UFC 93: Franklin v. Henderson Live Recap

We're recapping UFC 93 via the 10 PM EST, 9 Central airing of the PPV. Updates will be posted in progress during the show. Thanks for your patience and enjoy! Incidentally DirecTV isn't airing a "Countdown to UFC 93" before the show, although it's possible they aired one before the 3 PM EST showing and didn't repeat it before the 10 o'clock airing. Also no offense to DirecTV but this "movie theater music channel" background music that accompanies their title card for "Franklin vs. Henderson: UFC 93" really SUCKS. Ahh, it's going off now. Thank Cthulhu! Bring on the Zuffa logo and the opera of violence music.

Mark Coleman says the last fight wasn't luck, and it wasn't a fluke. Through a translator Shogun Rua says he's going to write a whole new chapter tonight. Meanwhile Franklin says his fight with Henderson will be both technical and a slugfest. Hendo says he'll take Ace down and beat the s#^t (bleeped) out of him. Here we go! UFC 93 IS ON THE AIR. "Time to end this suffering! I need a minute to myself! (So I, can drift, away...)" It's time to FACE THE PAIN and RIP HIM INTO PIECES as only Ultimate Fighting can do. Rogan and Goldberg run down the card, discuss the huge potential of the Franklin v. Henderson fight, and talk about the bad blood between Rua and Coleman. For those not familiar Coleman won their last encounter when Rua was unable to continue due to injury.

* Marcus 'Irish Hand Grenade' Davis v. Chris 'Lights Out' Lytle

Goldberg notes that Lytle has had 14 fights inside the Octagon, but to get a world title shot in 2009 he's going to have to get past Davis first. "Beating the hometown guy is a pretty good feeling." Davis IS a hometown favorite even though he's not from Ireland, because he's very proud of his Irish roots and seems to fight on every UFC PPV that eminates from the UK. Davis promises to use Lytle as a human punching bag in the fight! Lytle comes out first, originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. In the introduction the statline notes that Lytle has gotten the majority of his wins via submission, but don't be fooled - he can bang with the best of them. Davis comes out to "Jump Around" by House of Pain and that brings the crowd from Dublin, Ireland to their feet. He's got the flag over his shoulder and a kilt around his waist, and they're in love with their adopted son even though his U.S. roots are in Maine. Our tale of the tape after Davis steps into the cage - Davis weighs 169, Lytle 171, heights are 5'10" to 5'11", and Davis has a two inch reach advantage at 70" to 68". Bruce Buffer is here to do the introductions! It's time for our first bout of the evening in the UFC Welterweight Division. Lytle is 36-16-4 and is fighting in the blue corner. Davis is 20-5 and fights out of the red corner from Bangor, Maine. He gets a very nice pop from the O2 crowd! Our referee in charge of the action is Mark Goddard. Here we go!

We have an OLE, OLE OLE OH-LAYYYY chant from the live crowd in the first 20 seconds. Lytle lands a couple of wild rights and Davis is momentarily rocked! He recovers and comes back with leg kicks and things settle down a bit. Lytle is definitely being aggressive to start the fight, but it's not quieting the crowd, who can be heard with the OLE chant again as we past the first minute. Lytle keeps chasing, Davis is counterpunching effectively. Davis hits a solid left hook just before the two minute mark and another right after. His corner is very happy with his counter strikes. They yell out for Davis to keep his right hand high as another crowd chant begins. You'd swear we were at a football (and I mean soccer) match instead of a UFC fight right now. This crowd is LOUD. Every time Davis lands anything they pop, including at the 1:23 to go mark when he briefly gets Lytle to the ground. A knee lands as does a midsection kick. Davis may have a small cut on his cheek under the left eye. Lytle has a few welts from kicks to the chest. OLE CHANT AGAIN with 15 seconds left to go. Davis covers up to avoid a flurry as time in R1 expires.

