UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson

[Turd Ferguson]

Main Card

• Lightweight Championship Bout: Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson
• Light Heavyweight Bout: Rampage Jackson vs. Ryan Bader
• Welterweight Bout: Jake Shields vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
• Heavyweight Bout: Cheick Kongo vs. Mark Hunt
• Lightweight Bout: Joe Lauzon vs. Anthony Pettis
• Middleweight Bout: Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch
• Featherweight Bout: Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski

Preliminary Card (FX)

• Lightweight Bout: Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka
• Bantamweight Bout: Kid Yamamoto vs. Vaughn Lee
• Middleweight Bout: Riki Fukuda vs. Steve Cantwell
• Bantamweight Bout: Takaya Mizugaki vs. Chris Caraiso

Yes, there are 7 fights on the main card. The PPV will begin at 10:00, and will likely end around 2:00. Brew a pot of coffee, boys.

The main event features Frankie Edgar defending his title against someone he's never faced before, which is a huge development. He'll be taking on someone who I believe truly represents his toughest challenge, Benson Henderson. The size difference between the two is pretty major. People keep saying that Frankie should be dropping down to Featherweight, and there's talk of Henderson possibly moving up to Welterweight in a couple of years, as he's a pretty big Lightweight in the first place.

The only way Frankie is going to win this fight is by decision, and he's going to have to use his stick and move, combo, occasional takedown gameplan he's used to perfection in his title defenses if he's going to win this fight. Frankie is very skilled at sneaking in sharp punches, and he can take his opponents aback with takedowns out of nowhere. You're not going to knock Benson Henderson out (remember, the Showtime Kick did NOT knock him out). He's unsubmittable as well. Frankie has overcome great odds in the past, and his footwork will need to be his path to victory here.

Henderson will have to use his size advantage here. If Bendo comes in with a gameplan of dirty boxing Frankie against the cage, keeping things close, and finding ways to clinch and take him down, he's got a very good shot of winning this fight. Henderson's standup game is the one aspect where he's not spectacular, but he's been improving with each fight, and you have to assume that he's been focusing on that aspect of his game for this fight. The problem is: Can he actually find a way to keep things close? It's going to be very tough to find a way to contain Frankie. One thing that I think is worthy of being mentioned: people assume Frankie's chin is indestructible. I think that his chin could be his pitfall here. We don't know how much it's deteriorated after two wars with Gray Maynard. Also, say if Bendo does rock Frankie like Gray did. Gray gassed the fuck out in their first fight and his second fight, he seemed like he kind of gave up after the first round. Bendo has a relentless pace and he's not going to gas out. BJ Penn and Gray Maynard are not cardio machines like Benson Henderson is, and if he gets Frankie where he wants him, he's going to be the new champ.

This fight is so hard to call, and it's why I can't wait for it. It's most definitely going to be a Fight of the Year candidate, and I think Bendo will pull it off via submission. I think he'll rock Frankie and rather than try to TKO him, he'll take advantage of his dazed state, lock in a submission, and become champion.

Rampage Jackson vs. Ryan Bader is your co-main event. Rampage is coming off of a loss against Jon Jones, and Bader, after dropping two in a row to Jones and Tito Ortiz, got back into the win column against Jason Brilz. I do think that they should have brought Bader back along slowly. I think a fight against Rampage Jackson is way too big of a challenge for him right now. And that's against an unmotivated Rampage. When Rampage is motivated, he's still a top 3 Light Heavyweight, and that's exactly what Bader is going to be running into. Rampage loves the Japanese fans, and he's going to want to give them a show. Bader has nothing for Rampage, and I think this is going to be an ugly night for him. Bader is a wrestler with pretty average takedowns, and Rampage should be able to easily stuff any attempt he throws at him. I think questions about Bader's chin should definitely come into play, considering Tito dropped him. Rampage by KO in the first.

Yoshihiro Akiyama needs a win against Jake Shields in order to prove he's not one of the biggest busts in UFC history. If he can manage to keep the fight standing, he's got a decent shot of winning, especially where Shields' chin may not be able to take much more after that brutal KO he suffered from Jake Ellenberger. Chances are though that Shields will be able to get this fight to the ground, and keep it there for all three rounds in what should be a typical Jake Shields fight. One would have to assume that this fight was designed to get Shields back in the win column after dropping two straight to GSP and Ellenberger, and especially considering that Joe Silva apparently really hates Akiyama's guts.

