RICH FRANKLIN will fight Dan Henderson at UFC 93 in Ireland, SunSport can exclusively reveal.

We broke the news the UFC would announce a show in Dublin earlier this week, and officials confirmed our story earlier today.

Franklin and Henderson will collide at the O2 Arena in Dublin on Saturday, January 17 in a light heavyweight bout.

And former Pride FC champion Henderson can't wait to face The Ace.

He said: "This is the fight my fans have wanted for a long time now, and they want to see me fight Rich Franklin.

"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."

Former middleweight champion Franklin was full of praise for his opponent ahead of the clash.

He added: "Dan Henderson has great credentials, and he is going to be one of the toughest fights of my career.

"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."

Fans will also be pleased to hear that the show sees the return of Brazilian legend Maurcio 'Shogun' Rua.

He will square off against veteran Mark Coleman for the second time in his career in the night's other light heavyweight clash.

The pair first collided two years ago in Japan, where Coleman scored the victory via an arm bar submission.

UFC president Dana White couldn’t hide his excitement at what is already shaping up to be a stacked card in Ireland.

White said: "Rich Franklin v 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.

"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."

UFC UK president Marshall Zelaznik added: "We are delighted to be returning to the Emerald Isle again, especially with such blockbuster main and co-main events.

"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 information for UFC 93 will be announced shortly.

Watch highlights of Rich Franklin & Dan Henderson in action by clicking on the video link below.