Franklin vs. Henderson II set for UFC 103 Main Event
In need of a main event for their September 19th show in Dallas, Texas, the UFC signed a rematch between former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin, and former PRIDE middleweight and light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson. The first contest between the two at UFC 93 ended with Henderson emerging with a controversial split decision victory. The fight saw Franklin come on strong in the third and final round before an incidental eye poke from Henderson stopped Franklin’s momentum.
From the UFC’s official release:
Their first bout split the mixed martial arts community, making it obvious that they needed more than 15 minutes to settle their score. On Saturday, September 19th, UFC superstars Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin will meet again in the main event of UFC 103 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, with Henderson looking to make it 2-0 over the former middleweight champ, and Franklin trying to even things up with the former two division PRIDE champion.
After the fight, Franklin immediately stated his desire for a rematch to mmajunkie.com:
“I want a rematch, and I wish it were a five-rounder.”
There has been no announcement made as to which weight class this fight would take place at. The first fight took place in the light heavyweight division, but Henderson last fought at 185 pounds in his UFC 100 victory over Michael Bisping, while Franklin fought at a 195 pound catchweight for his UFC 99 fight with Wanderlei Silva. Franklin has stated his desire to remain in the light heavyweight division, while Henderson has made it known he wants a rematch with Anderson Silva for the middleweight championship.
Franklin had been rumored to be in the main event for UFC 103 for quite some time, although most figured his opponent would be Luiz Cane. However, the UFC must have decided that selling a Franklin/Cane main event wouldn’t be easy, so they went with another “name” opponent. This isn’t a fight that many people expected or even wanted, but it should still be exciting to watch the rematch. The problem is that it doesn’t really put either guy in a better position in their careers. Henderson seems intent on his Silva rematch, while Franklin is trying to climb the ladder at 205 lbs. This doesn’t help either guy advance, and both are getting up there in age.
Also, the UFC announced that Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Junior Dos Santos would square off in a heavyweight showdown on the main card for the event.
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Filed Under: News
This fight makes no sense at all. Hendo has stated that he wants to fight for the 185lb belt and Rich wants to stay at LHW. This is also a 3rd fight which does no justice. There are much better matchups out there for both guys
No, it doesn’t. They were really scrambling for a main event though, and Franklin was rumored for some time. I think Henderson came about because they didn’t think a Franklin/Luiz Cane matchup would sell enough PPVs.