UFC 93 Results & Recap
by Robert Sargent
The Republic of Ireland got its first taste of live UFC action at UFC 93, but the card did not go well for the promotion and left many lingering questions. Dan Henderson won a gritty Split Decision over Rich Franklin in the night's main event bout.
In other action, it took Mauricio "Shogun" Rua nearly 15 minutes to finally stop a terribly fatigued Mark Coleman, while Denis Kang let another sure victory slip away.
Dan "Hendo" Henderson vs Rich "Ace" Franklin
As expected, this bout was a very close one and wound up going the distance, where incredibly bizarre scoring from one judge left Henderson with a Split Decision win in a fight that he appeared to have clearly and unanimously won.Henderson landed a solid leg kick early in round one, but Franklin fired back with the first of what would be many left kicks to the body. Henderson threw a wild right and slipped, but quickly reversed on the ground and took top position, where he worked from Franklin's half-guard. Henderson landed numerous strikes to the face of Franklin, then blasted him with big punches and knees to the body as Franklin tried to get to his feet. Finally, Franklin managed to get free and survive the onslaught, and he went back to landing kicks to the legs and body of Henderson. Henderson landed an overhand right and the fighters' heads collided inadvertently as both looked to clinch. The accidental headbutt opened up two huge gashes on the upper forehead of Franklin. Henderson landed another big right hook shortly before the bell. 10-9 Henderson.
Round two began with little action, as both fighters circled each other and threw sparse kicks for the opening minute. A wild punching exchange changed that, however, as both fighters turned up the pace at the same time. Both scored with glancing blows, but nothing that did any significant damage. Franklin began to use his jab more effectively, and Henderson just missed with a flurry of big punches. Henderson clinched and pushed Franklin against the cage, then took him down with an impressive trip. Henderson landed elbows from the top, then escaped an armbar attempt from Franklin. Once more, the action slowed, as Henderson landed a few strikes from the top and Franklin defended. This continued until the bell. 10-9 Henderson.
Franklin, keenly aware that he was behind on the scorecards, came out aggressively in round three and landed a big left hook. He followed up with another hard kick to the body, but Henderson countered with a right hook and scored a takedown. Henderson landed strikes from Franklin's guard until Franklin scrambled and got back to his feet. The fighters clinched against the cage and Franklin landed knees to the legs and body. The fighters separated and Franklin landed a jab and a right hook, then a knee to the body. Henderson tried for a head kick, but slipped and fell to the mat. Franklin teed off with strikes on the ground until Henderson worked his way back to his feet. An inadvertent eye poke late in the round resulted in Franklin being given time to recover, but the fight resumed and Franklin landed more punches before the bell. 10-9 Franklin.
Though the first two rounds were reasonably close, it was quite evident that both should have been scored in Henderson's favour, but one judge somehow saw all three rounds going the way of Franklin. Extremely strange judging.
Winner: Dan Henderson by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 27-30) after three rounds. He improves to 24-7-0.
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs Mark "The Hammer" Coleman
In his first fight in over a year following two knee surgeries, Rua looked extremely impressive in the first round and badly battered the aging Coleman, but both fighters gassed out and it wasn't until late in round three that Rua finally finished off Coleman with a series of punches.Rua landed a leg kick to begin the fight, but was promptly and predictably taken down. Coleman landed numerous strikes from Rua's guard, but Rua got back to his feet. Coleman scored another takedown and Rua looked for a kneebar, then a triangle. Coleman escaped the submissions, but Rua got up and scored a takedown - the first time Coleman had ever been taken down in a fight. Rua passed to side-control and looked to lock on an arm submission, but gave it up and landed elbows instead. Coleman managed to get to his feet, where Rua landed a pair of leg kicks. Coleman, already completely exhausted, could not even keep his hands up and was floored by a right cross. Rua looked to finish the fight, but Coleman survived and scrambled back to his feet. Rua landed a knee to the body before the end of the round. 10-8 Rua.
Coleman, badly fatigued, ate a pair of leg kicks and a left hook early in round two. However, he came back with a big takedown that slammed Rua to the mat. Coleman pinned Rua against the cage, but Rua got back to his feet before Coleman could do any damage. Rua locked on a Thai clinch and landed a leg kick and an elbow to the face. For the next 90 seconds, Rua teed off with punches and kicks to the legs and face of Coleman, who was too tired to make any effort to evade the strikes. The fight became painful to watch as Coleman served as nothing more than a punching bag. Rua slipped while throwing strikes, but got back to his feet, only to be taken down by Coleman. Rua locked on a tight omoplata shoulder lock, but Coleman held on until the bell. 10-8 Rua.
Coleman landed a hard punch to the body in the opening seconds of round three, but Rua countered with a left hook. Coleman clinched against the fence and scored a takedown. He landed numerous punches to the body with his right hand, then moved to half-guard. Rua regained guard and looked for a heel hook, which Coleman escaped from. Coleman took Rua's back and landed punches to the head, but Rua rolled to escape danger and got back to his feet. Rua landed knees to the body, then a knee to the chest as Coleman stood up. The referee incorrectly deemed it an illegal strike to the head, but no penalty was awarded. Rua landed a quick one-two, then rocked Coleman with an uppercut and dropped him with a left hook. Rua followed up with strikes on the ground until the referee mercifully stopped the fight.
