Rich Franklin Vs. Dan Henderson: Part Deux

The UFC was in desperate need of setting up a main event for UFC 103—their first event in Dallas, Texas. Former UFC Middleweight champion Rich Franklin was rumored for weeks to be the headliner for the event but his opponent had yet to be determined.

Franklin was originally rumored to take on former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell but those rumors were quickly cancelled out as Liddell announced he would be taking time off to recover from his last fight—a TKO loss to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

When Tito Ortiz—another former UFC champion announced that he had apparently made amends with UFC President Dana White fans were starting to speculate a possible fight between Franklin and Ortiz in Dallas.

That turned out to be just a rumor as well because the UFC announced today that the headliner for UFC 103 will be a rematch between Franklin and Dan Henderson.  

These two warriors first met back in Dublin, Ireland in the main event of UFC 93.

The fight went all three rounds with Henderson winning a split decision victory that some fans considered “controversial”.

It was a very close fight but even though Franklin was controlled in the first two rounds. He was starting to make his comeback in the third round before being struck by an accidental eye poke from Henderson.

Henderson was starting to slow down in the last round and if it were a 25-minute title fight the result may have been different. Certain critics believe that had it not been for the eye poke Franklin may have been able to win that fight.

Both fighters are coming off victories since their bout in Ireland.

Franklin outpointed MMA legend Wanderlei Silva to a unanimous decision victory at UFC 99 in a catch-weight bout. Meanwhile Henderson scored one of the biggest knockout victories over the year with his victory over Michael Bisping at UFC 100.

Personally I do not think setting up a rematch between the two is a good idea, however with the UFC being desperate for a main event I suppose this was the best option they could come up with.

I just don’t think Henderson moving back up in weight to fight a guy he’s already defeated is fair especially considering the big victory he’s coming off of.

The UFC promised Henderson a title shot if he were to defeat Bisping and now they appear to be going back on their word.

Then again I can’t blame the UFC for setting up this rematch because, like I said before, they were running out of options for a main event, and they needed to come up with something worthy of a headline.

The first fight was a three round war that left many questions unanswered.

Franklin deserves a second chance to prove that he can defeat Henderson, and Henderson deserves another opportunity to silence the critics and prove to the world that the first fight wasn’t controversial at all.

In addition to Henderson vs. Franklin II, UFC 103 will also feature a stacked undercard of intriguing MMA matchups that should give the Dallas crowd a night to remember.

Welterweights Mike Swick and Martin Kampmann will battle on the night’s co-main event to determine a new number one contender to Georges St. Pierre’s Welterweight title. Also Heavyweight sensation Junior Dos Santos will collide with former PRIDE superstar Mirko Cro-Cop in a fight that should produce a ton of fireworks.

Frank Trigg will make his UFC return to take on All-American wrestler Josh Koscheck—who is coming off a shocking knockout loss to Paulo Thiago at UFC 95. Also lightweight Cole Miller will take on TUF Season 8 winner Efrain Escudero. Finally, Tyson Griffin will take on Hermes Franca.

UFC 103 will take place September 19th at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.