Let's get into it and describe the match ups and who will win.
Rich Franklin vs Dan Henderson
Franklin (24 - 3)(1 NC) is a former high school math teacher and UFC middleweight champion. He is also well known for walking into the octagon with pink trunks or half pink trunks.
2 of his career loses come at the knees of Anderson Silva who took the middleweight championship away from Franklin October 14. His other career loss came at the knee of Lyoto Machida in a light heavyweight bout.
Franklin has a well rounded striking game that centers around a mix of Muay Thai and boxing. He is also currently a brown belt at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In this match againist Henderson, Franklin will definitely have to rely on striking from a distance to avoid any take downs from the Olympian.
Henderson (23 - 7) is a former Olympic greco-roman wrestler who competed in the 1992 and 1996 summer games. He was also the last welterweight (183lb) and middleweight (205lb) champion of PRIDE.
Henderson is a fighter that is prepared to go the distance. He has taken some of best fighters in MMA to decisions; Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, Quinton Jackson, etc. He also has a powerful fist that has knocked out the likes of Wanderlei Silva, Renzo Gracie, and Ryo Chonan.
In this match up Henderson will play it slow, allowing Franklin be the aggressor. Henderson has the disadvantage in the cage since most his MMA experience is within the confines of a ring however if he can establish control over the center and avoid hard hits while countering intelligently the decision will go his way.
Prediction: Dan Henderson by split decision
Franklin doesn't have the power to knock out Henderson. While Franklin will no doubt be the aggressor in this bout Henderson will intelligently press the action and take control of the cage.
Mark Coleman vs Mauricio Rua
Coleman(15 - 8) is the original UFC Heavyweight champion winning the title at UFC 12 back in February 1997. His most recent bout was in October 2006 where he lost against Fedor Emelianenko.
Coleman has faced Rua before in PRIDE. During one of Coleman's take downs Rua landed awkwardly dislocating his arm. Coleman took advantage and began to ground and pound on him before the ref called the bout. This upset Rua's teammates who entered the ring and so did Coleman's and it pretty much became a scene out of professional wrestling. Why does MMA get mixed in with pro wrestling?
Anyways Coleman is a wrestler. He is known as the inventor of ground and pound and has used his superior wrestling ability to make matches go into stalemates that lead to his victory.
Rua (16 - 3) is considered by many as one of the top light heavyweight fighters in MMA. Before his loss to Forrest Griffin at UFC 76 many thought Rua was on a straight path towards a title shot.
You can blame that loss to Griffin to poor conditioning since Rua was exhausted in the 2nd round and lost 15 seconds before the end of the 3rd round when Griffin caught Rua in a rear naked choke.
Rua is a Muay Thai practitioner and a powerful striker. He has won 13 of his fights by knock out, one of which was againist Quinton Jackson. In this fight he will have to use his striking to keep Coleman at a distance and avoid the take downs.
Prediction: Mauricio Rua by TKO
Coleman is getting old and although I'm sure he has the strength and power to fight, he is walking into the octagon after a 2 year break from MMA competition. Rua is a powerful competitor that will use this opportunity to erase his previous loss to Coleman off his record.
Alan Belcher vs Denis Kang
Belcher (13 - 5) has been in the UFC since the end of 2006. His performance in the octagon has been mediocre losing 3 of his 7 UFC fights. He won his last match againist Ed Herman by a split decision but near the end of the 3rd Herman almost caught Belcher in a submission.
Belcher is a Muay Thai practitioner who mixes his kicks and punches beautifully. He has a powerful left hook which he uses to set up hard kicks. His clinching skills is lack luster and his ground game needs to improve. Belcher will definitely try and keep this match up off the mat.
Kang (31 - 10 - 1)(2 NC) will be fighting in the octagon for the 1st time. He has spent plenty of time in Asia competing in PRIDE and other organizations which have led him to this opportunity with the UFC.
Kang holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu. He also has a strong boxing game with powerful punches that have knocked out 12 of his opponents. If he doesn't finish it standing his ground game can lead to victory with 15 previous win by submission.
Prediction: Kang by Submission
This will be a stand up match till Kang can land a blow that will lead to a ground assault. Either Kang will finish Belcher via ground and pound or if Belcher is able to pull guard Kang will use his jiu jitsu to get him in position for a submission.
Jeremy Horn vs Rousimar Palhares
Horn (80 - 18 - 5) has fought in MMA competitions since 1996. He has competed with some of the best in the game; Randy Couture, Chuck Liddel, Matt Lindland, Forrest Griffin, Anderson Silva, etc. In Horn's last two bouts he has lost via submission.
Horn is a brilliant jiu jitsu fighter with remarkable take down abilities. In many fights Horn is able to pull people into the guard in the midst of a stand up game. 49 of Horn's victories are by submission so expect Horn to take this match to the ground.
Palhares (8 - 2) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who has recently signed with the UFC to compete within the octagon. His most recent match was in September 2008 where he lost a decision againist Dan Henderson.
Palhares is also a jiu jitsu practitioner who has won nearly all his bouts via submissions. While his stand up game is weak he makes up for it with his quick shooting abilities.
Prediction: Palhares by Submission
This bout will go to the ground within the 1st minute. While I think Horn will be able to take Palhares down first, Palhares will be able to work from his back better.
Marcus Davis vs Chris Lytle
Davis (15 - 4) is a former boxer turned mixed martial artist after suffering a TKO in a boxing match in 2000. Since then he has joined Team Sityodtong and trained with likes of Kenny Florian and Patrick Cote.
With a nickname like "the Irish Hand Grenade" it's easy to understand where Davis' strength lies. He's a powerful boxer and brings that skill into the octagon. He stays close to his opponents and uses a jab to set up big strikes. His ground game is very skilled an he has been able to submit 8 of his opponents.
Lytle (26 - 16 - 5) is a professional boxer and mixed martial artist. He appeared on The Ultimate Fighter 4 and since then has fought some of the best in the UFC; Thiago Alves, Josh Koscheck, Matt Serra, Matt Hughes, etc.
Lytle has a strong boxing game but within the octagon it is less technical. He swings wildly from the outside throwing huge haymakers. In other words Lytle has a boxing style opposite of Davis.
Prediction: Marcus Davis by TKO
This should be pretty much a stand up fight. Davis will get close and strike with jabs that will disrupt Lytle's punching game. This could either way since if any fighter can land that big hit, but Davis has a better striking game and his rounded ground game will give him the edge.
These are some strong match ups, that are sure to turn out some awesome fights.
Which one of the match ups are you looking forward to see?
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