UFC 93: Dubiousness in Dublin as Hendo and Shogun "Sort of" Win

‘Thank you for the times you gave us.’

When you measure the performances of UFC 93’s headliners against the same fighters’ performances four or five years ago and beyond, this is a phrase which regretfully comes to mind.

The Irish kindly withheld their ire (or perhaps quenched it in beer) while cordially tolerating the tepid performances and tenuous victors of the co-main events of this inauspicious production.

Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, a dynamic former-Pride starlet, burst onto the Japanese MMA stage in 2004 and 2005—most notably with his tremendous, inspired performances in the 2005 Pride Light Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament.

After having knocked off a handful of un-noteworthy ‘warm-up’ opponents, Rua was vaulted into the limelight when he verbally challenged and then swiftly dismantled Quinton Jackson in the first round of the tournament.

In the second phase of the Grand Prix, he faced Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in what was one of the very best fights of 2005—a back-and-forth slugfest in which Shogun ultimately bested the slightly-smaller of the resourceful, rawhide-tough Nogueira brothers by decision.

Then, at ‘Final Conflict,’ Rua steamrolled Alistair Overeem and Ricardo Arona, knocking them both out on the same night, and becoming the Grand Prix winner.

In sum, the then-twenty-three-year-old rookie mowed through four of the best light heavyweights on the planet, contiguously and definitively.

Unfortunately, the above accounts ring less like accolades and more as eulogy of a stellar career which appears to be all but defunct. We must be cautious to not withhold immense respect for the prior accomplishments of young Rua, but the fire that burned within him a few short years back appears to have been snuffed by multiple injuries, ‘cage rust’, and his shocking lack of stamina.

In the opening moments of last night’s UFC 93 co-main event, as Rua (27) began his exchanges with Mark Coleman (44), even as both fighters were fresh, it was apparent that the aggressive swarm of striking which had once defined the young Brazilian’s style was not present to trouble his aging opponent.

Rua’s strikes were transparent, sluggish and sloppy, and were easily warded off by Coleman’s straight jabs. Coleman, who nearly capsized while taking off his shoes prefight, showed (relatively) good balance in the octagon and took Rua down almost at will.

To his credit, as in his fight with Forrest Griffin, Rua displayed an excellent spatial sense, easily rolling out of dangerous positions and getting Coleman back into his guard.

As the fight wore on, though, each fighter became piteously winded, and neither seemed to possess the strength to finish the other. Coleman’s visage was of an exhausted, middle-aged athlete who belonged more appropriately in the corner of a pupil, where he might vicariously enjoy the contest in safety.

Tragically, and despite his youthful appearance, so did Rua.

Unable to protect themselves, and with no obvious alternative on the horizon, Rua and Coleman took turns mustering the energy to throw ineffectual, undefended punches. At last, Rua patched together a combination of blows, including a solid uppercut which dropped Coleman, prompting the end of a painful contest in the final seconds of the third round.

While we can hope for Mark Coleman’s retirement, there will be ‘no rest for the weary’ for Mauricio Rua, who is slated to face Chuck Liddell at UFC 97 in Montreal this April.  This will be an extremely difficult fight for Shogun’, who seems to lack the sinew to execute his vast potential, and whose sluggish brand of aggression would seem to be tailor made for Liddell.

This is a do-or-die match for Rua, and his success will depend on cardio and Muy Thai training. Liddell will be ready to deliver three punishing rounds, and he never allows the fight to go to the canvas.

In the main event of UFC 93, Franklin lost a close decision to Dan Henderson, and it was a very unfortunate loss. Henderson, whose career has been a mélange of terrific takedowns, throws, slams and knockouts, is beginning to show his age. Not only is he joining the ranks of MMA’s elders (with stamina waning accordingly), Henderson is also becoming one of a slew of fighters who are forgetting their roots.

Notably, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Fabricio Werdum, and even Josh Koscheck, are all ground fighters who are attempting to stand with their opponents even when it may not be in their best interest. While the fast and powerful Koscheck is adapting with success, Nogueira and Werdum are not, and they are abandoning the very skills which made them great in the first place.

Dan Henderson easily won the first round against Rich Franklin, but he only did so by using his vaunted wrestling skills to take Franklin down and punish him. For much of the rest of the fight, he attempted to strike with the very dynamic Franklin, and he is fortunate that he came out on top. Henderson, dangerously explosive as he is, does not strike or defend effectively, and his durability has allowed him to get away with it. This has often resulted in performances where, in later rounds, he appears off balance, perplexed and gassed.

As Franklin’s famous cardio boosted him through the third round, Henderson became less and less productive against the Cincinnati native’s striking arsenal. After it seemed that the tables had turned, and Franklin would win the decision, the nod was given to Henderson.

Franklin’s inability to capitalize on Henderson, who is becoming increasingly predictable, does not bode well. Now age 34, Franklin may soon show signs of age himself and, as he will be competing against larger and younger fighters in the 205-lb. division, he must become evermore resourceful if he wishes to be a contender.

UFC 93 was rare, in that it was a less-than-stellar promotion with little at stake, and still cost $45 on pay-per-view. The only tangible result seems to be a Henderson vs Bisping promotion on Spike TV’s ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’

Henderson will have plenty to deal with in Bisping, who is younger, increasingly skillful, and incredibly energetic. Even in his contests in Japan several years ago, Henderson showed that the cut to middleweight took its toll on his stamina.

Still, to be fair, in defeating Franklin, he got the best of one of the UFC’s best fighters, and showed that he still packs a punch, so to speak. Hopefully, we still have much more to see from the Oregonian, and hopefully his bout with Bisping will end less dubiously.

Here’s looking forward to fights where the winners look like winners.