UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland, possible for O2 Arena January 17

fergal_d

http://mmamania.com/2008/09/30/report-ufc-93-in-dublin-ireland-possible-for-o2-arena-january-17/

This should be epic

"The Ultimate Fighting Championsip (UFC) could be headed back to the Emerald Isle with a major mixed martial arts event at The O2 in Dublin, Ireland, on January 17.

It would be dubbed UFC 93, according to UK.Eurosport.Yahoo.com, meaning that the Super Bowl weekend card on January 31 that features the monster main even between welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and lightweight champion BJ Penn would be renamed UFC 94.

Even though the show is still unconfirmed, the report indicates that Rich Franklin could headline the fight card against former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell or Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. It’s important to note the the “Iceman” has remarked in recent interviews that he does no intend to return to the Octagon until sometime in Spring 2009.

In addition, Mark Coleman is still being discussed as a possible opponent for Shogun. Therefore, take the rumored match ups for what they are worth … simply rumors at this time.

The 02 in Dublin, which recently underwent a major renovation, opens its doors for the first time ever on December 21, 2008. It’s a multimillion dollar venue that can hold around 10,000 seated fans.

This is the first foray for the promotion into the Republic of Ireland. UFC 72: “Victory,” however, did take place in Belfast northern Ireland in June 2007, featuring a main event between Franklin and Yushin Okami.

It was a live pay-per-view (PPV) event that aired at 3 p.m. ET in the United States. Whether it was the timing or the line up, UFC 72 was perhaps the least watched event of the entire year.
Stay tuned for more details."

dlofnep

Sweet! Front row seats here I come!

bing3

Not sure if im right on this but an article i read said management of 02 would not be entertaining any sporting occasions at the point. Venue seems to have been designed with music in mind and as such is not naturally an amphitheatre, so any events 'in the round' would not be well served.
Then again i think they need 120 gigs a year to break even so i reckon they could be accomodating to anything....
Ace v Shogun would be a nice match up!

odin_ie

I have a feeling that Marcus Davis could appear on the card too!!! I will be getting a ticket for that as soon as they come out :D

dlofnep

MARCUS IRISH DAVIS.

Grew up on a potato farm!

His great grandparents are from Waterford (which pretty much makes us family).

Also, he wears a kilt.

odin_ie

Not just any kilt either....a Sportskilt :P

bing3

Davis would be a big draw. Wouldn't mind seeing Tim Boetsch over here as well as Matt Brown. Reckon they would get a good reception.
See here for more informed debate about logistics of 02 gig.

dunkamania

bing3 wrote: »

. Wouldn't mind seeing Tim Boetsch over here as well as Matt Brown. Reckon they would get a good reception.

Why?

SuperWoody101

dlofnep wrote: »

MARCUS IRISH DAVIS.

Grew up on a potato farm!

His great grandparents are from Waterford (which pretty much makes us family).

Also, he wears a kilt.

And his theme music is House Of Pain's Jump Around.
(My buddy is a member of the UFC fight club so I have a good chance of getting a ring side seat. (Hope they don't go crazy on there prices)

dunkamania

Just read this article

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2008/10/1/625733/ufc-and-affliction-play-ch

Main points are, fighters have been approached for fights on this card

Card is unconfirmed because UFC are trying to counterprogramme a possible card by Affliction on the same date, so depending on what Affliciton do, it may not go ahead.

Yo Mamma

Happy Days !!

If it happens.......

Was at 72 in Belfast was a great Show...

I'd say it will be pricey enough though ?

vasch_ro

confirmed on the UFC website as is Franklin v Henderson and Rua V Coleman

Mossy Monk

**** me and colour me impressed. When can we expect tickets to go on sale?

Perfect fit

id say late this month

Judomad

SAVAGE!!! looks great, cant wait for this, Hendo, Shogun and Ace on the one card already.

UFR Management

And there will be four Irish fighters on the card!

Dragan

UFR Management wrote: »

And there will be four Irish fighters on the card!

I'm guessing two of your guys signed to fight?

I can't wait for this. UFC in my backyard with Irish talent on it. Perfect.

Judomad

UFR Management wrote: »

And there will be four Irish fighters on the card!

spill the beans Mr. P!!!!

t-ha

Wonder if they'ld put Samy Schiavo on this card - he's got a good local following and looked good in his match against Guida until he got taken down?