Though Rua looked very good early on, it was clear that the lengthy layoff from fighting had taken its toll, and he will need to put on a much better performance in his upcoming fight with Chuck Liddell.
Winner: Mauricio Rua by TKO (Punches) at 4:34 of round three. He improves to 17-3-0.
Rousimar "Toquinho" Palhares vs Jeremy Horn
Widely expected to submit Horn within minutes, Palhares instead had all he could handle in this fight, as Horn fought off an endless series of submission attempts and nearly submitted Palhares at one point, but Palhares emerged with a hard-fought Unanimous Decision.Palhares missed with a looping right hook and scored a takedown seconds later. He immediately took Horn's back and sunk one hook in, but could not get the other hook and resorted to a barrage of punches to the side of Horn's head. Horn rolled to escape, but Palhares continued the punishment from the top. After eating a series of punches and elbows, Horn finally managed to regain full guard. Palhares tried to lock on one of his famous heel hooks, but Horn escaped and attempted a triangle choke. Palhares easily evaded danger, then passed to side-control and then to Horn's back once more. He continued to blast Horn with strikes for the remainder of the round, but could not finish the veteran of well over 100 fights. 10-8 Palhares.
Palhares scored another early takedown in round two, but held onto the cage twice on the ground and was warned by the referee. He eventually transitioned to Horn's back once again and unleashed a vicious flurry of lefts and rights that had the referee on the verge of stopping the fight. Horn survived, however, and reversed position. He moved to mount and locked on an arm-triangle choke on Palhares, to the shock of everyone in attendance. Horn moved to side-control to apply further pressure, but Palhares used his strength to escape the hold. Palhares got back to his feet, where he was cracked with a right hook. He took Horn down, but Horn looked for triangle chokes from the bottom. Palhares escaped and landed small punches until the bell sounded to end the extremely close round that just barely went in Palhares's favour. 10-9 Palhares.
Round three began with a huge suplex from Palhares, which slammed Horn to the mat. Horn worked his way back to his feet, then pulled guard and locked on a guillotine choke. Palhares escaped the choke and stayed in Horn's guard, where he landed weak strikes from the top. After a minute of relative inactivity, Horn attempted a triangle choke and Palhares used the opportunity to pass to Horn's back. Palhares landed punches to the side of Horn's head as Horn tried to get back to his feet, and Horn had to settle for regaining guard instead. The fight returned to the feet with one minute remaining. Just as the commentators referenced Horn's head kick knockout of Forrest Griffin from 2003, Horn threw a head kick that partially landed. He slipped, however, and Palhares maintained top position on the ground until the bell. 10-9 Palhares.
Though Horn lost the fight - the first three-fight losing streak of his career - he did much better than anyone expected and could still prove to be a solid challenge for much of MMA's middleweight division.
Winner: Rousimar Palhares by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 9-2-0.
Alan "The Talent" Belcher vs Denis "Super Korean" Kang
Once again making a single, fight-ending mistake, Kang went for an ill-advised takedown late in round two and was trapped in a guillotine choke, which cost him a fight that he was completely dominating throughout.Both fighters landed big punches early in round one, and Kang followed up with an impressive takedown. He quickly moved to half-guard, then side-control, but Belcher eventually regained guard. After strikes from Kang, Belcher pushed him off and got back to his feet. Kang drilled Belcher with another one-two combination, then scored a second takedown. Once more, Kang landed strikes from the top, but Belcher again kicked him off. Kang dove forward and was nearly caught in an armbar, but he escaped and locked on an anaconda choke as Belcher attempted to stand. For some unknown reason, however, Kang let go of the seemingly-tight hold and went back to elbows from side-control. He remained on top until the bell, taking the lopsided round in the process. 10-9 Kang.
Following an early clinch, Kang landed a trio of glancing punches and Belcher replied with a right cross. Kang scored a takedown and looked for a Kimura from half-guard, then tried briefly for an arm-triangle choke. Belcher escaped the submission attempts and Kang landed weak strikes from the top before standing up. He entered Belcher's guard once more, where he landed more weak strikes as the crowd grew restless. With 90 seconds remaining, the fight was brought back to the feet, where the fighters circled each other. Finally, Kang let off a combination, but Belcher was unfazed. Kang shot in for another takedown, but left his neck completely exposed. Belcher quickly locked on a guillotine choke, rolled Kang over and forced the reigning Spirit MC Heavyweight Champion to submit.
Like his brief fight with Gegard Mousasi at Dream.2, a single mental lapse from Kang was all that it took, and he was once again submitted in a fight that he was clearly dominating.
Winner: Alan Belcher by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 4:34 of round two. He improves to 14-5-0.