In Davis' corner, Mark DellaGrotte says everything is working, just slow down a little, act like we're in the gym right now. Our ring card girl lets us know it's R2 so we can get back to the action, and Goddard gives the signal - let's go! Davis is constantly circling, Lytle is trying to charge in and rain down bombs, Davis ducks under most of them and covers up the rest. At 4:10 to go Lytle gets knocked down by a shot, waits to see if Davis will jump into his guard, Davis backs away and the ref calls for standup. Davis follows up with a brief muay thai clinch and some really nice knees down the pipe. 90 seconds gone by and we get a flurry of dirty boxing before the two break apart. Davis misses with a superman punch then comes back looking for a clinch again. His corner is very pleased and keeps screaming BEAUTIFUL MARCUS BEAUTIFUL. 2:10 to go and Davis backs up, always throwing counter shots even when Lytle manages to get into range. Lytle misses with a huge uppercut. 1:25 to go. Davis tags Lytle with a left hand and Goldberg thinks he can "see something" in Lytle's timing. Lytle gets Davis up against the fence as Rogan and Goldberg note he has a bloody nose. Punch and counterpunch right to the horn to end R2.

Davis' corner tells him that he's a round away from a win before we start R3. I'm not so sure. Right now I'd says it's either 19-19 or 20-18 for Lytle. While Davis is counterpunching effectively, Lytle is more aggressive and doing more damage when he lands, which may win sway with the judges. I think Davis needs a really big R3 if he hopes to take this fight, and in the first 90 seconds I'm not seeing it. Lytle may be gassing out just a little as we hit the two minute mark - he seems to be breathing harder and leaving his mouth open a bit. Davis still looks light on his feet, surprising given his nose got bloodied and breathing should in theory be harder for him. Lytle's left eye looks like it's gotten some swelling from the counterpunches. With 85 seconds left in the round we get a straight up slobberknocker for about 10 seconds as both men swing away hoping to get something big. Another "ole" chant at 60 seconds. Lytle with another good right 40 seconds to go. Davis has 20 seconds to take this fight. Lytle gets dropped to a knee for just one second from a punch - was that enough? We'll have to wait for the scorecards because IT'S UP TO THE JUDGES NOW.

Bruce Buffer has the announcement. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN AFTER THREE ROUNDS WE GO TO THE JUDGES' SCORECARDS. CHRIS LEE 29-28, DAVIS. 29-28 LYTLE. ANDY ROBERTS SCORES IT 29-28 FOR THE WINNER BY SPLIT DECISION: 'THE IRISH HAND GRENADE' MARCUS DAVIS. Davis is interviewed by Rogan and he's in tears. "It's rare that anybody gets an opportunity to fulfill a dream and I've been able to do it two times now. Chris Lytle is among the toughest guys I've faced, and to do it a hundred miles from where my family is from in Waterford, I've got to thank God and the UFC for the opportunity. Everybody back home from Bangor, Maine to Bangor, Ireland - thank you for your support! I knew that I wasn't going to be able to do as much movement as I did with Paul Kelly, so I knew we'd get more exchanges going. I lived at the gym, I spent my holidays there, I ate and slept fight. Fight fight fight!" Rogan congratulates him on his efforts and he gets a thunderous roar of applause. Honestly that fight was close enough I have no problem with Davis getting a split decision win - that just goes to show what I thought - it could have gone either way. Hype for UFC 94: St. Pierre v. Penn 2 follows.

