UFC 93: Henderson Edges Franklin as Shogun Stops Coleman
UFC 93 opened the promotion’s 2009 schedule in Dublin, Ireland, on January 17 at the O2. Dan Henderson edged Rich Franklin by split decision in the light heavyweight main event, while Mauricio “Shogun” Rua stopped Mark Coleman late in their rematch. The ten-fight show combined established international names with the emotional local interest surrounding Irish newcomer Tom Egan.
Video: UFC’s pre-event preview of Franklin vs. Henderson. This promotional feature was recorded before the fights.
Henderson edges Franklin and earns a coaching role
The main event brought together former champions with accomplishments in different organizations. Franklin had held the UFC middleweight title, while Henderson’s career included championship success in PRIDE. They met at light heavyweight in a three-round contest, with another important opportunity attached to the result.
Henderson won a split decision after the full fifteen minutes. Two judges scored the fight 29–28 in his favor, while the other gave Franklin all three rounds at 30–27. Those contrasting totals reflected a contest that required the judges to distinguish between the fighters’ work rather than a conclusive stoppage.
The victory also gave Henderson the American coaching position opposite Michael Bisping on The Ultimate Fighter’s ninth season. That role connected the Dublin result to the next stage of his UFC career, bringing him to a weekly television audience before the eventual meeting with Bisping.
Shogun finishes Coleman with little time remaining
Rua and Coleman revisited a fight from their PRIDE careers. Coleman had won their 2006 encounter after Rua suffered an arm injury during a takedown. The rematch offered Rua an opportunity to reverse that result as he pursued his first UFC victory following a debut loss to Forrest Griffin.
The return meeting became a demanding contest of endurance. Coleman kept fighting through fatigue and came close to reaching the final bell. Rua finally found a late opening, using an uppercut and follow-up punches to force the stoppage at 4:36 of Round 3, with only 24 seconds left.
The result put Rua back in the win column and set up a meeting with Chuck Liddell. It was a hard-earned victory against a durable opponent, giving the co-main event a different shape from an uncomplicated early knockout.
Belcher, Palhares and Davis complete the main card
Alan Belcher submitted Denis Kang with a guillotine choke at 4:36 of the second round. The finish gave Belcher a victory over an experienced international opponent and supplied the main card with its only submission result.
Rousimar Palhares defeated Jeremy Horn by unanimous decision across three rounds. Marcus Davis and Chris Lytle also reached the judges, with Davis taking a split decision in their welterweight matchup. Together, those bouts made the main card a mixture of close scoring, sustained grappling and late finishes.
Hathaway defeats the local favorite on a busy preliminary card
Egan’s UFC debut carried substantial support from the Dublin crowd, but England’s John Hathaway won their welterweight matchup. Hathaway stopped Egan with ground strikes at 4:36 of the first round, ending the contest between two young fighters who entered unbeaten.
Martin Kampmann stopped Alexandre Barros in the second round after advancing to a dominant position on the ground. Eric Schafer defeated Antonio Mendes by first-round TKO, and Tomasz Drwal stopped Ivan Serati in the opening round. All five preliminary bouts ended inside the distance.
Dennis Siver’s bout with Nate Mohr lasted longest among those preliminaries. After competitive striking exchanges, Siver landed a spinning back kick to the body and followed up for a third-round TKO. The official UFC event record lists the finish at 3:45, which is the time used in the results below.
Complete UFC 93 results
Main card
- Dan Henderson def. Rich Franklin — split decision, Round 3, 5:00.
- Mauricio Rua def. Mark Coleman — TKO, Round 3, 4:36.
- Rousimar Palhares def. Jeremy Horn — unanimous decision, Round 3, 5:00.
- Alan Belcher def. Denis Kang — submission (guillotine choke), Round 2, 4:36.
- Marcus Davis def. Chris Lytle — split decision, Round 3, 5:00.
Preliminary card
- John Hathaway def. Tom Egan — TKO, Round 1, 4:36.
- Martin Kampmann def. Alexandre Barros — TKO, Round 2, 3:09.
- Eric Schafer def. Antonio Mendes — TKO, Round 1, 3:35.
- Tomasz Drwal def. Ivan Serati — KO, Round 1, 2:02.
- Dennis Siver def. Nate Mohr — TKO, Round 3, 3:45.
Dublin’s place in the UFC story
UFC 93 was the promotion’s first event in Dublin. Its significance came from the combination of a new host city, established stars and young talent entering the Octagon. Henderson’s narrow win and Rua’s late finish provided the leading stories, while the preliminary card gave the Irish audience a full evening of international MMA competition.
Sources
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UFC 93, Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin, Shogun Rua, Mark Coleman, UFC Results
