Henderson vs Franklin II At UFC 103

by Robert Sargent

In a rather confusing turn of events, the UFC has announced that UFC 103 will be headlined by a rematch between former PRIDE Middleweight and Welterweight Champion Dan "Hendo" Henderson and former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich "Ace" Franklin.

The near-immediate rematch from their UFC 93 bout, which Henderson won by Split Decision, makes little sense because neither fighter appears to have much to gain at all.

Both fighters have competed once since the UFC 93 meeting. Franklin (25-4-0, 1 NC) edged out a controversial Unanimous Decision over former long-time PRIDE Middleweight Champion "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva, in a fight that many felt that Silva had won. Henderson (25-7-0), on the other hand, left absolutely no doubt in his battle with fellow TUF 9 coach Michael "The Count" Bisping, as he brutally knocked Bisping out in the second round.

What is most confusing about this rematch is that neither fighter has much of anything to gain. Henderson seems to be intent on making another run at the UFC Middleweight Championship, while Franklin is content to compete at 205. Franklin should be fighting top contenders in the light heavyweight division and Henderson should be taking on UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva.

The rematch has likely come about as a result of Franklin's protests that he should have won the first fight, but it seemed clear that Henderson had won the first two rounds of their UFC 93 meeting. Regardless, Franklin will have another shot at defeating Henderson, but if recent bouts have been any indication, that will not be an easy task.

A Henderson win by knockout or dominant decision would hurt Franklin's stock in the company tremendously, as he has already had to abandon the middleweight division after two crushing losses to Anderson Silva.


UFC 103 takes place on September 19th from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.