* Alan 'The Talent' Belcher v. Denis Kang

Time for a middleweight bout! Goldberg notes Kang has thrilled fans around the world for a decade, but this is his long-awaited UFC debut. "Even though I was fighting in other places, deep down I knew UFC is where I'd end up all along." Belcher: "Everybody's focusing on Kang, but they're going to focus on me once I knock him out." Kang: "I want to make a huge impact, I want to win by KO or finalize it by submission." Belcher is no joke though as a winner of 3 of his last 4 bouts, including taking a decision in a three round war with Ed 'Short Fuse' Herman. Kang hails from St. Pierre, France and it sounds like he's coming out to a French hip-hop track. He gets a respectful round of applause when he steps into the Octagon. Apparently he was offered a spot on the first Ultimate Fighter and turned it down - damn! I bet he regrets that choice. Belcher rolls out in his Hitman Fight Gear, high-fiving the fans and playing to the crowd all the way. His statline informs us Belcher is a purple belt in jiu-jitsu. He's got the American flag boxers from Rocky and a huge Johnny Cash tat on his left arm! Poster boy for Americana if ever there was one. Tale of the tape says Belcher is 186, Kang 184, 6'2" to 5'11", 75" to 77" giving Kang a 2" reach advantage. Kang is 31-10-1 with 2 NC. He fights out of Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada. In the red corner Belcher is 12-4 and fights out of Biloxi, Mississippi, USA. Our referee in charge of the action is Dan Miragliotta. Here we go!

Kang is off to a good start in the first 30 seconds with strikes and gets the takedown at the 40 second mark. The fight slows down as Kang looks to pass and it's not long before he's working his way to the side. Kang finally passes the half guard, gets side control for a second and loses it, then winds up right back in half guard again. At the two minute mark Belcher finally shrugs/shoves him off and we go back to the feet. Goldberg throws in the "punches in bunches" comment before Kang gets a double leg takedown. Belcher has double underhooks to control the posture of Kang, but that's about all he can do with it. Eventually Kang tries to mount up in the guard and finally gets back to his feet with 100 seconds left. He has to avoid upkicks and jumps back into the guard to do so. Kang is back to his feet again for a little but before Kang comes down again in side control and starts working his way to a kimura, but before it can get too far Belcher gets his arm back. Kang ends R1 on top in side control as the horn sounds.

Well so far it's looking like our opening bouts are going to go long unless Kang can figure out a way to submit Belcher, but I almost think he'll be able to survive even if he loses all three rounds. Case in point Belcher takes a lot of damage in getting Belcher pressed up against the cage, but still gets double underhooks when he does. Things break apart at the one minute gone by mark. Kang gets Belcher to the ground again then tries to pass the rubber guard 105 seconds in. Belcher might be trying to sweep but the ref is getting impatient and saying get busy or I'll force the standup. WIth about 2:15 left in R2 Kang stands over the top and hits some beautiful right/left shots to the head, but it's not enough and the ref finally decides to stand them up when he closes the distance and doesn't do much. 1:15 to go. It's not as though I hate this fight, but this second round hasn't had enough action for my liking and the crowd seems to be feeling the same way as I hear a few boos. HOLY CRAP IT'S ALL OVER!! KANG WENT FOR A TAKEDOWN AND SHOT STRAIGHT INTO A GUILLOTINE BY BELCHER! KANG SHOOTS FOR A DOUBLE LEG AND BELCHER PULLS HIM INTO AN ARM GUILLOTINE SO TIGHT KANG TAPPED BEFORE HE EVEN FINISHED PUTTING IT ON!! WOW!!!

Dan M. stops the fight at 4:36 of R2 and declares the winner via tapout as Alan 'The Talent' Belcher. Belcher: "I want that title shot but I think I need one or two more fights. I'm sorry I wasn't more exciting but I think I'm one of the top dogs." Rogan tells him not to apologize. "I felt it on the first two but he defended it well, I was real nervous fighting Kang, he's a top 2 or 3 guy and a badass." Rogan says Alan Belcher is too and congratulates him on moving up to top contender status. The crowd seems happy at the lightning submission finish and so am I - makes up for any lull in the action before in my book! Goldberg runs down all of the upcoming UFC events including UFC 95: Sanchez v. Stevenson in the UK and UFC 96 from Columbus where Rampage Jackson will take on Keith Jardine. WAT. Jackson v. Jardine?! That's news to me!

