ALAN BELCHER VS. DENIS KANG

 

After making a name for himself outside of the UFC as one of the top middleweights in the world, Denis Kang makes his Octagon debut against UFC mainstay Alan Belcher at UFC 93.

 

Though Belcher has seven UFC bouts to his credit – amassing a 4-3 record in the Octagon – Kang has nearly three times as much overall experience in MMA. Although he has gone 3-3 in recent bouts, Kang can boast a stretch of his career that he went 23 bouts without a loss.

 

Both have solid stand-up skills, but being three inches taller, Belcher will have a solid reach advantage over Kang. They each have strong finishing power, but Belcher has the more diversified striking arsenal due in large part to his lankier build compared to Kang's compact, power frame. He'll want to try and keep this fight on the feet and utilize his reach advantage to stay away from Kang's athleticism and strength on the ground.

 

The ground is where the biggest disparity lies in this fight. While Belcher has a solid ground game, Kang has a decided advantage both in his takedown abilities and his submission skills. This is where Kang will want to take the fight, and use the depth of his grappling abilities – training with the likes of American Top Team and Georges St. Pierre – to keep Belcher out of his comfort zone on the feet.

 

ROUSIMAR PALHARES VS. JEREMY HORN

 

This is a sort of changing of the guard type of fight. If you could pit the Jeremy Horn of about three years or so ago against the Rousimar Palhares of today, it would be an instant classic, but such is not the case.

 

While Palhares's career has been on a steady rise – he is 8-2 overall, winning six of his seven most recent bouts – Horn's career has seen a steady fall over the past two and half years with a 2-4 record.

 

With more than 100 bouts to his credit, Horn has a decided advantage in experience, but it isn't enough to offset the tough times that he has faced over the past couple of years. He's not losing to slouches, fighting many of the top guys in the world, but Horn has become weaker in an area that used to be his greatest strength... submissions. Three of his four most recent losses have come by submission, which is a strength of Brazilian Top Team's Palhares.

 

On the feet, Horn should have an advantage due to his lanky build, utilizing his reach and technical skills to pick away at Palhares from a distance. Palhares' strong suit on the feet is his boxing skill and punching power. While not known for knocking opponents out, Palhares has decent hands and should be much stronger and athletic than Horn.

 

There was once a time when you would be hard-pressed not to give the advantage to Horn on the ground, but having been submitted in the three of his four most recent losses, that time has passed. Horn is always a threat on the ground – and will be in this fight – but Palhares' athleticism and dynamic submission skills should give him the advantage when the fight hits the ground.

 

CHRIS LYTLE VS. MARCUS DAVIS

 

There isn't much to break down in this one. Lytle and Davis have been calling for this fight because they want to throw down and put on an exciting fight that isn't likely to hit the mat. The funny thing is, these are two of the more aggressive fighters in the UFC when they do go to the ground and would be just as exciting in that arena, but they know striking appeals more to the casual fan and tends to score big in the race for the "Fight of the Night" bonus.

 

Until someone gets hurt, expect Lytle and Davis to live up to their billing and go blow-for-blow on the feet until someone drops. If it isn't a knockout, don't be surprised if an exciting ground battle ensues when someone goes down, but the fight isn't likely to remain on the ground for long. These guys are furious strikers with strong chins and want to be tested.

 

Davis is slightly more technical in his boxing skills, but Lytle isn't really lacking either. Expect them to fulfill their prophecies and find out who has the stronger chin of the two.

 

THE BEST OF THE REST

 

The preliminary bouts not scheduled for pay-per-view are highlighted by Martin Kampmann's welterweight debut in a bout with Alexandre Barros.

 

His recent accomplishments belie Barros' 13-5 overall record. In the past four and a half years, he has not lost a fight, going 9-0. Kampmann, meanwhile, is 4-1 in the UFC with an overall record of 13-2. He lost his most recent bout – to Nate Marquardt at 185 pounds – accelerating his move to the 170-pound class.

 

This is a competitive bout, but it marks Barros' first time in the Octagon – always a question mark – and Kampmann is the better all around fighter, stronger in most areas than Barros.

 

Eric Schafer continues his return to the UFC in a light heavyweight showdown with Antonio Mendes. With the 205-pound division being so deep, neither of these fighters can afford a loss, especially Mendes, who lost his Octagon debut to Thiago Silva.

 

Schafer's strengths lie in his grappling game, where he will have a vast advantage over Mendes, while Mendes is a tall, technical striker that should hold the advantage on the feet. The disparity on the feet isn't as wide as the ground game though, as Schafer has worked hard to round out his skills by upping his stand-up game.

 

The prelims also feature a pair of European showdowns. Italian Ivan Serati makes his UFC debut against Polish fighter Thomasz Drwal, who is looking for his first Octagon win after losing to Thiago Silva. Dubliner Tom Egan takes on Brit John Hathaway in both fighters' inaugural UFC bouts, Egan with the local crowd sure to be whole-heartedly in his corner.

 

The night kicks off with a lightweight bout between two strong fighters looking to gain a foothold in the UFC. Denis Siver returns to the UFC having gone 1-3 in his first stint with the promotion before winning a fight in his home country of Germany this past October. His opponent, Nate Mohr, returns after more than a year out of action due to a torn posterior cruciate ligament suffered in his last bout – against Manny Gamburyan at UFC 79 – that put his UFC mark at 1-2.

 

Both Siver and Mohr are strong strikers and grapplers that are fighting for a home in the Octagon. A loss doesn't bode well for either in one of the UFC's most stacked weight classes.

 

UFC 93 VIDEO: Dan Henderson UFC 93 Pre-Fight Interview

 

UFC 93 VIDEO: Marcus Davis UFC 93 Pre-Fight Interview

 

UFC 93 VIDEO: Martin Kampmann UFC 93 Pre-Fight Interview

 

UFC 93 VIDEO: Ivan Serati UFC 93 Pre-Fight Interview

 

UFC 93 VIDEO: John Hathaway UFC 93 Pre-fight Interview

 

UFC 93 Exclusive Weigh-in Photo Gallery