UFC 93

Lore & Background

The main event featured a Light Heavyweight bout between former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin and former Pride Middleweight Champion and Pride Welterweight Champion Dan Henderson. The winner of the fight would become the coach opposite Michael Bisping for the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom. The co-main event featured a Light Heavyweight rematch between Maurício Rua and Mark Coleman, a rematch of their first controversial match at Pride 31 which resulted in a brawl between the camps of both Chute Boxe Academy and Team Hammer House.

In Their Own Story

The Houston air inside the Toyota Center was thick with humidity and anticipation. Penn bounced lightly on the balls of his feet in his corner, eyes half-closed, jaw working a slow chew. Across the cage, Condit circled with that familiar low center of gravity, hands high, grinning like a man who had come to collect. The referee's voice cut through the roar: "Touch gloves." The first exchange was a thunderclap—Condit's overhand connecting, Penn sliding back, resetting, then answering with a one-two that snapped Condit's head sideways. Five rounds stretched out like a long, grinding argument. By the final bell, Penn's hands were raised in a quiet, unshakeable victory, and the Houston crowd—those who had followed the sport through every local gym and pay-per-view—gave the champion their thunder.

Reader's Guide

Bonus awards: Fights of the Night – Marcus Davis vs. Chris Lytle and Maurício Rua vs. Mark Coleman; Knockout of the Night – Dennis Siver; Submission of the Night – Alan Belcher. Each received $40,000 bonuses.

Did You Know?

• The main event was a Light Heavyweight bout between former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin and former Pride Middleweight Champion and Pride Welterweight Champion Dan Henderson.
• The co-main event was a Light Heavyweight rematch between Maurício Rua and Mark Coleman, stemming from a controversial fight at Pride 31.
• The winner of the main event would coach opposite Michael Bisping on The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom.