Alan Belcher Submits Denis Kang

The UFC on Saturday awarded $40,000 Fight Night bonuses, including two “Fight of the Night” honors, to Marcus Davis, Chris Lytle, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Mark Coleman, Alan Belcher, and Denis Siver for their performances at UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland.

Davis and Lytle kicked off the pay-per-view broadcast with an exciting standup brawl that saw Davis edge Lytle via split decision, earning the pair “Fight of the Night” honors.

In the other “Fight of the Night,” Rua and Coleman both gassed early in their co-headliner but still managed to put on a good scrap, with Rua eventually scoring a late third-round TKO.

After being thououghly dominated with superior ground work for the majoirty of the first two rounds against heavy favorite Denis Kang, Alan Belcher secured a fight-ending arm-in guillotine choke late in the second to take home “Submission of the Night” honors.

On an undercard filled with TKOs, “Knockout of the Night” went to Denis Siver for his technical knockout of Nate Mohr with a late third-round kick .

UFC 93 sold out the O2 Arena, with 9,369 spectators generating a $1.3 million live gate.

To check out our event recap and UFC 93 results click here.

Dan Henderson Defeats Rich Franklin at UFC 93

UFC 93: Franklin vs. Henderson took place today at The O2 in Dublin, Ireland. In the evening’s main event Dan Henderson topped Rich Franklin, earning a split decision victory to secure his spot as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter 9 and a future middleweight matchup against opposing coach Michael Bisping. One judge scored the contest 30-27 in favor of Franklin, while the victory went to Henderson, who was awarded two 29-28 scores.

In the evening’s co-main event, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua scored his much-needed first UFC victory with a late third-round TKO of UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman. The 44-year-old Coleman was visibly exhausted midway though the opening round but Rua was largely unable to capitalize. Coleman survived the opening round and continued to get Rua to the canvas over the remainder of the fight. The fight appeared destined to go to the judges’ scorecards, where Rua was likely to be awarded the victory, but a botched call by the referee allowed Rua to connect with a combo that sent Coleman to the canvas. Coleman protested the stoppage and has his sights set on a rubber match with his rival, though Rua will first fight Chuck Liddell before the two could meet again.

Both fights were not without controversy as Henderson’s victory was marred by an accidental headbutt and eye poke, while a legal knee by Rua was ruled illegal and resulted in a standup that immediately preceded the knockout of Coleman.

Despite a broken hand suffered in the opening round, Rousimar Palhares took Jeremy Horn the distance to earn a unaniomous decision victory. Horn showed heart in the loss, surviving what was shaping up to be an early stoppage to force Palhares to work hard for the victory, which improved his record to 2-1 in the UFC and 9-2 overall.

In a featured middleweight matchup, Alan Belcher snubbed Denis Kang’s UFC debut, submitting the promising middleweight with an arm-in guillotine late in the second round to improve his UFC record to 5-3. The submission came out of nowhere as Kang dominated with first two rounds with superior ground work before Belcher transitioned a stuffed takedown attempt into a fight-ending submission.

The highly anticipated scrap between Marcus Davis and Chris Lytle kicked off the UFC 93 broadcast with back-and-forth standup action as expected, but the solid effort failed to live up it’s extreme hype. In the end, Davis walked away with the split decision victory.

UFC 93: Franklin vs. Henderson Results

• Dan Henderson def. Rich Franklin via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
• Mauricio “Shogun” Rua def. Mark Coleman via TKO (strikes) — Round 3, 4:36
• Rousimar Palhares def. Jeremy Horn via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Alan Belcher def. Denis Kang via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 2, 4:36
• Marcus Davis def. Chris Lytle via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• John Hathaway def. Tom Egan via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 4:36
• Martin Kampmann def. Alexandre Barross via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 3:07
• Eric Schafer def. Antonio Mendes via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 3:35
• Thomasz Drwal def. Ivan Serati via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 2:02
• Denis Siver def. Nate Mohr via TKO (strikes) — Round 3, 3:27

For complete, blow-by-blow results click here.

Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson

Welcome to MMAFrenzy.com’s live coverage of UFC 93: Franklin vs. Henderson, which takes place today at the O2 in Dublin, Ireland and features Rich Franklin vs. Dan Henderson, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Mark Coleman, and eight additional bouts.

