UFC 93 in Dublin Officially Announced With Two Marquee Matchups
(A legendary PRIDE rivalry will be settled in the Octagon in January.)
Confirming rumors that were circulating yesterday, the UFC announced via UFC.com that Dublin would indeed be playing host to UFC 93 on January 17th; the event will be held at the O2 Dublin.
Only two matches have been announced so far — but they're worth the price of admission by themselves. The main event will be a light-heavyweight fight between Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson, a long-awaited pairing that seemed to be in jeopardy when Franklin moved up to 205. Does this mean that Hendo will be hanging around at light-heavyweight for a while? And would the fight interfere with him being a coach on the upcoming US vs. UK season of TUF? We'll get those answers to you as soon as we can.
Here's where the matchmaking gets kind of brilliant. The co-main event will be another light-heavyweight contest, between UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. If you're up on your MMA lore, you'll remember that Coleman handed Shogun his only loss in PRIDE — a TKO due to broken arm at PRIDE 31 in February '06 — which led to the infamous Chute Boxe/Hammer House brawl (the entire incident can be seen here). Now Rua will get a chance to settle the score, once and for all. Sure, Coleman hasn't fought since getting armbarred by Fedor Emelianenko at PRIDE 32 in October '06, and Rua has been battling injuries since his loss to Forrest Griffin at UFC 76, but you can't beat that storyline...
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douchebaggery Says:
for some reason I'm not excited about Coleman vs Rua. I'd rather see him against a top shelf opponent that would help him get back on track
why not have Rampage Vs Sakuraba in his next fight?
mayhem420 Says:
Rich vs Dan is going to be GOOD! I have wanted to see that fight for some time now.
I will have to take Rich though as I think he is more well rounded than Dan is.
Coleman vs Rua.... I see that going bad for the Hammer. Guess this kills the possible Chuck vs Rua fight that people were talking about.
Still would like to see how this all effects the next season of TUF.
Anonymous Says:
Looks like an exciting card.
Jim Says:
Whoa. I'd never seen that before, but what the hell was up with Coleman ignoring the referee and trying to get by him like that? Was there heat between them before the match, or is he just usually a psycho in the ring?
Old, Bald and Irish Says:
I love how Coleman tosses the ref like he's a freakin' ragdoll.
Note to self: Never, NEVER piss off Wanderlei Silva!
justin Says:
When was the last time Coleman fought at 205? Maybe minus the juice it's an easy cut...
JesseL Says:
I actually would like to see the Coleman Rua fight. Maybe they are going to feed cans to Liddell so it can look he is back and track and they could maximize the profits with a fight with Rua?Well hopefully they stay healthy...
Jeffro Says:
Thats what I'm talking about!!! Pride never die.
I only wish that Shogun vs. Coleman was a heavy weight match up, and that there was no drug testing. They are fighting in the UK. Hmmm???
mikey Says:
Colmena was acting like a crazed juiced up lunatic after Rua had broken his arm. That was an open weight grand prix so Coleman won't have his size advantage.
Hendo will KO Rich. Ace doesn't have the same swagger since the Silva bouts.
Earl Says:
Never have seen the Coleman/Rua fight before. Thanks for that. I will say this, I hope Silva and Coleman were well paid for that ridiculous commercial that was at the end.
mmapr0 Says:
i think shogun will get steamrolled without his head stomps and soccer kicks
Matteo Says:
Great Matchmaking by the UFC..
Hendo vs Franklin is another one of those dream matchups that a lot of hardcore fans have been yearning to see. The only knock against it is its a 3 round affair.. I've always preferred Hendo at 205 and Franklin looks rebirthed at 205 so I think it makes for a great fight..
Shogun vs Coleman 2 is a good safe way to re-introduce Shogun to the UFC. Risking Shogun to higher caliber opponent in his return bout from major knee surgery could have been detrimental to his career. Him facing a UFC Hall of Fame fighter will give him a nice quality win if he does indeed win the fight...
They got these two bouts and throw in maybe a nice LW match up and you got a good card that will most likely be free on Spike.. Can't beat that.
Dagnut Says:
yeeeeees..this p1sses on the 89 line imo...fcuk england..we're on the map!!