"The Irish Hand Grenade" Marcus Davis vs Chris "Lights Out" Lytle
Rebounding after getting rocked early in round one, Davis used his superior technique to overcome the wild brawling of Lytle, as Davis won a hard-fought Split Decision in this 15-minute striking war.Both fighters, as promised, came out aggressively in round one. They traded strikes and Lytle rocked Davis with a quick combination. Davis recovered, however, and fought back with kicks to Lytle's lead leg. Lytle landed a pair of overhand rights, and Davis replied with a left cross and a kick to the body. A wild exchange ensued, with neither fighter able to land any meaningful punches, and Davis caught a kick from Lytle soon after. He threw Lytle to the mat, but allowed him to stand, as both had promised to stand and strike for 15 minutes. Davis landed a left hook, and the fighters accidentally clashed heads. Davis allowed Lytle time to recover from the inadvertent blow, but drilled Lytle with a flying knee soon after. Davis landed more kicks to the body and a left hook, but Lytle replied with a hard body kick. Both fighters landed punches before the end of the close round. 10-9 Lytle.
Davis used impressive footwork to dance away from early strikes from Lytle, but Lytle pinned him against the cage with a flurry of punches and dominated the first exchange of round two. Davis backed away and regained his composure, then landed a combination that briefly sent Lytle to the mat. Lytle immediately got back to his feet and ate a knee to the body. Davis landed another knee to the midsection, then began a relentless assault on Lytle's ribs with kicks. Lytle, tiring from the body shots, unleashed a wild flurry of haymakers that missed their mark. However, despite fatiguing, Lytle rocked Davis with a huge right cross. Now bleeding from the nose, Davis fired back with a flying knee and both fighters landed punches just before the bell. Another very close round. 10-9 Davis.
The fighters embraced to begin round three, and Davis quickly went back to targeting the body with a hard knee strike. Davis landed a left hook and a pair of leg kicks, and both fighters exchanged big punches. After giving each other a high-five following the punching exchange, both went back to striking, and Lytle's face began to swell. Davis connected with more punches and kicks to the body, as Lytle's strikes became more wild and predictable. Lytle landed a right cross to the body and Davis scored with a knee to the midsection. More kicks to the legs and body landed for Davis, who began to take control of the fight. Lytle landed a hard right hook and a left cross before the bell, but round three was all Davis. 10-9 Davis.
Rounds one and two were close enough that they could have been scored either way, and that was evident on the judges' scorecards, as Davis took home a very close Split Decision win.
Winner: Marcus Davis by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 16-4-0.
John "The Hitman" Hathaway vs Thomas "The Tank" Egan
Despite receiving the second-largest reception of the night from his hometown Irish fans, Egan was unable to do much of anything against Hathaway, who dominated him throughout round one and finished the fight just before the bell.Hathaway opened the bout with a huge slam that set the stages for the rest of the fight. Egan did his best to get back to his feet, but Hathaway was relentless on the ground and landed numerous small punches and elbows. Hathaway continued to dominate the fight, as he passed from half-guard to Egan's back and constantly looked for the finish. Egan survived strikes from Hathaway throughout the round and eventually made his way back to his feet, only to be immediately dragged back to the canvas. Again, Hathaway transitioned from half-guard to side-control, then took Egan's back once more. He teed off with elbow strikes to the head of the helpless Egan, who appeared to tap out. The official ruling was a TKO by referee stoppage. Hathaway looked extremely impressive and could be a legitimate contender in the future.
Winner: John Hathaway by TKO (Elbows) at 4:34 of round one. He improves to 10-0-0.
Undercard Fights:
Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann defeated Alexandre "Baixinho" Barros by TKO (Punches) at 3:07 of round two. Kampmann, the second "hitman" on the card, made the most of his welterweight debut, as he recovered from a hard low blow in round one and scored a takedown in the second round, where he punished Barros with strikes until the referee stopped the fight. Kampmann improves to 14-2-0 with the win.Eric "Red" Schafer defeated Antonio "Samuray" Mendes by TKO (Punches) at 3:35 of round one. Mendes took top position after a failed takedown attempt from Schafer, but Schafer used an impressive sweep to reverse position and quickly moved to mount, where he finished Mendes with a barrage of punches. Schafer improves to 11-3-2 with the win.
Tomasz "Gorilla" Drwal defeated Ivan "Il Terribile" Serati by KO (Punches) at 2:02 of round one. Serati failed on two takedown attempts, but Drwal was successful with his, and he bombed away with punches until the referee rescued the unconscious Serati from further damage. Drwal improves to 15-2-0 with the win.
Dennis Siver defeated Nate Mohr by TKO (Spinning Back Kick & Punches) at 3:27 of round three. The first two rounds were extremely close, as neither held a significant advantage, but Siver caught Mohr with a picture-perfect spinning back kick in round three and finished the fight with punches. Siver improves to 13-6-0 with the win.
Despite competitive bouts featuring Chris Lytle, Marcus Davis, Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson, UFC 93 was hardly the top-notch exciting event that it had the potential to be, and the UFC will need to improve its card for the next trip overseas.