The UFC announced during the UFC 93 broadcast that Quinton Jackson vs. Keith Jardine will headline UFC 96 on March 7th in Columbus, Ohio.

QUICK RESULTS

• Dan Henderson def. Rich Franklin via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
• Mauricio “Shogun” Rua def. Mark Coleman via TKO (strikes) — Round 3, 4:36
• Rousimar Palhares def. Jeremy Horn via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Alan Belcher def. Denis Kang via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 2, 4:36
• Marcus Davis def. Chris Lytle via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• John Hathaway def. Tom Egan via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 4:36
• Martin Kampmann def. Alexandre Barross via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 3:07
• Eric Schafer def. Antonio Mendes via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 3:35
• Thomasz Drwal def. Ivan Serati via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 2:02
• Denis Siver def. Nate Mohr via TKO (strikes) — Round 3, 3:27

PLAY-BY-PLAY

DAN HENDERSON VS. RICH FRANKLIN

Round 1 — Good kick by Franklin opens the action. Franklin blocks a kick by Henderson, who slips to the canvas but still gets the top position. Henderson tries to get into side control but Franklin keeps him tied up. Franklin works to escape but Henderson takes his back and delivers some punishment in the form of punches and knees. Franklin scrambles away and quickly fries of a kick. Good kick by Henderson is countered by another from Franklin. Inside punches by Henderson from the clinch. More kicks by Franklin find their mark.  Henderson trying to counter but Franklin closes the distance and scores a combo. Henderson lands punches but misses a kick that allows Franklin to counter with another kick. A tired Henderson eases up in the closing seconds and Franklin lands one final punch. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Franklin.

An accidental headbutt has opened up two gashes high on Franklin’s forehead.

Round 2 — Henderson is more aggressive to open the second but Rich avoids major damage and continues to counter. Franklin able to keep the fight standing. Punch by Franklin sneaks through. Body kicks and jabs by Franklin, who is also doing a good job in the clinch. Henderson eventually gets the fight to the mat and remains on top of Franklin, but Rich does a good job neutralizing. Franklin working for an armbar as Henderson gets desperate for damage and picks up the pace before the horn sounds. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Henderson.

Round 3 — Franklin connects with several combinations of strikes to start the final round, but Henderson narrowly gets Franklin back on the ground. Henderson gets to work from the top but Franklin gets back to his feet and connect with some big punches to Henderson’s head before his opponent returns to his feet. Henderson is tired and Franklin looks to take advantage on the feet, again connecting to the body with kicks. Franklin’s punches are now connecting with more frequency, then Rich looks for a takedown. Flurry of punches and kicks by Franklin, who pours on the offense. Henderson slips on an attempted head kick and Franklin connects with a few punches before he gets back to his feet. The fight is temporarily halted after Franklin is accidentally poked hard in the eye but he’s given several minutes to recover and the fight resumes. Both fighters throw a final flurry before the fight is handed over the the judges. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Franklin and the fight 29-28 Franklin.

Dan Henderson def. Rich Franklin via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)

This bout was a very difficult one to score as evidenced by the varying scorecards handed down by the judges. Franklin actually earned more points, 86 to 85, while Henderson walked away with the split decision victory. Though Henderson expressed his disbelief at the 30-27 score handed down by one judge, I’d be more inclined to score this fight unanimously for Franklin than 29-28 for Henderson.

MARK COLEMAN VS. MAURICIO “SHOGUN” RUA

Round 1 — There’s no touch of the gloves for this one. Coleman immediately shoots for a takedown and eats a kick on the way in but he ends up on top and connects with big punches. Shogun is evasive and rolls around, attempting a kneebar before return to his feet and Coleman follows. Big right by Rua before Coleman scores another takedown. Shogun gets Coleman on his back and is immediately into side control. Rua tries to work ground and pound from the top but Coleman does a good job of neutralizing him. Some good punches from the bottom by Coleman. Coleman gets back on top but Rua scrambles back to his feet. Rua lands kicks and knees as Coleman appears gassed.Rua staggers Coleman, who can hardly return to his feet. Coleman appears to have recovered some and lands several solid punches but Shogun connects with knees to the body to cloes the frame. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Rua.

Round 2 — Coleman is still visibly tired but he scores an early takedown. He’s unable to do much damage and Rua gets back to his feet and resumes picking Coleman apart. Coleman is again able to score a takedown but Rua avoids damage and again returns to his feet only to again be taken to the canvas by Coleman. On the ground Rua secures a shoulder lock but he’s too tired to finish Coleman, who doesn’t have enough energy to escape before the round concludes. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Rua.

Round 3 — Punches and knees from Shogun to open the final round but they’re ineffective and Coleman again puts him on his back. Coleman works ground and pound from the top and looks to pass on the clearly tired Rua, who grabs a kneebar and transitions to an ankle lock. Coleman is the stronger man and survives the attempts then takes Rua’s back and drops punches to Shogun’s head. Rua again rolls for a submission but Coleman remains on his back. Rua scrambles to his feet and lands a knee to Coleman’s chest that the referee thinks connects with Coleman’s head and is illegal. Rua is warned and the fighters are stood up to the frustration of Coleman. Coleman’s low hands doom him as Rua unleashes a combination that sends Coleman to the canvas and forces the referee to intervene.

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua def. Mark Coleman via TKO (strikes) — Round 3, 4:36

After the fight, Coleman and Rua put their bad blood aside and embrace in the octagon. Coleman, who was clearly upset by the referee’s stoppage, says he and Rua are now even at 1-1 and that he wants a rubber match with his rival.

JEREMY HORN VS. ROUSIMAR PALHARES

Round 1 — Tentative start by both fighters but at first contact Palhares drags Horn to the canvas. Palhares quickly has Horn’s back and tees off on his opponent’s head. Horn briefly escapes but Palhares quickly resumes the assault. Palhares works for an ankle lock but Horn escapes. Horn attempts a triangle but Palhares avoids. Horn back to his feet but Palhares gets him back down quickly and again works ground and pound from Horn’s back. Kneebar attempt by Palhares but Horn again manages to survive and manages to make it out of the opening round. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Palhares.

Round 2 — Good leg kick by Horn to open the second but Palhares picks Horn up from a single leg and dumps him to the ground. Palhares takes Horn’s back again and works more ground and pound but he’s doing little damage. Horn gets mount and nearly submits Palhares from the top with an arm choke. Both fighters are winded and get back to their feet but Horn is clearly the agressor, connecting with a kick and punch before Palhares scores another takedown. Triangle attempt by Horn is again escaped by Palhares, who catches his breath by stalling out the final seconds. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Horn.

Round 3 — Palhares tosses Horn to the canvas in the opening seconds but does little on the ground as Horn does a good job of avoiding damage and neutralizing Palhares. Horn works back to his feet several times but Palhares continues to put him on his back. Palhares continues to do little from the top as even Rogan calls for a standup. The ref obliges and the fighters return to their feet for the final minutes. Horn connects with a head kick but Palhares fakes a takedown and Horn takes the bait and falls to the canvas. Palhares follows and controls the remaining seconds to lock up the round and the fight. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Palhares and the fight 29-28 Palhares.

Rousimar Palhares def. Jeremy Horn via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

After the fight, Palhares discloses that he suffered a broken hand in the opening round, which explains the lackluster second and third rounds following a dominating performance in the initial frame.

ALAN BELCHER VS. DENIS KANG

Round 1 – Belcher hanging his hands low and Kang takes advantage with several good punches that set up a takedown. Kang passes to side control and tries to take Belcher’s back but Belcher gets back into guard then works back to his feet. Kang’s punches continue to find their mark. Kick by Belcher sets up another takedown and Kang works from Belcher’s guard. Belcher looking to setup a submission but Kang defends and tries to pass guard but Belcher does a good job of neutralizing. Kang transitions into half guard and works a good kimura but Belcher hangs tough and eventually escapes. Some light ground and pound by Kang closes out the round. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Kang.

Round 2 — Belcher’s low hands again allow  Kang to land a series of punches early but Belcher neutralizes him against the fence. Takedown by Kang, who quickly passes into half guard and works hard to get to side control. Belcher pushes Kang away and nearly catches him in a triangle on his way back in, but they go back into guard briefly before they’re stood up. Little action in the standup disappoints the crowd. With the round winding down Kang shoots for a takedown but Belcher sprawls and quickly slaps on an arm-in guillotine forcing Kang to quickly tap.

Alan Belcher def. Denis Kang via submission (guillotine choke) — Round 2, 4:36

MARCUS DAVIS VS. CHRIS LYTLE

Round 1 — Lytle opens with an outside leg kick then closes distance and rocks Davis with a combo against the cage. Davis recovers and fires back a punch of his own. Distance closed again and Lytle unleashes body shots. Uppercut from Davis followed by another hard body shot by Lytle. Lytle comes forward and Davis counters. More crisp counterpunching from Davis connects. Lytle working kicks and Davis catches one and flips him to the ground but he’s right back on his feet. Big shot by Davis sends Lytle to the canvas briefly but both quickly return to their feet. Lytle still moving forward but Davis keeps him back with kicks. Lytle closes with a combo. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Davis.

Round 2 — Lytle remains aggressive to open the second, landing bombs on Davis against the fence. Davis runs away then drops Lytle but allows him to return to his feet. Both fighters connect in the clinch as Lytle is determined to close the distance. Big right by Lytle countered by Davis. Lytle and Davis both working kicks. Davis with a big knee but Lytle connects with him on the way out. More punches against the fence by Lytle. Jab-elbow by Davis. Both fighters finish strong with punches. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Lytle.

Round 3 — Davis and Lytle hug to open the final frame. Lytle persists and continues to be the aggressor, landing kicks early in the third. Davis countering well as both fighters are able to find their mark, though Davis appears to be handing out more damage with his strikes. Another kick to the body by Davis followed by another. Both fighter’s hands have dropped and Lytle is able to connect but the power’s not there. More powerful counter-punching by Davis. Another combo by Lytle against the fence has Davis running. Several more shots by Lytle connect. Kicks by both fighters set off a late flurry of strikes to close out the opening bout. MMAFrenzy.com scores the round 10-9 Davis.

Marcus Davis def. Chris Lytle via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Martin Kampmann

After reporting yesterday that Martin Kampmann was likely to face a UFC newcomer in his welterweight debut we have confirmation, via the MMA Weekly MMA Insider Blog, that he’ll do just that, facing off against Alexandre Barros at UFC 93 on January 17th in Dublin, Ireland.

A member of the Gracie Barra Combat Team, Barros holds a 13-5 mark as a professional and is currently riding a nine-fight winning streak into his UFC debut. After losing four of five fights between 2000 and 2004, including losses to Matt Hughes and Aaron Riley, “Baixinho” has rebounded for nine-straight victories, including a unanimous decision victory in September in his most-recent action.

A middleweight up-and-comer, Kampmann reeled off nine-straight victories between 2005 and 2008, including four-straight wins over Crafton Wallace, Thales Leites, Drew McFedries, and Jorge Rivera to begin his UFC career. However, he was prompted to drop to welterweight after being dismantled by middleweight contender Nate Marquardt via strikes in just 82-seconds at UFC 88 in September.

The matchup joins Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin, Mark Coleman vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Marcus Davis vs. Chris Lytle, Alan Belcher vs. Denis Kang, Jeremy Horn vs. Rousimar Palhares, Thomasz Drwal vs. Ivan Serati, Nate Mohr vs. Denis Siver, Andre Gusmao vs. Antonio Mendes, Abdul Mohamed, and Tom Egan vs. John Hathaway on the UFC 93 lineup.

For the latest UFC 93 rumors check out the MMAFrenzy.com UFC rumors section.

Denis Kang

The UFC today announced additional bouts for UFC 93 on January 17th in Dublin, Ireland and UFC 94 on January 31st in Las Vegas.

Announced for the UFC 93 main card, which is headlined by Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin and Mark Coleman vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, were Alan Belcher vs. Denis Kang, Marcus Davis vs. Chris Lytle, and Jeremy Horn vs. Rousimar Palhares. Antonio Mendes vs. Andre Gusmao, Tomasz Drwal vs. Ivan Serati, Tom Egan vs. John Hathaway, and Dennis Siver vs. Nate Mohr were confirmed for the unaired preliminary card.