* Jeremy Horn v. Rousimar Palhares

We see Palhares submission of Ivan Salaverry from UFC 84 (love it when they show fights I was actually at live) and a few clips of what's described as a "gutsy" performance against Dan Henderson (I guess one could argue that without much difficulty). Horn is put over as a veteran of 100 fights who has done everything but win a UFC world title. "When he comes at me wild and crazy looking for a submission I think there will be some opportunities I can take advantage of, and I will." Palhares comes out first. Honestly right now I'm still reacting to the concept of Jackson v. Jardine as a main event. I guess they can't rematch him with Forrest Griffin since Griffin is out six months with a hand injury, and they probably can't clear Evans less than 90 days after a title match at UFC 92, but I'm surprised they can clear Jackson that fast to come back to the Octagon - I guess since he won by knockout and didn't suffer any major injuries though he'll be good to go! Stll it's a huge risk for Jackson because if he makes a mistake and loses to the always dangerous Jardine, 'The Dean of Mean' could turn around some bad luck in 2008 and jump right back to top contender status at LHW moving ahead of Jackson. Tale of the tape is 33 to 28 in age, 6'2" to 5'8" in height, 74" to 71" reach advantage for Horn. Here's Bruce Buffer! He introduces three rounds in UFC's middleweight division. Palhares is 17-2, 5'8", 184 pounds and fights out of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. His opponent in the red corner is 88-18-5, 6'2", 185 pounds, and fights out of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Our referee in charge of this fight is Leon Roberts.

Here we go! Horn looks gangly and unshaven, tall and dangerous. Palhares is tanned, squat and powerful. Palhares takes Horn to the ground, Horn is hoping to sweep, but Horn ends up with Palhares riding on his back for his efforts. Horn manages to avoid Palhares getting two hooks in and gets to his back, but Palhares takes side control. Horn keeps his composure and keeps rolling even though Palhares seems to throw bombs wherever they move to. Horn gets to his back again and tries to hold Palhares down as we pass the two minute mark. Palhares nearly grabs a foot but Horn is aware of the possible toe hold and escapes it, and even manages to get back to his feet briefly at the three minute mark, but Palhares is so powerful he gets Horn right back down to the ground. Horn tries to escape and Palhares takes his back. Horn is turtling up and just trying to avoid taking damage. The ref tells him to move and he rolls. Palhares had a hand on the cage and the ref had to warn him MULTIPLE times to let go of it. Horn may be getting put into a knee bar here. Even if he survives to R2 this is pretty damn close to a 10-8 round by Palhares as Horn has been on defense almost the entire time, never getting a single lick in. Horn turtles up again as the horn stops the round. Even Rogan says Horn had "virtually no offense" in R1.

Bernard Dunn is in the crowd (1992 British boxing gold medalist at the Olympics) as we come back for R2. Horn hits a leg kick but eats a stiff right hand in the process, and then is taken down with sheer brute force strength on the part of Palhares. He gets a second warning about grabbing the cage and could have a point deducted now if he does it again. Horn tries to fire off a reverse elbow but it's not helping as Palhares is swinging away from his back. In his own way Palhares is a Brazilian version of Brock Lesnar, although I'm guessing he has MUCH better submissions. The ref asks Horn to do something, and Horn tries to stand up, scrambles away momentarily, even gets a single leg takedown! Wow. Nice reversal of fortunes by Horn and he even gets the mount to boot! Horn is trying to turn to get an arm triangle but is unable to sink it in, but he's still got a full mount. Palhares is trying to buck him off and roll and is able to do so with 2:10 left in the round, and both men are back to their feet. Palhares fires off a spinning back kick. Palhares may have used a lot of gas in his tank, he's breathing heavy now. Horn has to feel blessed to still be in the fight. Palhares shoots and Horn sprawls to block it and lands some effective strikes. He hits a left hook, misses with a followup kick and Palhares gets the takedown. Horn has full guard though and is much better off here than at any point when Palhares took him down before. Horn is going for a triangle! Palhares stacks him up against the fence and he can't hang on. All Palhares can do though is hold Horn down and hang on for R3. If you give R1 10-8 to Palhares and R2 10-9 to Horn, this fight is damn close.