Can Mark Hunt continue his career renaissance against Chieck Kongo? God I hope so. Kongo is definitely the favorite going into this fight, but god, this has so much potential to be so exciting. It could be an absolute war, and Hunt has a granite chin, whereas Kongo can be rocked, but can recover quickly. I think Hunt stands a chance if this goes to the ground as well. He's actually been improving his ground game, but can he sustain Kongo being on top of him in the later rounds, especially when Hunt can gas, badly? The realist in me sees this as Kongo by Decision, but I so very much want to see Hunt by KO.

Joe Lauzon vs. Anthony Pettis could be a #1 Contender's fight. Thinking down the road, you have Miller vs. Diaz as a #1 Contender fight on Fox, but conceivably, you could schedule the winner of Edgar/Henderson and the winner of Lauzon/Pettis fight some time in June. This will not be a boring fight. Ever since the loss to Guida, Pettis has been fighting not to lose, and in his last fight against Jeremy Stephens, Pettis kindasorta lay and pray'ed his way to victory. Lauzon will not allow that to happen.

This fight comes down to the first 5 minutes. Can Pettis survive Lauzon's onslaught for the first round? Will he underestimate his standup like all of Lauzon's opponents seem to do? If Pettis can weather the storm, he can probably take over in rounds 2 and 3. However, Lauzon's going to hunt for the submission victory in round 1 and I think he'll get it. He seems to be putting it all together. Pettis asked for Lauzon much like Melvin Guillard did, and I see the fight unfolding the same way, with him underestimating Joe's standup game and getting submitted.

I like Tim the Barbarian a lot, but he's going to lose to Okami in what should be a boring affair.

Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palazewski could decide the next #1 Contender to Jose Aldo. Last time we saw these two, Bartimus destroyed Tyson Griffin in his UFC and Featherweight debut, and Hioki arguably lost to George Roop. A lot of people underrate Bartimus... and if the Hioki that showed up against Roop shows up against Bartimus, he's in for a short night. I have Bart by 1st round TKO, and we can add Hioki to the list of failed Japanese crossovers.

I hope Gomi wins, Yamamoto will lose. Riki Fukuda will probably beat Cantwell.

 

[jmt225]

What a fantastic card. This is one where you'll truly get your money's worth.

First and foremost, my man Takanori Gomi steps back into the octagon. He needs this win, and as one of his biggest fans, I desperately want him to get it. All my favorite fighters have been losing lately, so it'll be nice to see one of them finally get a big victory.

And I think it'll happen. I think Gomi is taking this fight very seriously, and even though Mitsuoka is a very good fighter, I don't think he's on Gomi's level. While Mitsuoka has great wrestling, I doubt he'll take Gomi down (not many can if Gomi isn't being a dumb ass). And even if he was able to, Mitsuoka doesn't have the Jiu-Jitsu credentials of a Nate Diaz or Kenny Florian to tap Gomi out. And on the feet of course Gomi has the definitive advantage. Here's hoping he can get the big knockout victory. If not and he loses, then I probably won't even order the show I'll be so upset.

Anyways, the main event here should be a great one. As Guy pointed it, it will be refreshing to see Frankie Edgar fight someone he hasn't fought before. And Benson Henderson is someone who will give him a lot of problems on top of that. Benson is very fast, strong, and relentless. Edgar is going to have to count on his elusiveness and cardio to win this fight. He cannot allow Benson to get his hands on him, because if he does, he will be going down to that mat every time. Edgar will probably get right back up every time, but as we all know... simply getting the takedown counts a LOT in the judges eyes, whether this is in Japan or not.

That said, I'm taking Benson in a decision, though it won't shock me if Edgar pulls off the victory. It really depends on if either of them let the long trip and time change affect them mentally.

Rampage should demolish Ryan Bader. That's all that needs to be said about that fight.

Shields vs. Akiyama is a tough one for me. I'm a fan of both guys and don't want to see either one of them get cut, but regardless.... I just don't see how Akiyama wins this fight. On the feet Akiyama has the advantage, but he doesn't have the knockout power to put Shields down. And with Shields' cardio and amazing wrestling, he'll eventually get Akiyama to the ground and when he does, he should have no problem tapping him out.

The outcome of Cheick Kongo vs. Mark Hunt all depends on Cheick Kongo. If Kongo fights like a pussy, then he'll win a boring ass decision. However, if Kongo fights like a man, then Hunt will knock his ass out in an exciting stand-up war. Hopefully the latter happens.

Guy summed up the Joe Lauzon vs. Anthony Pettis perfectly. This fight, like every Joe Lauzon fight, comes down to the first round. I love JLau and wouldn't change a thing about his fighting style, but the fact of the matter is, you will run into some roadblocks with it. And unfortunately, Pettis will most likely be a roadblock. He's too damn good to be put away in the 1st Round by ANYONE in the Lightweight Division, and that includes the awesome Joe Lauzon. Should be one hell of a fight regardless though, and definitely the showstealer.

