolor="silver">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>

<table class="data_table" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_title"> <td colspan="7"> Martin Kampmann Vs. Alexandre Barros </td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td width="15">
</td> <td valign="top" width="150"> <table class="data_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Name:</td> <td>Martin Kampmann</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Height:</td> <td>6' 0" (183 cm)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Weight:</td> <td>170 (77 kg)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Record:</td> <td>13-2-0</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td valign="top" width="185">

"The Hitman"
</td> <td width="95">
events_vs.gif


</td> <td valign="top" width="150" align="right"> <table class="data_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Name:</td> <td>Alexandre Barros </td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Height:</td> <td>5' 9" (175 cm)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Weight:</td> <td>170 (77 kg)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Record: </td> <td>13-5-0</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td valign="top" width="185" align="right">

"Baixinho"
</td> <td width="15">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="7" bgcolor="silver"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>

<table class="data_table" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_title"> <td colspan="7"> Eric Schafer Vs. Antonio Mendes </td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td width="15">
</td> <td valign="top" width="150"> <table class="data_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Name:</td> <td>Eric Schafer</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Height:</td> <td>6' 3" (191 cm)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Weight:</td> <td>205 (93 kg)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Record:</td> <td>12-3-2</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td valign="top" width="185">

"Red"
</td> <td width="95">
events_vs.gif


</td> <td valign="top" width="150" align="right"> <table class="data_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Name:</td> <td>Antonio Mendes </td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Height:</td> <td>6' 3" (191 cm)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Weight:</td> <td>205 (93 kg)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Record: </td> <td>14-3-0</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td valign="top" width="185" align="right">

"Samuray"
</td> <td width="15">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="7" bgcolor="silver"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>

<table class="data_table" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_title"> <td colspan="7"> Tomasz Drwal Vs. Ivan Serati </td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td width="15">
</td> <td valign="top" width="150"> <table class="data_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Name:</td> <td>Tomasz Drwal</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Height:</td> <td>6' 0" (183 cm)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Weight:</td> <td>205 (93 kg)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Record:</td> <td>14-2-0</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td valign="top" width="185">

"Gorilla"
</td> <td width="95">
events_vs.gif


</td> <td valign="top" width="150" align="right"> <table class="data_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Name:</td> <td>Ivan Serati </td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Height:</td> <td>6' 1" (185 cm)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Weight:</td> <td>205 (93 kg)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Record: </td> <td>10-2-0</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td valign="top" width="185" align="right">

"Il Terribile"
</td> <td width="15">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="7" bgcolor="silver"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>

<table class="data_table" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_title"> <td colspan="7"> Tom Egan Vs. John Hathaway </td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td width="15">
</td> <td valign="top" width="150"> <table class="data_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Name:</td> <td>Tom Egan</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Height:</td> <td>5' 11" (180 cm)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Weight:</td> <td>170 (77 kg)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Record:</td> <td>4-0-0</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td valign="top" width="185">

"The Tank"
</td> <td width="95">
events_vs.gif


</td> <td valign="top" width="150" align="right"> <table class="data_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Name:</td> <td>John Hathaway </td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Height:</td> <td>n/a</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Weight:</td> <td>170 (77 kg)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Record: </td> <td>10-0-0</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td valign="top" width="185" align="right">

"The Hitman"
</td> <td width="15">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="7" bgcolor="silver"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table>

<table class="data_table" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="data_title"> <td colspan="7"> Dennis Siver Vs. Nate Mohr </td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td width="15">
</td> <td valign="top" width="150"> <table class="data_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Name:</td> <td>Dennis Siver</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Height:</td> <td>5' 7" (170 cm)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Weight:</td> <td>155 (70 kg)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Record:</td> <td>12-6-0</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td valign="top" width="185">

</td> <td width="95">
events_vs.gif


</td> <td valign="top" width="150" align="right"> <table class="data_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Name:</td> <td>Nate Mohr </td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Height:</td> <td>5' 9" (175 cm)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Weight:</td> <td>155 (70 kg)</td> </tr> <tr class="data_row"> <td style="font-weight: bold;">Record: </td> <td>8-5-0</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td valign="top" width="185" align="right">

</td> <td width="15">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="7" bgcolor="silver"> </td></tr></tbody></table>
 
thought it over and i'll probably be playing Franklin at even money tonight....


the rest of the card has some pretty large favorites that i think i should stay away from... i expect Rua, Kang, Palhares, Davis, and Kampmann to get the wins..... :shake:



** DON'T FORGET TO GET YOUR BETS IN EARLY SATURDAY, AS THERE'S A TIME DIFFERENCE SINCE THIS IS IN IRELAND **
 
UFC 93 official weigh-ins: Franklin (203) and Henderson (202) come in light

Official weigh-ins for "UFC 93: Franklin vs. Henderson" took place today at 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. PT) live from The 02 in Dublin, Ireland.

The weigh-ins preceded tomorrow's first UFC pay-per-view event of 2009, which features a main event between former champions Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson at light heavyweight.

All 20 fighters successfully made weight.

Both headliners came in light for the bout. With a 206-pound cutoff, Franklin weighed 203 pounds; Henderson was even lighter at 202.

Former heavyweight Mark Coleman slimmed down drastically for his light-heavyweight co-main event fight with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. With a bald head, protruding abs and barely an ounce of body fat, Coleman, a 44-year-old UFC hall-of-famer, just made the limit after weighing in at 206 pounds. "Shogun" was 205.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was from the event's preliminary card. Veteran Martin Kampmann, who was making his first cut from middleweight to welterweight, had no problems with the drop and actually weighed three pounds under the 171-pound limit. Although he was noticeably slimmer, fans have no reason to worry.

"He got here and started the cut at 173 pounds and just went a little deeper than he needed," his agent, Ken Pavia, told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) after the weigh in. "The cut was easy, and he's doing really well. No problems at all."

Full weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD

  • Dan Henderson (202) vs. Rich Franklin (203)
  • Mark Coleman (206) vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (205)
  • Jeremy Horn (185) vs. Rousimar Palhares (184)
  • Alan Belcher (186) vs. Denis Kang (184)
  • Marcus Davis (169) vs. Chris Lytle (171)
PRELIMINARY CARD

  • Alexandre Barros (170) vs. Martin Kampmann (168)
  • Antonio Mendes (204) vs. Eric Schafer (205)
  • Thomasz Drwal (203) vs. Ivan Serati (204)
  • Tom Egan (169) vs. John Hathaway (171)
  • Dennis Siver (155) vs. Nate Mohr (156)
 
I hope the aired fight go quick and we get to see Kampmann fight...curious to see what he looks like at 170...
 
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