Round three underway! This is probably the most exciting fight of the night. Palhares gives Horn a suplex! I'm not shitting you - he picks up Horn and throws him. I swear this guy is the Brazilian Brock Lesnar PLUS ground game. He's unfreaking real. Horn sprawls to stop another takedown, briefly has a guillotine but can't keep it, pulls guard and locks Palhares up on top. If he can pull something out of his ass to win a decision in R3 or even manages to get a draw or force a submission, you have to give all the credit in the world to Horn. He's been largely outmatched and outpowered but he's such a wily crafty veteran he just SURVIVES against all odds. Horn is actually avoiding the suplex attempts now - he stands up, realizes he's in danger of it and drops back down to his knees. Horn tries to stand to escape but Palhares gets a double leg takedown. Goldberg: "Horn defines composure." Totally agree with that assessment. 90 seconds to go! Palhares is grinding elbows into Horn's face but the ref wants more and makes them both stand up. One minute for Horn to either pull it off or Palhares to finish him off. Horn fires off a nice headkick but it's not enough for a knockout. Horn fakes a takedown, sprawls to avoid one, Palhares ends up on top as the round ends and the two smile at each other and exchange hugs knowing they've just had a great match of human chess. I think Palhares takes it.

THREE ROUNDS GO TO A DECISION AND ALL THREE JUDGES SCORE IT 30-27 FOR ROUSIMAR PALHARES. I'm surprised Horn didn't get a single point from any judge, not even for round two, but I'll definitely grant that Palhares did more, controlled more, threw more and got more for the majority of the fight. Through a translator Palhares says his hand was broken in the first round but he still brought with all he had and that Horn is a phenomenal fighter. Rogan congratulates him on the victory. Shogun v. Coleman is up soon but we have a bonus fight first!

* Tom Egan v. John Hathaway

Egan is getting a crowd chant even though it's his first fight in the Octagon. Egan is in the white trunks and Hathaway is in the black. Hathaway shoots in and gets a takedown right to side control. Egan tries to roll and escape but Hathaway is riding him everywhere he goes. Egan finally gets back to his feet at 4:02 to go but Hathaway gets ahold of a leg for a single leg takedown. OLE CHANT FOR EGAN. Egan gets back up again and Hathaway takes him back down again 90 seconds in. This time Egan is better off with his guard. Hathaway is throwing elbows and trying to hammer down blows. He misses with a big hammerfist and Egan gets back up again, and there's another crowd chant for Egan. Hathaway gets another spinning single leg. Egan was going for a kimura but gave up his back in the process. There's a warning about grabbing the fence as Egan gets up. Hathaway takes him back down again and is trapped in Egan's guard. Hathaway is dominating this round so far. Egan may be the emotional favorite being from Ireland and being so young in UFC, but youth + inexperience aren't helping him win against the Brit. Hathaway has full mount as Egan turtles up and with less than half a minute to go the Dublin native is being rocked with elbows he can't block and the ref is forced to stop the fight due to a tap.

Here's Bruce Buffer with the announcement. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN THE END COMES AT 4:36 OF R1 DECLARING THE WINNER BY TKO: JOHN 'THE HITMAN' HATHAWAY. Joe Rogan is there to interview Hathaway, making his UFC debut tonight as well. Hathaway thanks the UFC for having him and says he followed his gameplan. "After the first punch and elbow I heard him wince and I went for the kill, and got the victory. The future's bright for me and for the UFC, thanks very much to everyone." Tom Egan joins Joe Rogan and still gets a rousing pop from the crowd. "First of all I'd like to thank everyone for coming out. I'm sorry I didn't give a great performance but thanks for the applause and the support. I'll be back." Rogan thanks him and Egan says a little something in gaelic for the crowd.

Promos for UFC Primetime and the upcoming UFC 94: St. Pierre v. Penn 2 PPV as we kill a little time before Shogun v. Coleman.

* Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua v. Mark Coleman

We're reminded that Coleman is the first ever UFC Heavyweight Champion. Through the translator Rua calls Coleman "a two-faced s#^t-talker" and Coleman smiles and says "well maybe I am." Coleman is unphased though by Rua claiming he got lucky. "You make your own luck. I'm nobody you should be in there trying to show off with." We see highlights of Coleman's many fights in PRIDE. Rua: "I will be back on top." Coleman: "Let's do it!" Shogun Rua is the first to make his way to the cage. He was born in Curitiba, Brazil. It's noted that Shogun hs been out of action in UFC for 16 months due to some unfortunate knee injuries, but after two surgeries he's fully healthy now and ready to go. Apparently Rogan was chatting with NYBA Phil Baroni before this fight and Baroni suggested that the lack of success for PRIDE fighters (other than Henderson and Jackson) has a lot to do with the mystique of camps like CHUTE BOXE being broken. Rua is not sporting a six pack or anything in the Octagon but he's way more ripped than I'll ever be, that's for damn sure. Coleman comes out to AC/DC's "Back in Black." The Hall of Famer, the national wrestling champion, and the former UFC Heavyweight Champion is BACK, returning for the first time since UFC 18 to fight for the first time in UFC at Light Heavyweight. This is big! Well big to the hardcores anyway, but definitely big to me. Coleman looks jacked up. Goldberg notes he was the 5th ever inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame. Tale of the tape. 44 to 27 in age, 6'1" each, 206 to 205 in weight and 75" to 76" in reach for Coleman and Rua.

Bruce Buffer is here to announce the co-main and read off a long list of sponsors including Tapout and Xenergy before three rounds in the light heavyweight division. Rua is 16-3 and fights out of Curitiba, Brazil. He gets a very nice pop from the crowd at the O2 in Dublin. Coleman in the red corner is 15-8, fights out of Columbus, Ohio, USA and is the former UFC Heavyweight Champion of the world. Coleman also gets a very respectable pop from the crowd. Our referee in charge of the Octagon is Kevin Mulhall. Here we go!

Rua goes for a leg kick and gets it but Coleman takes him to the ground in the process. Shogun tries to roll and manages to get back to his feet, but Coleman takes him back down again. Rogan notes Coleman needs to be very careful to avoid leg submissions and he turns and gets back to his feet. Coleman ends up over the top again after a brief flurry and we're 90 seconds into the fight. Rua attempts a triangle and Coleman just stands up to get away. Rua finally gets a takedown of his own though out of it and passes guard to side control. Rua tries to throw elbows. Coleman tries to push away from the fence with his feet. Shogun looks to be in a very good position here after being in serious danger early. Coleman scrambles to his knees an gets back up. Coleman throws an uppercut with 100 seconds to go. He's not checking the leg kicks and they could be bad news. Coleman eats a couple of knees and goes back down TO his knees. The two break apart with 50 seconds left and Coleman may be gassed. Coleman gets caught with a strike but he's hanging on to Rua's leg, possibly hoping to survive until R2 and get some rest. Coleman lands some nice punches but Rua gets in a few knees before the horn sounds.

Coleman's corner is desperately trying to convince him that he won the round. I'm not so sure. They tell him he hurt Rua twice in the first round. That at least is plausible. Coleman avoids a leg kick from Rua at the start of R2, and avoids a knee too. Leg and body kicks at 20 seconds+ finally connect. Coleman is still firing off heavy hands whenever he can though and manages to get a double leg takedown atlast. Rua scrambles back up though as Coleman didn't do much with it other than catch his breath. Coleman ducks under a punch, Rua tries a takedown, Coleman survives it. Rua tries to grab a clinch for knees and Coleman gets free. Coleman's hands are hanging down by his waist but he's still managing to hit jabs whenever Rua gets into his range. It's bizarre, it shouldn't work, but Coleman keeps hanging on. Rua seems like he's just stalking Coleman though as Coleman is moving very slowly. If Rua can't finish him though that's his own fault, and if Coleman lands a big shot when Rua doesn't block that will be his fault. Rua tries to hold onto a clinch and it's not clear whether Coleman pushed him down or whether Rua pulled guard out of it. Rua charges in again and Coleman gets another takedown. Shogun is trying to turn the takedown into an omoplata. One minute left in R2. Shogun is slowly and methodically putting on the omoplata shoulder lock but one questions whether Coleman is going to tap to this. The crowd is booing since they seem to recognize that Rua can't get the win with this. Coleman survives to fight another round!