Guy, however, is wrong in his prediction on Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski. Hioki will beat Bart's ass. He has the home field advantage and is better than Bart everywhere. People have put way too much stock into the Roop fight... it was Hioki's first fight in the states and in a cage, and it was his first fight against someone taller than him. It all threw him for a loop, but he still managed to win the fight, which is all that matters at the end of the day. This time around he has no excuses and I'm positive he'll put on a great, dominating performance.

And War Kid. The sport has past him by due to all the injuries he has suffered these past few years, but it would be nice to see him get at least one more win.

 

[BaconBits]

I think Frankie beats Bendo at this point. He's got the best technical boxing in mma and great takedown defense, and will be the faster fighter. I think it's a little too much a little too soon for Bendo. It happens.

Rampage should stomp Ryan Bader. But there is a the chance that Ryan Bader uses a wall and stall gameplan (similar to the style Rashad Evans used against Rampage) here and grinds out win. Rampage's vaunted takedown defense and anti wrestling isn't what it used to be. In the likely event Bader loses, my guess is that he's cut from the UFC.

Cheik Kongo beats Mark Hunt via being a better fighter.

Jake Shields will wrestlefuck Sexyama with ease.

I think Joe Lauzon beats Pettis. I think he uses his size and strength advantage to drag the fight to the ground, where young Anthony will be in over his head.

Okami beats Boesch by boring decision.

Hioki vs. Palaszewski could really go wither way. Both dudes are tough as nails. If I had to lean one way, I'd go with Bartimus. He has a lil' more power and more familiar with fighting in an octagon.

 

[Fizzy]

Great card and there should be a great crowd. I love every Frankie Edgar card not only because he's an exciting fighter, but because they always stack the hell out of his cards and they end up being great.

Hioki/Bart will show us where Hioki will rank in the UFC. I personally think the guy is as overrated as they come, but i'd gladly eat my words if he comes out and dominates Bart. I can't really pick how this fight will go because we've never really seen Hioki in a cage. He looked horrendous against "The Poop" but it was his first fight inside a cage, so i'll give him a pass. We'll see come the 26th.

Okami should beat whoever he's fighting, I forget how to spell his name and don't feel like scrolling up. His opponent is pretty tough and has a very good judo toss, but it shouldn't really matter. It'll probably be a pretty slow, boring fight.

Lauzon/Pettis will go one of two ways. Either Joe has the cardio to go three entire rounds in which case, this will be the fight of the year, or Joe will gas after the first round and get finished by Pettis. I've said this for a long time, for one round, Lauzon is the most dangerous Lightweight in the world. He can be a top 5 LW if he can just get his fucking cardio on track. I'm rooting for Pettis, but honestly, I just want Joe to get his cardio on track and give us the fight of the year.

Kongo will probably take Hunt for three rounds which sucks. Kongo is by far the superior athlete, he's stronger, and he has better wrestling. Of course, Hunt could catch Kongo like Barry did, only difference is, he won't get knocked out, no matter what Kongo throws at him, he will not get KOed. I'm hoping Hunt decapitates the dirty ass fighter that is Kongo, but I won't get my hopes to high.

Rampage will eat Bader alive, mark my words. This is a motivated as fuck Rampage and Bader is nowhere near good enough to combat him.

Main event should be a fantastic fight. I think Bendo's style presents the most problems for Edgar out of everybody. He will constantly push forward and has the cardio to do so for five rounds. He's stronger and faster than Maynard and will not be KOed by Edgar. Edgar's only chance is by decision, but he'll have to work his ass off harder than he ever has before. Should be a great fight.

 

[INDYjon22]

So excited for this show to finally go down. As someone who has in the last year really gotten into Pride and the Japanese crowd, I am really looking forward to the atmosphere that will surround this show. The poster alone gives it a total Pride feel, which is nice for nostalgia purposes.

Bendo vs. Frankie should be an exciting 5 round war between two very talented guys. I will never bet against Frankie again, I love Bendo, but Frankie was proved me wrong several times over the last few times and has made me a supporter. That said, this fight could really go either way because I don't see either guy getting knocked out or submitted.

I really hope that Rampage runs through Bader. Nothing against Bader but I have been a big Rampage supporter for awhile now. It would be lovely to see him powerbomb Bader.

I have no interest in Akiyama/Shields. Shields should be able to use his superior wrestling and BJJ to control Akiyama in route to a decision.

