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.