UFC 93: Dublin, Ireland - 1/17/09

[rawli007]

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2008, at 3 p.m. ET on pay-per-view (PPV)
Location: The O2 in Dublin, Ireland

Main event:

205 lbs.: Rich Franklin (24-3) vs. Dan Henderson (23-7)

Main card (Televised):

205 lbs.: Mauricio ?Shogun? Rua (16-3) vs. Mark Coleman (15-8)
185 lbs.: Denis Kang (31-10-1) vs. Alan Belcher (13-5)
170 lbs.: Marcus Davis (15?4) vs. Chris Lytle (26-16?5)
185 lbs.: Rousimar Palhares (8-2) vs. Jeremy Horn (80-18-5)

Under card (May not be broadcast):

170 lbs.: Martin Kampmann (13-2) vs. Alexandre Barros (13-5)
205 lbs.: Eric Schafer vs. Antonio Mendes (15?3)
205 lbs.: Ivan Serati (10-2) vs. Tomasz Drwal (14-2)
170 lbs.: Thomas Egan (3-0) vs. John Hathaway (9-0)
155 lbs.: Nate Mohr (8-5) vs. Dennis Siver (12-6)

 

[rawli007]

To me there are some interesting matchups on the main card.....

Right now it's looking like i'll have *small* plays on Belcher, Coleman (yes, Coleman), and Lytle....

Looking forward to lines on Schafer and Palhares. :SIB

 

[The Sponge]

This is a stone cold lock. Anyone get a line on this?

185 lbs.: Rousimar Palhares

 

[layinwood]

Sponge, I can't imagine that line being very small. Horn has looked about as bad as someone can look in the cage lately. I can't believe they let him come back.

I'm excited to see Kang in the cage. He has the chance to be a very popular fighter.

Rawli, no way on Coleman man. Coleman is too old and isn't good enough anyway.

 

[Ghost Kid]

This coming from the guy who bet Badr Hari and Dave Herman in the span of a week...so take it with a grain of salt....

but NO WAY for me on Coleman, too
I think Rua is going to whup his ass

a lot of people like Coleman in this rematch. WHY?

 

[rawli007]

Coleman will take down Rua with EASE... Rua is coming off a major run of bad luck and a string of knee injuries...... And Coleman will be HUGE at 205. Rua's cardio will get a test when he is on the bottom trying to escape...

Also, think of how huge the UFC is now... Coleman is one of those guys who lives for competition, and this is a huge fight for him.

I think +300 is nice line on Coleman. :SIB I doesnt take an Einstein to know hes not expected to win, but the line is good for a small play in my book.

 

[rawli007]

a lot of people like Coleman in this rematch. WHY?

I wouldnt say 'a lot of people,' but considering what Rua has been through recently........ and what happened in their first fight...... along with the fact that these two HATE each other, anything can happen.. especially in MMA.

Quite simple for Coleman to win a three round fight w/ takedowns and avoiding submissions. This is a guy who was big enough to wrestle at 205 in the Olympics....

He's huge, he's strong, he wont be beaten easily. ruff ruff.

 

[rawli007]

Mark Coleman after loss to Fedor

Mark Coleman after loss to Fedor

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[rawli007]

The original Shogun/Coleman and the aftermath.

The original Shogun/Coleman and the aftermath.

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[gardenweasel]

caught marcus davis at -120.....certainly no lock...should be a ball buster of a fight....

i think this is make or break for a "not getting any younger" davis...

a little height disadvantage,but i like his striking and all around game...


a little surprised that this has moved into -140 territory,though...

guess this will determine whether i`m still a good fade after a terrible december 2008.....

i enjoy trying to pick these toss-ups...that`s my curse...

 

[The Sponge]

Sponge, I can't imagine that line being very small. Horn has looked about as bad as someone can look in the cage lately. I can't believe they let him come back.

.

Lay, there is a chance we might catch a break here and get a decent line. Word on the street is that Weepaul's 500,000 max wager limit has been cut down to 50 dollars:SIB

 

[The Sponge]

caught marcus davis at -120.....certainly no lock...should be a ball buster of a fight....

i think this is make or break for a "not getting any younger" davis...

a little height disadvantage,but i like his striking and all around game...


a little surprised that this has moved into -140 territory,though...

guess this will determine whether i`m still a good fade after a terrible december 2008.....

i enjoy trying to pick these toss-ups...that`s my curse...

i think Davis also is the safe pick here Weasel but u saying his all around game is fine has me a little puzzled. I thought he looked terrible against Swick when it went to the ground. Basically got owned. I still think he takes it tho cause i don't see it going anywhere near the ground.. What is ur opinion on the Hendo Franklin fight? I think this has the potential to be a great fight.

