Franklin vs. Henderson at UFC 93 in Dublin
October 1st, 2008, 7:39 pm · Post a Comment · posted by CARLOS ARIAS
The UFC is headed to Dublin, Ireland, for its first card of 2009.
Former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin (26-3) of Cincinnati, Ohio, will take on former PRIDE 183- and 205-pound champion Dan Henderson (23-7) of Temecula in the main event of UFC 93 on Jan. 17 at the O2-Dublin on pay-per-view, the UFC announced on Wednesday. Franklin-Henderson is scheduled for three rounds at 205 pounds.
Also slated for UFC 93, 2005 PRIDE Grand Prix champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (16-3) of Curitiba, Brazil, faces UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman (15-8) of Columbus, Ohio, in a rematch.
“Rich Franklin vs. Dan Henderson is a battle between two great former champions who are both looking to get another chance to wear a world title around their waist,” UFC president Dana White said. “Franklin is the former UFC middleweight champion, and he’s a dangerous striker with solid submission skills - he also showed great takedown defense in his September destruction of powerful wrestler Matt Hamill.
“Dan Henderson is the former PRIDE welterweight and middleweight champion. He’s a world class wrestler, known for his great chin and his one-punch knockout power. He defeated formidable Brazilian submission specialist Rousimar Palhares in September.
“These are two fan favorites with a lot of pride on the line as they want to show that they are still among the very best fighters in the world.”
Henderson is the only fighter to hold the PRIDE 183- and 205-pound titles simultaneously. The Team Quest fighter has victories over the likes of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Wanderlei Silva, Murilo Bustamante and Vitor Belfort. Henderson had lost two fights in a row in the UFC before getting the victory over Palhares by unanimous decision at UFC 88. He went the distance in a loss to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson for the UFC light-heavyweight title at UFC 75 and was submitted in the second round by UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 82.
This is the fight my fans have wanted for a long time now, and they want to see me fight Rich Franklin,” Henderson said. “I think this will be a great fight for Ireland. It definitely will be exciting because we both like to stand and bang, and we both have knockout power. I’m excited to go to Ireland and to take on Rich. I think he’s a tough opponent and a huge challenge, but I don’t see myself losing to him.”
Franklin remains one of the UFC’s most popular fighters. He began his career as a light-heavyweight before moving down to middleweight and capturing the UFC title in 2005. He made two successful title defenses against Nate Quarry and David Loiseau before losing the title to Silva. Franklin moved back up to 205 pounds in 2008 and scored an impressive third-round TKO over standout wrestler Matt Hamill.
“Dan Henderson has great credentials, and he is going to be one of the toughest fights of my career,” Franklin said. “That being said, I’m planning on winning the fight, and I’m looking forward to fighting in the main event and fighting in Ireland. I love the fans, and the way they react by signing and chanting makes it a unique experience for me.”
Rua and Coleman, a former NCAA wrestling champion and 1992 U.S. Olympian, met up at PRIDE 31 and Coleman came away with a TKO victory 49 seconds into the bout when Rua broke his arm defending a takedown and could not continue.