A superfight between UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn is joined on the main card by Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva and Stephan Bonnar vs. Jon Jones. Manny Gamburyan vs. Thiago Tavares, Jake O’Brien vs. Christian Wellisch, and Matt Arroyo vs. Dan Cramer are officially slated for the preliminary card.

For the latest UFC rumors check out the MMAFrenzy.com MMA rumors section.

Martin Kampmann

Martin Kampann (17-3) will make his welterweight debut at UFC 93 on January 17th in Dublin, Ireland against an opponent to be determined, Five Ounces of Pain reported today.

A middleweight up-and-comer, Kamp mann reeled off nine-straight victories between 2005 and 2008, including four-straight wins over Crafton Wallace, Thales Leites, Drew McFedries, and Jorge Rivera to begin his UFC career. However, he was prompted to drop to welterweight after being dismantled by middleweight contender Nate Marquardt via strikes in just 82-seconds at UFC 88 in September.

Kampann joins Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin, Mark Coleman vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Marcus Davis vs. Chris Lytle, Alan Belcher vs. Denis Kang, Jeremy Horn vs. Rousimar Palhares, Thomasz Drwal vs. Ivan Serati, Nate Mohr vs. Denis Siver, Andre Gusmao vs. Antonio Mendes, Abdul Mohamed vs. TBA, and Tom Egan vs. John Hathaway on the rumored lineup for the pay-per-view broadcast event.

For the latest UFC 93 rumors check out the MMAFrenzy.com UFC rumors section.

According to MMA on Tap, Belcher has formally agreed to the matchup and is awaiting a response from Kang, who last week signed a four-fight deal with the UFC.

An instant contender in the UFC’s 185-pound division, Kang has won back-to-back fights, most recently knocking out veteran Marvin Eastman just 49-seconds into their main event matchup at Raw Combat: Redemption on October 25th.

Despite a rough start to his UFC career with losses in two of his first three fights to Yushin Okami and Kendall Grove, Belcher has now won three of his last four fights in the octagon, most recently topping Ed Herman via split decision at UFC Fight Night 15 in September.

For the latest UFC rumors check out the MMAFrenzy.com MMA rumors section.

The sales were the best ever for the UFC in Europe, with more than 6000 tickets selling in the first week and the entire 10,000 selling out in less than two weeks.

“The UFC brand of mixed martial arts is the already biggest indoor sport in the UK – and we are ecstatic that the popularity and passion for the UFC is matched across the Irish Sea,” UFC UK Division President Marshall Zelaznik said. “This is our seventh successive sell-out in the British Isles since April of 2007, and we now hold records in six of the biggest arenas in all of Europe. We have the most dedicated and passionate fans in sport and we are thrilled to be bringing some of the biggest names in the sport to the Emerald Isle early in the New Year.”

For the latest UFC 93 fight card check out the MMAFrenzy.com MMA rumors section.

Davis has fought five-straight bouts in Europe, last defeating Paul Kelly via second-round submission at UFC 89 on October 18th in Birmingham, England.

Lytle was also in action at UFC 89, defeating Paul Taylor via unanimous decision in the “Fight of the Night”.

After their respective bouts both fighters expressed interest in the January matchup, which has now become a reality.

UFC 93 is also slated to feature Rich Franklin vs. Dan Henderson

The light heavyweight matchup was first reported by The Wrestling Observer.

After winning five-straight bouts to open his career, including four-straight in the IFL, Gusmao made his UFC debut at UFC 87 in August, dropping a unanimous decision to Jon Jones.

Mendes, too, will be looking his first UFC win in the January matchup. After compiling a 14-2 record in a variety of promotions Mendes debuted in the UFC at UFC 84 in May, losing to Thiago Silva via strikes midway through the opening round.

UFC 93 features a light heavyweight clash between former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin and former PRIDE champion Dan Henderson and a 205-pound battle between UFC hall of famer Mark Coleman and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

For more on UFC 93 check out the MMAFrenzy.com MMA rumors section.