 

[gardenweasel]

i think Davis also is the safe pick here Weasel but u saying his all around game is fine has me a little puzzled. I thought he looked terrible against Swick when it went to the ground. Basically got owned. I still think he takes it tho cause i don't see it going anywhere near the ground.. What is ur opinion on the Hendo Franklin fight? I think this has the potential to be a great fight.

well,it`s not a safe bet imo,spongy.....swick`s an elite fighter(or pretty close to it at 170)... lytle`s prolly a better wrestler,but davis has some sub game(although that ain`t happenin` vs lytle)....

i thought i sensed some fade in lytle vs paul taylor and i`m not sure he won that fight...

lytle`s good at most things...not "real "good at anything....think his stand-up is overrated...

lytle`s sort of a gatekeeper and if davis wants to keep his career going,he has to win here...

matt serra managed to keep lytle standing and eeked out a win....and i like davis` hands better than serra`s....

plus we have a wee bit of a homecourt advantage in ireland,laddy...:mj08:

have to ponder henderson/franklin...lot of miles between them...

at first blush,at 205,hendo might be stronger...

 

[rawli007]

My play on Lytle would be bigger if i could count on it being a stand up war.....

I think Davis will shoot after feeling the power of Lytle, but for my sake that is exactly what i *dont* want to happen... b/c Lytle (although apparently a black belt in BJJ) doesnt seem to have any sweeps or escape skills (see Hughes and Koscheck fights).

However, if they trade blows i think Lytle can serve Davis his first KO loss of his career.

To me this is an even fight, and so i lean towards the dog. If Lytle can just hit Davis as hard as he hit Kyle Bradley when they fought.....

 

[gardenweasel]

My play on Lytle would be bigger if i could count on it being a stand up war.....

I think Davis will shoot after feeling the power of Lytle, but for my sake that is exactly what i *dont* want to happen... b/c Lytle (although apparently a black belt in BJJ) doesnt seem to have any sweeps or escape skills (see Hughes and Koscheck fights).

However, if they trade blows i think Lytle can serve Davis his first KO loss of his career.

To me this is an even fight, and so i lean towards the dog. If Lytle can just hit Davis as hard as he hit Kyle Bradley when they fought.....

and that`s why it`s an even fight.....differing opinions...:yup

 

[BUCSnotYUCKS]

205 lbs.: Rich Franklin (24-3) vs. Dan Henderson (23-7)
---Is it just me or is this one of the most exciting matchups stylisticly in recent memory??? You couldn't find 2 guys with such similar fighting styles. This fight is a NO BET for me, but I can't wait to watch this fight.

205 lbs.: Mauricio ?Shogun? Rua (16-3) vs. Mark Coleman (15-8)
---I'm biased, but I think Shogun comes out and just wears out Coleman and eventually TKOs Coleman. My heart tells me he breaks his fucking arm, but my mind tells me the TKO, or a 3round unanimous decision. I know Rua hasn't fought in a year, and has had some bad luck with injuries, but he's going to come into this fight 100% focused. This is payback for Rua. On the flip side, Coleman hasn't fought in over 2 years, and that counts for alot. Look at Couture for example, he was soooooo rusty.

185 lbs.: Denis Kang (31-10-1) vs. Alan Belcher (13-5)
--Really tough matchup for Belcher with Kang in his first UFC match. Kang is coming off 2 straight needed wins and has the confidence back on his side. I don't expect this match to last long, honestly.

170 lbs.: Marcus Davis (15?4) vs. Chris Lytle (26-16?5)
--One of the better matchups on the card and should go the full 3 rounds of excitement. I just think Davis and his all around game will be too much for Lytle. If Lytle is unable to get Davis early and submit him, I see Davis pulling out the split decision.

185 lbs.: Rousimar Palhares (8-2) vs. Jeremy Horn (80-18-5)
--Probably the worst matchup on the card. Palhares should make quick work of Horn, and submit him like 3 of the last 4 opponents have.