Raze_them_all

t-ha wrote: »

Wonder if they'ld put Samy Schiavo on this card - he's got a good local following and looked good in his match against Guida until he got taken down?

doubtful...Samy has a fight this month/next month they're a little close

vasch_ro

UFR Management wrote: »

And there will be four Irish fighters on the card!

Delighted to hear there is some local interest, now lets all prepare oursleves for the media "brutality sports" hypefest

Colm_OReilly

O2 customers can pre-register interest in this event afaik, so if you or a friend are on O2, you can ensure you're premium tickets.

Now, let's start lobbying the UFC to get Mark in as an announcer, BOOM!

who's promoting this?

Looking forward to this, will be my 4th UFC.....and no travelling! :pac:

vasch_ro

Deleted User wrote: »

who's promoting this?

Looking forward to this, will be my 4th UFC.....and no travelling! :pac:

surely as your fighting in the boards grudge matchyou know the the promoter ?:)

dlofnep

Colm_OReilly wrote: »

O2 customers can pre-register interest in this event afaik, so if you or a friend are on O2, you can ensure you're premium tickets.

Now, let's start lobbying the UFC to get Mark in as an announcer, BOOM!

Wouldn't the UFC Fight Club members get the tickets first? Not sure.

In anycase, I'm a member of the UFC fight club - so quality tickets here we come!

muckwarrior

dlofnep wrote: »

Wouldn't the UFC Fight Club members get the tickets first? Not sure.

In anycase, I'm a member of the UFC fight club - so quality tickets here we come!

Thats what I was wondering. Was gonna join but then I read this "All pre-sale ticket purchases are subject to availability on a first come, first serve basis for select US & Canadian performances only."

droc

Raze_them_all wrote: »

doubtful...Samy has a fight this month/next month they're a little close

Samy's fight is October 18, three months before this card. Not too close IMO and he would like to fight in Dublin again. We will be trying to get him on this card.

DROC

Dragan

Deleted User wrote: »

who's promoting this?

Looking forward to this, will be my 4th UFC.....and no travelling! :pac:

Thats what i have been looking into.

vasch_ro

vasch_ro wrote: »

surely as your fighting in the boards grudge matchyou know the the promoter ?:)

Im gonna buy the higher priced seats for 2 reasons.

1) See my post in the UFC thread with the seating plan

2) No travelling to UFC for a change so can pay that bit extra for a ticket.

Dragan

dlofnep wrote: »

Wouldn't the UFC Fight Club members get the tickets first? Not sure.

Depends on the type of banner agreement that o2 have with the point. If they have paid enough cash then they have the right to a certain amount of preselected priority place tickets for their customers if that's part of their deal.

Costs a huge amount of money though.

rovert

vasch_ro wrote: »

Delighted to hear there is some local interest, now lets all prepare oursleves for the media "brutality sports" hypefest

HUMAN COCK FIGHTING ahoy

Dragan

rovert wrote: »

HUMAN COCK FIGHTING ahoy

Part of the reason why i would have Franklin in the main event.

Well spoken, educated background, the perfect face for an essentially new live market.

Dragan

Dragan wrote: »

Part of the reason why i would have Franklin in the main event.

Well spoken, educated background, the perfect face for an essentially new live market.

Don't forget hendo. Classy guy as well.


Former school teacher vs Olympian!

dunkamania

rovert wrote: »

HUMAN COCK FIGHTING ahoy

Adrian, I think its a bleedin disgrace.....

rovert

dunkamania wrote: »

Adrian, I think its a bleedin disgrace.....

Joe, I cant believe No Holds Barred fighting is coming to Ireland :pac:

Raze_them_all

rovert wrote: »

Joe, I cant believe No Holds Barred fighting is coming to Ireland :pac:

those barbaric thugs with their cage fighting...if they weren't doing that shur who knows they would be in jail or terrorising owld biddy's like myself *nag nag nag*

Colm_OReilly

That's some beautiful mock Adrian Kennedy right there guys! I'm enjoying it immensely

davmol

Defo getting a ring side ticket for this one since i dont have to travel.At last ill be able to get a sweaty high 5 from the fighters on the way down to the octagon and most importantly of all ill be with metres of arianny's(octagon girls) fine ass.