Coleman's corner is telling him that Rua is dead tired. "Great fucking fight, you're gonna fucking win dude!" You know what, that would be a great story, but Coleman seems very far from getting a victory right now. R3 underway! Every time Rua comes forward he eats another jab or a body shot, but when Rua tries to get the clinch Coleman grinds away at Rua's base for another takedown. At the one minute mark Coleman gets on top again. Rua is trying to scramble to get away. Coleman is flattening him out. Goldberg says if you count takedowns alone it's possible he could eke out a win. Coleman is throwing some vicious elbows from the top. They're as slow as molasses, but Rua can't stop them. Coleman is incredible here - he's gassed, he's slow, but he just won't die. Emotionally I've turned to Coleman in this fight. Rua tries to get a heel hook and failed. Coleman has his back with 1:40 to go! "Win lose or draw this is not a good performance for Shogun, against a 44 year old man who's exhausted." You said it Rogan. Coleman has ridden him almost this entire round and that should count for SOMETHING if you're scoring the fight. Rua hits a knee to the head of Coleman, unintentionally when was on his knees, maybe it was to the body it's hard to say because if the judge can't tell I sure can't but either way it forces the standup. Both fighters are swinging wildly with 40 seconds to go. Coleman is rocked! Rua finally knocks him down! IT APPEARS TO BE ALL OVER. An uppercut rocked Coleman and forced the ref to stop the fight. It looks brutal on the replay, and even though Coleman was saying he was okay immediately afterwards, he was done. Coleman keeps arguing with the stoppage even as Buffer is making the announcement.

KEVIN MULHALL STOPS IT AT 4:36 OF ROUND 3 FOR THE WINNER: MAURICIO 'SHOGUN' RUA. Not a good performance for Rua. He had trouble beating up an old man who could barely go after the first round, and almost lost the third round. The stand up was the best thing that could have ever happened to him - it gave him a chance to hit that uppercut near the end. Rua says in english that he's now 100%, and not much else. Rogan thanks him. Rogan goes to talk to Mark Coleman, but first he and Rua exchange several respectful hugs and Coleman raises his hand in victory. They even exchange a handshake. Rogan asks for his thoughts on the heart he showed. "(The cut was) not too bad. I'm a wrestler, I just did it. I'm really disappointed in myself. A good fight's not good enough - I came here to win." Rogan: "Did you think you'd finish him?" "Yeah, but he's a tough son of a bitch. I think I deserve another one. It's 1-1. I respect the hell out of you Shogun, but I can beat you." Coleman gets a nice round of applause. Time for the main event of the evening!

* Rich 'Ace' Franklin v. Dan 'Hollywood' Henderson

WOOOO~! Henderson is coming out to "Lunatic Fringe" by Red Rider. Gotta love that! This song always gets me pumped up and by the way Henderson is jumping around inside the Octagon it appears he feels the same way. Franklin comes out to AC/DC, "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)." I sure as hell can't complain about anybody coming out to AC/DC in UFC, particularly songs as choice as the ones chosen tonight, although if adrenaline is an issue "Lunatic Fringe" definitely wins the war between these two themes. Franklin gets a nice pop when he steps into the Octagon from the Dublin crowd. I have to say that other than a couple of moments of boos for a few seconds this has been a very supportive crowd, even though they might have wanted a better card or more excitement - I know I did. Dublin, for your respect for all these fighters, my hat's off to you and a pint of Guinness is raised in your honor. Bruce Buffer informs us that IT'SSSSSSSSSSSSSS TIME. First in the blue corner, 23-7, 6'1", 202 pounds, fighting out of Temecula, California, USA it's Dan 'Hollywood' Henderson, the former two-time PRIDE Fighting Champion! Next in the red corner, 26-3, 1 NC, 6'1", 203 pounds, fighting out of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, the former UFC Middleweight Champion himself, Rich 'Ace' Franklin! Dan M. is once again our ref in charge. Here we go!