170 lbs.: Martin Kampmann (13-2) vs. Alexandre Barros (13-5)
--Can't wait to see one of my favorite fighters make his WW debut. Barros is making his UFC debut after stringing 9 wins over some tomato can's. He's a pretty big WW, but Kampmann most likely will KO/TKO him, but wouldn't be suprised to see a impressive unanimous 30-27 decision.

205 lbs.: Eric Schafer vs. Antonio Mendes (15?3)
--Another interesting matchup. Schafer's stand up is obviously weak, and I think Mendes will most likely try to keep this one standing. I don't like how Mendes folded up like a buttercup on the ground against Thiago(well, I did on Thiago's half), but he needs to improve because Schafer will be looking to go to the ground 100%. I'll take Mendes with the split decision.

 

[rawli007]

Marcus Davis on his fight w/ Lytle.....

Marcus Davis on his fight w/ Lytle.....

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[The Sponge]

My play on Lytle would be bigger if i could count on it being a stand up war.....

...

Just don't see it at all like this Raw. I think Davis hands are diff better. He keeps everything straight and tight. Lytle throws the more wild type of punches that a guy like Davis with experience will block easy. If this stands i see Lytle getting knocked out a lot easier then Davis. I do believe Lytle tries to take this down to the ground but u never know with MMA fighters. I see Hendo with a terrific game plan against Palares and then i see Alvarez with an awful one against Anoki. So who the heck knows.

 

[rawli007]

Just don't see it at all like this Raw. I think Davis hands are diff better. He keeps everything straight and tight. Lytle throws the more wild type of punches that a guy like Davis with experience will block easy. If this stands i see Lytle getting knocked out a lot easier then Davis.

Sponge, neither guy has ever been knocked out so there's not much basis for an argument there. I can say Lytle has fought the top of the heap when it comes to strikers (Alves) and he at least hung in there... i cant say the same for Davis, who nearly got KO'd by Paul Taylor, who Lytle just beat in a striking match.

JMO, but "straight and tight" doesnt mean shit in MMA, go ask Fedor.... and one thing special about MMA and its 4 ounce gloves is that even when you TRY AND BLOCK a punch or kick, you can STILL BE KNOCKED OUT, b/c the 4 ounce gloves can fit through gaps that 16 ounce boxing gloves just cant. See a fight like Ortiz/Liddell 1 to see how Chuck KO'd Ortiz when Ortiz had his full guard up.

Lytle was 9-0 in boxing, he knows how to be technical.... but this ain't boxing. :shrug:

Lytle has 16 losses....... 14 BY DECISION AND 2 BY DOCTOR STOPPAGE...... he ain't getting KO'D by Davis' tight boxing. :sadwave: If he does lose it will likely be another decision, or even a submission before a TKO..

:toast:

 

[The Sponge]

Sponge, neither guy has ever been knocked out so there's not much basis for an argument there. I can say Lytle has fought the top of the heap when it comes to strikers (Alves) and he at least hung in there... i cant say the same for Davis, who nearly got KO'd by Paul Taylor, who Lytle just beat in a striking match.

JMO, but "straight and tight" doesnt mean shit in MMA, go ask Fedor.... and one thing special about MMA and its 4 ounce gloves is that even when you TRY AND BLOCK a punch or kick, you can STILL BE KNOCKED OUT, b/c the 4 ounce gloves can fit through gaps that 16 ounce boxing gloves just cant. See a fight like Ortiz/Liddell 1 to see how Chuck KO'd Ortiz when Ortiz had his full guard up.

Lytle was 9-0 in boxing, he knows how to be technical.... but this ain't boxing. :shrug:

Lytle has 16 losses....... 14 BY DECISION AND 2 BY DOCTOR STOPPAGE...... he ain't getting KO'D by Davis' tight boxing. :sadwave: If he does lose it will likely be another decision, or even a submission before a TKO..

:toast:

There is a difference between a guy like Fedor who is exceptional in the rest of his game to be able to get away with some wild throwing and Lytle. I don't remember Davis almost getting knocked out by Taylor either but i could be wrong. Just look at most of the Champs. If u have tight slick boxing with a solid ground game ur usually the champ. Penn great striker excellent ground game. GSP. Solid striker not great but a great ground game. Why i think Swick is the only one who can take him. Swick a tight slick boxer. Same with Silva. Rashad excellent striker with a solid ground game. Rashad is a prime example. All these wild throwers (lidell)are getting knocked out. I thought the Lytle Taylor fight was a lot closer then the Taylor Davis fight. That is if i got the right guys. Just my opinion thats all.