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Franklin vs. Henderson II headlines UFC 103
Although Rich Franklin has long been expected to headline UFC 103 in September, few could have predicted his opponent: Dan Henderson.
The two fighters first fought in January with Henderson winning a split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28).
The UFC today announced the headline bout of Franklin vs. Henderson II, which takes place Sept. 19 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas and airs on pay-per-view.
Soon after the initial loss at UFC 93, Franklin (25-4 MMA, 12-3 UFC) said he felt he won the fight and wanted the rematch. Few expected him to get it, especially since Franklin wanted to remain at 205 pounds while Henderson (25-7 MMA, 5-2 UFC) has recently focused on the 185-pound division.
Franklin was slowed by an accidental head butt in the first round and a deep eye poke (and scratched cornea) in the third during the first meeting. Since the loss, he’s fought once and posted a unanimous decision win over Wanderlei Silva at a catch-weight of 195 pounds.
Henderson enters UFC 103 off a stunning knockout victory over rival Michael Bisping at UFC 100. Henderson, 3-0 in his past three fights, said after the win that he wanted a second shot at Anderson Silva’s middleweight bout (Henderson was submitted in their first meeting at UFC 82). It’s still possible he could get the title shot, but he’ll likely need to get by Franklin first.
The latest UFC 103 card now includes (courtesy MMAjunkie.com):
* Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin
* Junior Dos Santos vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic
* Martin Kampmann vs. Mike Swick
* Josh Koscheck vs. Frank Trigg
* Hermes Franca vs. Tyson Griffin
* Sean Sherk vs. Gleison Tibau*
* Efrain Escudero vs. Cole Miller
* Tomasz Drwal vs. Drew McFedries*
* Rafael dos Anjos vs. Matt Wiman*
* - Not officially announced
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