UFC 93 – Two Biggest Fights of the Night
Rua vs. Coleman: The Rematch
The second biggest fight of the night pits Mauricio Rua (-400) against Mark Coleman (+250) in a re-match of their PRIDE fight that took place in Japan in 2006. It ended with the hall of fame Coleman pulling off a stunning upset by breaking Rua’s arm in the first round.
The fight started very quickly with Rua missing a round house to the head of Coleman who quickly countered with a take down. Neither fighter established dominant position as Rua tried a triangle that was quickly thwarted as Coleman picked him right up off the mat and went for the slam. Rua tried a series of ankle locks to no avail and upon a harmless looking takedown Rua broke his arm landing awkwardly. What ensued was a bit of a melee as Rua’s corner jumped in and essentially added fuel to this rematch fire.
Coleman is 44 years old and is the huge underdog but no one knows how the psyche of Rua will be, especially coming off a loss and facing a man that beat you in stunning fashion. It will be interesting to see Shogun has recovered all the way from a broken arm, mentally and physically, but there is no doubt he is a premier fighter by all accounts. He lost his last bout to a very reputable Forrest Griffin who was the underdog in that fight but as we soon found out, Griffin had skills. This is going to be a great set up fight for the main event and everyone in Dublin knows this could be fight of the night.
Franklin vs. Henderson: The Main Event
Rich Franklin (+100) vs. Dan Henderson (-140) is such a tough fight to call which is evident by looking at the money line. Henderson is an absolute legend and has some of the most vicious and crowd pleasing knock outs in the history of MMA. Franklin is one of the UFC’s most popular fighters and is known for his cement jaw and no-quit attitude.
Henderson’s fight history leads you to believe he most likely has the better knockout power and thus a better chance at ending this one with one punch. He is the former PRIDE Middleweight and Welterweight Champion and was the first fighter in history to hold both belts simultaneously. He was a member of the 1992 and 1996 United States Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling team and his list of accomplishments goes on and on. He has excellent ground skills and can finish this fight from any angle.
Franklin holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is a dangerous striker and very intelligent in the ring. He is very aware of positions and has a great submission game if this fight goes to the ground. Franklin held the middleweight title for a year after beating some formidable opponents such as Ken Shamrock. He lost it when he met Anderson Silva at UFC 64, and we all know how devastating and down right scary the spider is. Since loosing his belt he began Franklin has started training under Matt “The Wizard” Hume and has put together a three fight win streak.
Both men understand that this fight is going to be more than a slug fest and should be a great battle, highlighting the skill sets of both fighters. It is rumored that the winner of this fight will be chosen to lead the American team on the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter which no doubt adds some extra incentive. I’m leaning towards Henderson in this fight and feel I big overhand right ending this one in the second round. Either way your leaning head to the BetUS sportsbook and get in on the action.