Roper

If any of you get on Adrian Kennedy, I have the winning tactic. Never fails:

Wait until your opponent is in full rant and then say, as loud as you can:
"Do you have kids?"
Repeat this as many times as it takes to be heard, then repeat it one more time for good measure.
Once your opponent has replied, I've worked out a small flow chart to determine your response:

IF NO (I do not have kids)

---

> THEN REPLY "Well if you had kids you'd understand"

IF YES (I do have kids)

---

> THEN REPLY "Well God help them. I feel sorry for them"

GAME OVER! Never fails.

vasch_ro

neil I honestly do not think that the the layout will be as bad as you make out
see the irish times article on it here
re your fight I was referring jokingly Mrwillbeback's post in the other thread about this topic

now the next question is where we going for pints first ???:)

dunkamania

http://uk.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=14869



Hendo Franklin, Coleman Rua

JohnMc1

dlofnep wrote: »

Wouldn't the UFC Fight Club members get the tickets first? Not sure.

In anycase, I'm a member of the UFC fight club - so quality tickets here we come!

Lucky stiff.:(

kaiser soza

It looks like show time will be 5pm Irish time as the website states 10pm eastern.Hope Brock Lesner is on the card.

stevemc01

JohnMc1 wrote: »

Lucky stiff.:(

Heres the deal with the fightclub...........

first rule of fight club is never talk about ...............;)

When the fightclub presale starts(3/4 days before the tickets are on sale to the public) anyone can usually buy tickets as long as they pay an additional $65 i think it is to join the fight club.

2 good fights so far, Hendo v Franklin should be good.

Coleman v Shogun is a bit of a grudge match, cant believe Shogun is moving to Heavyweight for this, he looked small at 205 agaainst Forrest .

dave80

UFC® ANNOUNCES FIRST EVENT IN DUBLIN, IRELAND
UFC® ANNOUNCES FIRST EVENT IN DUBLIN, IRELAND
2009 KICKS OFF WITH LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT SHOWDOWNS
HENDERSON vs. FRANKLIN
COLEMAN

vs. SHOGUN II
Live From the O2-Dublin – Saturday, January 17, 2009
Las Vegas, NV (USA) – The world’s most exciting sport returns to the Emerald Isle as the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®) organization opens up 2009 with the star-powered UFC 93 card at the O2-Dublin in Dublin, Ireland on January 17, 2009.
In the light heavyweight main event, former two-division world champion Dan Henderson will collide with former UFC middleweight king Rich Franklin in three-round war which will set the tone for the 205lbs division in 2009.
Then, 2005 PRIDE® Grand Prix Champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua returns to the Octagon™ to throw down with UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman in a rematch MMA fans thought they would never see. The pair last met in Japan in 2006, with the legendary Coleman pulling off a stunning upset by breaking Rua’s arm in the first round.
“Rich Franklin vs. Dan Henderson is a battle between two great former champions who are both looking to get another chance to wear a world title around their waist,” said Dana White, UFC President. “Franklin is the former UFC Middleweight champion, and he’s a dangerous striker with solid submission skills – he also showed great takedown defense in his September destruction of powerful wrestler Matt Hamill. Dan Henderson is the former PRIDE Welterweight and Middleweight champion. He’s a world class wrestler, known for his great chin and his one punch knockout power. He defeated formidable Brazilian submission specialist Rousimar Palhares in September. These are two fan favorites with a lot of pride on the line as they want to show that they are still among the very best fighters in the world.”
"We are delighted to be returning to the Emerald Isle again, especially with such blockbuster main and co-main events,” said Marshall Zelaznik, UFC UK Division President. “The O2-Dublin is a fantastic venue that will create a memorable UFC experience. After smashing box office records in Belfast in June 2007, we promised our Irish fans we would be coming to Dublin, and now on January 17 the world’s most exciting live sports experience travels across the Irish Sea - we know this will be a great night for our fans.”
Ticket on-sale date and purchase information for UFC 93 will be announced shortly.

UFC 93 will be available on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, Bell ExpressVu, Shaw Communications and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.95 for standard definition or high-definition broadcasts (where available); UFC fans also have the option to watch the UFC 93 pay-per-view live from Dublin, Ireland at 3pm EST/12Noon PST.

The only fighter to ever hold the PRIDE 205-pound and 183-pound titles simultaneously, Temecula, California’s Dan Henderson (23-7) has a body of work which stands favorably against any resume in the fighting world today, with his victories over the likes of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Wanderlei Silva, Murilo Bustamante and Vitor Belfort just scratching the surface of what he’s accomplished in his 11 year career. A two-time United States Olympian in Greco-Roman wrestling who is fresh off a dominant win over Rousimar Palhares at UFC 88, the 38-year old Henderson’s grappling ability and concussive right hand power has set him in good stead as he looks to take out Rich Franklin on January 17th and continue on his march to his first UFC title.