Henderson appears to be staying low as the round starts, circling, possibly looking for a takedown position. Franklin hits a nice kick but Henderson responds with a big powerpunch and kick of his own that makes him slip. Nevertheless Henderson is able to take mount from the ground and Franklin is squirming around on the ground. Hendo is trying to grind away with hammerfists and elbows and lands several big power punches to Franklin's head as he tries to get to his feet. Henderson is controlling the hips and landing knees to the body but Franklin is not to be denied and just past the halfway point of R1 he finally gets free. Franklin goes back to kicks while Henderson circles and lands a power punch again. 1:40 to go. Left kick to the body by Franklin connects. Rogan: "Henderson is always coiled to attack." Watching him he does look like a spring ready to uncoil at any second. Franklin hits a nice combo as we have one minute to go and Henderson gets a nice right in response. There may have been an accidental headbutt but both men shrug it off. Franklin has a little bit of blood coming from his forehead though. R1 ends with Henderson all smiles as he goes back to his corner.

Henderson and Franklin tap up and R2 is underway. The cuts on Franklin's forehead are bleeders but probably shouldn't impair his vision, at least if they stay on the feet. Hendo pushes the pace. Goldberg notes the winner of this fight will coach Team USA on the next season of Ultimate Fighter. Slugfest 90 seconds in and neither man seems to get the best of it, but Franklin is avoiding takedown attempts so that's a plus. Henderson finally gets a takedown halfway into the round and Franklin makes sure he stays in guard between his legs. Henderson slowly tries to improve position. 1:20 left and Franklin manages to push off the cage with his feet to keep full guard. Henderson tries to jump to side control. He grinds Franklin up against the cage and Franklin just tries to hold on and not take damage. 15 seconds left. Hendo pours it on at the end of R2 as the horn sounds, and both fighters exchange a high-five as they break.

Michael Bisping looks on in the crowd. He'll be the opposing coach on the next Ultimate Fighter. We're five minutes away from finding out if that will be Henderson or Franklin. Franklin tries to bring it to Henderson in the first minute but Henderson gets ahold of him and has yet another takedown, now working Franklin into the cage wall. Franklin rolls to his feet and winds up on Henderson's back! The ref warns Franklin about shots to the back of the head. Henderson gets back up. The dance on the feet continues at 2:15. Everybody who complained about the upsets at UFC 92 should realize by now that upsets or not, those fights had a lot of great finishes. Franklin now is pressing for a takedown and has Henderson in the fence with 90 seconds left. The two break apart with 65 seconds. Henderson slips on a kick attempt but he's right back up. Franklin gets poked in the eye! Henderson was reaching out with his left hand right as Franklin was coming forward. I don't think it was intentional but it does stop the fight. Franklin's eye is red. The ref tells Franklin he doesn't get five minutes, that's only for a groin strike. Dan M. offers him two minutes. I can't blame them since it's 10 minutes to the top of the hour in the PPV. The fight is restarted with 37 seconds left. I really hope UFC speeds up DVD releases because I'm curious now how the rest of the undercard other than the Egan fight went. Franklin and Henderson both throw head shots at each other right as the final horn sounds.

CHRIS LEE 29-28 HENDERSON, WATTS 30-27 FRANKLIN, TIM B SCORES IT 29-28 FOR THE WINNER BY SPLIT DECISION: DAN HENDERSON. Doesn't seem to be a super popular decision. Henderson: "I've been in there with a lot of tough guys and done well. I had him hurt for a little bit but he stayed calm and I didn't want to blow my load right there. He went the distance and finished strong. I may be a media hated guy but I think it's a great opportunity for the US to be pitted against the UK and I think it's right up my alley being pitted in the Olympics a couple of times. I just wanted to say I missed my daughter's 10th birthday last week, happy birthday Sierra."

With only five minutes left we definitely aren't getting any bonus fights. Alan Belcher gets the Submission of the Night and that's the only award that's announced as the crowd files out of Dublin and we get the closing credits. Good night all!