I really hope Kongo decides to brawl with Hunt like he did Barry. That would make for an awesome fight that Hunt would be sure to win, and honestly I wouldn't put it past Kongo, who views himself as an elite striker once again. Maybe he is, but I doubt he is anywhere near Hunt's level.

Lauzon vs. Pettis should be good. I don't like Pettis at all but the longer this fight goes the more it favors him. Lauzon needs to get the finish in the first.

Okami will win a boring decision.

Hioki vs. Bart should be a showcase for Hioki but Bart is still a tough customer. Hopefully Hioki looks good and gets the next title shot against Aldo.

And here's hoping that both of my boys Takanori Gomi and Kid Yammamoto pick up some KO's in their return to Japan. Love both of those guys and would absolutely love to see them both pick up wins at this late stage in their careers.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

So, there's a lot of controversy surrounding the Ben Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar fight. While it was a close fight and definitely entertaining as hell, I thought Bendo took it pretty convincingly. Bendo was definitely the aggressor, and he kept pressure on Frankie. While Frankie was catching his kicks, the kicks were definitely still landing, and they took their toll on him. I think you need to look at overall damage too. Bendo looked like he could have gone another five rounds, and his offense was doing damage. You can't say the same for Frankie. His face showed that Bendo was landing on him big, and he just sort of pitter-pattered punches on Bendo. I scored it 48-47 for Bendo, with him taking rounds 2, 4, and 5... and round 3 really could have gone either way.

No need for a rematch regardless, and the trend of Lightweight Title immediate rematches needs to end anyway.

That being said, bring on Hendo vs. Pettis II. The first fight was awesome and was probably the second best fight of 2010. Pettis had a claim to an immediate title shot, and even though he lost it against Guida and didn't look good against a mediocre fighter like Jeremy Stephens, that head kick KO of Joe Lauzon was pure awesomeness and that fight was pretty much a title eliminator regardless because everyone at Lightweight knocked each other out of contention over the last year.

As far as Edgar goes, he seems reluctant to drop down to Featherweight, but it's probably the best fit for him, especially when Aldo has no opponents that would do big business. Aldo vs. Hioki wouldn't exactly be a high selling PPV, and while Hioki looked incredible against Bartimus last night, I still don't think he'd have much for Aldo. Aldo vs. Edgar is a dream matchup and would be a great fight. If he does stay at Lightweight, I think a Clay Guida fight would be a really interesting matchup for him.

Rampage is sourcing a knee injury for his missing weight and losing the fight against Bader. That was Rampage at his absolute worst last night, sure he had the awesome slam, but he looked fat (still not as fat and as out of shape as Matt Hardy) and he looked completely unmotivated after winging hooks at the beginning did nothing. Not sure what happened, but if he continues fighting, hopefully he and the UFC both recognize he's no longer a contender, and they put him on the Light Heavyweight Senior Circuit against guys like Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin. Rampage and Franklin got into it after Franklin criticized him for missing weight, and the Forrest rematch has been rumored about for awhile.

As far as Ryan Bader goes, he deserves a lot of credit for proving he is absolutely a contender still at 205. I'd pair him up against Gustafsson if he beats Lil Nog, and I think Dan Henderson would be a really interesting fight for him too, even though Hendo seems intent on sitting and waiting for the winner of Jones/Evans.

I saw the Mark Hunt vs. Cheick Kongo fight going two ways, and it boiled down to how intelligently Kongo fought. Kongo should have put Hunt on the cage and on the ground, keeping him in close quarters, and basically not get into a slugfest with a much better striker, because he would likely get KO'ed. I'm so glad he decided to stand and trade with Hunt. Mark Hunt is finally over .500, and is on a three fight win streak! And at this point, he's right outside of the UFC Heavyweight Top 5. He's getting better with each fight, and I think it's time to stick him in against a top contender like Fabricio Werdum to see what we really have with Hunt. If Hunt wins that fight, is it title shot time? He's one of four Heavyweights with 3 or more consecutive UFC wins (the others being JDS, Russow (who inexplicably keeps winning), and Frank Mir). And unlike Russow, he's beaten legitimate fighters like Rothwell and Kongo. I'm so glad the Mark Hunt comeback story is continuing strong here, especially considering the UFC didn't want to give him his contracted fights.