“This is the fight my fans have wanted for a long time now, and they want to see me fight Rich Franklin,” said Henderson. “I think this will be a great fight for Ireland, it definitely will be exciting because we both like to stand and bang, and we both have knockout power. I’m excited to go to Ireland and to take on Rich; I think he’s a tough opponent and a huge challenge, but I don’t see myself losing to him.”

One of the UFC’s most popular fighters, 34-year old Rich “Ace” Franklin (26-3, 1 NC) began his MMA career as a light heavyweight, going 15-1 with 1 no contest in the process. It was a detour to the 185-pound division that made him a star though, as he won the UFC middleweight title in June of 2005 and successfully defended his crown twice with big wins over Nate Quarry and David Loiseau before losing to current champion Anderson Silva. In 2008, the well-rounded Cincinnati, Ohio native decided to challenge himself at light heavyweight once again, and his third round TKO of highly-regarded Matt Hamill in September sent a clear message out to his fellow 205 pounders that not only was he back, but that he is looking to take care of some unfinished business in his old weight class.

“Dan Henderson has great credentials, and he is going to be one of the toughest fights of my career,” said Franklin. “That being said, I’m planning on winning the fight, and I’m looking forward to fighting in the main event and fighting in Ireland. I love the fans, and the way they react by singing and chanting makes it a unique experience for me.”

A true pioneer of the game whose influence is felt to this day, Columbus, Ohio’s Mark “The Hammer” Coleman (15-8) proved that wrestlers not only could be successful in mixed martial arts, but that they could dominate. An NCAA Champion and member of the 1992 US Olympic team, Coleman first competed in MMA at UFC 10 in 1996, winning three fights in succession to win that night’s tournament and introduce a new phrase into the sport’s vernacular – Ground and Pound. Another tournament win followed just two months later, and at UFC 12 he defeated future Hall of Famer Dan Severn in less than three minutes to become the first UFC Heavyweight Champion. A stellar career in Japan’s PRIDE organization followed, and in 2006, he handed his UFC 93 opponent – Mauricio “Shogun” Rua – his first loss in three years. On January 17th, the 43-year old Coleman – who was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame earlier this year – returns to the Octagon for the first time since 1999, and he promises to be better than ever.

Just 26 years old, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (16-3) has done more in nearly six years than most do in an entire career. A fearsome striker whose aggression has made him one of the game’s most avoided figures, Rua had perhaps the greatest run any mixed martial artist has ever had in 2005, when he won the PRIDE Grand Prix tournament by knocking out current UFC star Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, decisioning Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, stopping Alistair Overeem, and knocking out Ricardo Arona. Four more PRIDE wins followed for the native of Curitiba, Brazil, with his only loss ever in the organization coming in 2006 via an injury-induced TKO to the man he will face this January, Mark Coleman. At UFC 93, Rua hopes to get a little revenge along with his first UFC win.

Further fights for UFC 93 will be announced shortly. For more information on the UFC visit ufc.com or uk.ufc.com or ufcespanol.com.

Mossy Monk

kaiser soza wrote: »

It looks like show time will be 5pm Irish time as the website states 10pm eastern.

You have that the wrong way round. 3am Irish time is 10pm Eastern. It will be shown delayed at 10pm Eastern in the states. Should be avialable live there too at 3pm Eastern (8pm Irish time).

Maldini2706

I wouldn't be surprised if we get a ramp, given the shape of the new O2. Unless they have temporary seating where the stage should be there's going to be a big gap on one side of the octagon, a ramp would solve that problem

Fozzy

Maldini2706 wrote: »

I wouldn't be surprised if we get a ramp, given the shape of the new O2. Unless they have temporary seating where the stage should be there's going to be a big gap on one side of the octagon, a ramp would solve that problem

That's the layout for the WWE show in the O2, the UFC are likely to have something very similar. I really doubt that they'd get a ramp in for this show

john kavanagh

Deleted User wrote: »

who's promoting this?

UFC, no promotions company.

john kavanagh

john kavanagh wrote: »

UFC, no promotions company.

Cheers john. Now we can talk about the event carefree!! :pac:

Jolt2007

Fantastic, would love to get cageside seats or near as possible, but they'll probably sell out very fast or be far to expensive. Either way I'll be there somewhere.