UFC 93 – Hung Lo Awards

The first UFC event in Ireland was held in the O2 Dublin Arena on January 17, 2009, and went off without a hitch to tens of thousands of rowdy UK fans.  MMA enthusiasts everywhere were treated to a great night of fights: including a rematch of Shogun Rua and UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman and the much anticipated bout between Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson.

The first fight had the potential being the fight of the year from the beginning.  Just ask Marcus Davis, who in his pre-fight interview said: “We’re both going to try to knock each other out.  We’re both going to go out there and do our best to absolutely beat the piss out of the other guy.  I’m hoping Chris Lytle is Marcus Davis’s human punching bag in this fight.”  It made us wonder why the word piss was censored.  Could hearing that word piss be more traumatic than watching these guys brutalize each other?  Either way, with words like that, no one expected the fight to end up on the ground.

The rest of the action was worth the PPV money as well.  The highly regarded Hung Lo Dojo Awards were given as follows:

Fight of the Night – Marcus Davis vs. Chris Lytle

Hugs all around for a JOB WELL DONE

Marcus “the Irish Hand Grenade” Davis was the crowd favorite for obvious reasons, but the kilt and Wrex n Effex sealed the deal for the live support.  The fight was very exciting, went back and forth for the full 15 minutes, and barely hit the ground.  The Indianapolis firefighter Lytle pushed the pace with wide-looping haymakers, noticeably changing the shape of his opponents face.  Marcus was able to get the better of the exchanges with great footwork and clever counterpunching to squeak out a Split Decision.

The Alternative Energy Award goes to: Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, for his puttering performance against aging UFC legend Mark Coleman.  Word has it Rua has switched to a hybrid engine, because the jet engine he used in Pride isn’t legit in the UFC.  Shogun blew through the first round somewhat easily on electricity alone; however, things got a little rough a little later when he switched over to E85 Ethanol fuel we’ve heard about so much from Brazil.  Coleman is no joke, but most viewers felt Rua ran out of gas halfway through the second round.  Perhaps he should try regular unleaded next fight, it may not be nearly as green, but it still has the kick you need to make it to the end.

I Walked the Line, and WON

Underdog Upset Award goes to: Alan Belcher, for his incredible performance absorbing Kang’s punishment and eventually sinking an impressive guillotine submission.  Denis Kang looked surprised and disappointed after tapping, the UFC jitters probably had something to do with it.  Luckily however, Belcher’s full scale Johnny Cash tattoo on his arm remained unscathed.

The Cutting Room Floor Award goes to: R2D2 and his squeaky-sounding ad in the lower right corner of the screen advertising UFC 94.  We like to crank the volume during the fights to emulate the live vibe as much as possible, but that damn robot sound left hearers in shock every fight, and nearly busted all my tweeters!  We hope to never see or hear this shit again.

The Mark Fuhrman Award goes to: Mark Coleman.  In his preflight interview, the Hammer clarified his intentions in the aftermath of their first clash: “Did I know his [Shogun’s] arm was broken?  I plead the fifth.”

Poor Subscribers, open shirt version is for news-stands only

Product Placement Award goes to: FullTiltPoker.com.  Not only did they have the center location of the Octagon canvas, but also the instant replays and on damn near all the fighter’s shorts.   Honorable mention goes to Men’s Fitness, who feature GSP sporting heart-shaped abs for the cover of their February Valentine’s issue.

The “What Fight Were You Watching?” Award goes to: the judge who scored the Henderson – Franklin fight 30-27 for Rich.  What the fuck!?!?  Most Commission’s require fighters to take a dilated eye exam before a fight; perhaps this should be required for the judges too.  If a judge can’t get a set of trifocals to clearly see a fight, they should be relieved of their duties…there are plenty of other brail feelers who deserve a shot to hear a fight.

I would have liked to see the Martin Kampmann fight instead of watching Rousimar Palhares smother the defense-minded Jeremy Horn.  It was like watching a Steel Curtain-like run defense against a team with no quarterback.  This was definitely the fight you wanted to refill your drinks, take a shit, smoke a cigarette, and make a beer run without missing much – all very important things in their own right.

All in all, it was another great night of MMA action.  We now apparently have Shogun vs. Liddell set to happen soon, so the plot thickens as the UFC takes yet another step in complete global domination.

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