I was shocked when the judges gave the fight to Jake Shields last night, because I really thought Sexyama took the fight. He stuffed almost every takedown attempt Shields threw at him, except the end of the third round. Still, I had it scored 29-28 for Akiyama. It was a close fight to call, but Shields was landing his punches, as terrible as they were. Sexyama got submitted by Chris Leben and outstruck by Jake Shields, which I just find funny. He's on a four fight skid now, but that didn't stop them from cutting Dan Hardy, or inexplicably, Steve Cantwell. Akiyama for the most part looked good at 170 and he deserves one last fight to prove he can hang in the UFC now that he's at his optimal weight. Plus, he's had increasingly tough competition with each fight despite losing.

As far as Jake Shields goes, I think the winner of Johny Hendricks vs. Josh Koscheck would be a good fight for him. Glad to see him pick up a win.

Tim Boetsch was one of the biggest winners of the night. He dropped two rounds to Yushin Okami and went for broke in the third round, winning the fight and giving Yushin a devastating KO in what was surprisingly a very entertaining fight. I thought back to the outrage people had when the UFC cut Gerald Harris... this is the reason why. He was down big two rounds, and needed to pull a KO out of his ass in the third, and did nothing. Look what Boetsch did, he recognized he was going to lose and did something about it! Awesome win for Boetsch, I was marking out when he pulled it off. He's dangerous at 185, and is going to be a tough out for anyone. Not sure where Okami goes from here, he's lost two in a row now, and was never popular with Dana in the first place.

As far as the prelims went, I'm glad Gomi won. Cantwell has to get cut now. I have no idea why he was kept around in the first place. He's gotta be the first UFC fighter to lose five in a row in the promotion. Kid Yamamoto is DONE. Vaughan Lee was supposed to be an easy fastball right down the middle for him. Mizugaki got robbed. And lastly, that KO of that Chinese guy who looks like a middle aged dad rather than a fighter should have gotten KO of the night.

 

[JWGunslinger]

Wish I'd gotten my predictions in for this one, really busy though. But goddamn what a card that was, some great fights and a not so good one. Cantwell lost again, I dont know how he's stayed on the roster this long but bye bye buddy. I had a bad feeling that Kid Yamamoto would drop another one but he got demolished by a guy I didnt expect much from so hats off to Vaughan Lee and goodbye to another guy whose best days are pretty much behind him. Gomi, Oh man I was so glad to see him win because it was really sucking having to see him lose so many fights, well done dude.

Bart.....I was so disappointed that he didn't pull this one off but he was outclassed plain and simple, Hioki is legit and he's gonna give Aldo a hell of a fight. I dont think I see him beating Aldo but I think he's gonna give him hell just like Hominick did, it's the best chance for a japanese fighter to win a title in the UFC ever in my opinion.

Holy Hell Boetsch! Where did that come from?? What a comeback and what a fight, as I expected Okami killed him for two rounds but then that frickin Barbarian decides he wants to be legit and finishes Yushin in the 3rd, the japanese fans must have been disgusted that Okami dropped a fight to that hillbilly. I love Boetsch though, he's fun to watch and I knew that he'd improved since his move to MW but this puts him on another level considering he just beat the number 2 MW in the world.

J Lau and Pettis I was just disappointed, Pettis is a beast but he's a cocky douche and I'm not a fan, so when he destroyed a humble hard working Lauzon's chances at a title fight I was pissed. He did great though, he was on fire from the beginning and sure as hell finished the fight.

Mark Hunt, YES! I am so happy that he won his fight and am still scratching my head at how he is on a 3 fight streak but I fuckin love it. He wrecked Kongo(bad gameplan Cheick) and he's now on the brink of a title shot if he gets through maybe one more legit fighter, I would love nothing more than to see Mark Hunt fight for the title, that would be incredible.

I'm pissed at Rampage, that dude is so unmotivated that it's depressing to be a fan of his, he doesnt care enough about fighting and his performance reflects that. On top of that the injury and missing weight/losing 20 percent of his purse screwed it as well, just an ugly night for Rampage that Bader took advantage of and did so very well. It's not often you see Rampage wrestled like that, Ryan is a hell of a wrestler and I'm glad that he got back on track with a good win like this.

The new lightweight champion Benson Henderson, I know alot of people are pissed Frankie lost I'm sorry to those of you but I am so happy for Bendo. The guy was one of my favs in the WEC alongside Cerrone and Bartimus so to see him win the title after losing his WEC title in their final PPV and then go on a tear after that lead him to the UFC title is incredible. It was a great fight and both guys kicked ass but Ben kicked a little more and won his title, I'm really excited to see where the division goes next because this is gonna set up some killer fights. The rematch with Pettis which will probably be his first defense will be a great fight, I just hope he wins it this time. I would love to see Bendo vs Nate Diaz, I feel like that combination of one of the best sub artists in the division vs the unsubmitable man would be killer.