Benson Henderson’s first UFC title defense will come in the form of a rematch with former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.
UFC President Dana White broke the news on Tuesday on Twitter: “Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson rematch will be this summer.”
The UFC should think about starting a best of three series to determine the lightweight champion, as this marks the third consecutive time the belt has been defended in an immediate rematch.
At UFC 144, Henderson defeated Edgar in a five-round unanimous decision. The bout was closely-contested, and fans were generally split on which fighter deserved to walk away with the decision.
Edgar managed to hold his own on the feet and secure takedowns throughout the bout, but Henderson negated Edgar’s top control and was the more effective fighter in the standup exchanges.
After the bout, a disappointed Edgar shrugged off questions at the post-fight press conference regarding a drop to featherweight and challenged the fairness of denying him an immediate rematch against Henderson.
I don’t want to take anything away from Ben. He did a great job, but I do think I won that fight. I’m not trying to shoot anybody out of anything they deserve, but I had to do two immediate rematches [against Penn and Maynard], so, what’s right?
Edgar isn’t alone in his belief that an immediate rematch is warranted. In Monday’s edition of “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani, Henderson gave his thoughts on facing Edgar for a second time.
Frankie had a very tough situation. He had a rough road with two rematches right away after his title defenses. So the fan in me feels that he deserves [the rematch]. He had to put himself on the line. I don’t want anybody coming back to me and saying, “Oh, Henderson didn’t want to rematch Frankie because he was scared.” I’m more than willing to give Frankie a rematch. Let’s do it. Set it up for tomorrow.
While Edgar can sleep easy knowing his title shot is locked up, lightweight contender Anthony Pettis finds himself once again left in the cold. The former WEC lightweight champion can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to a UFC title shot.
He was set to challenge the winner of Edgar-Gray Maynard II, but when the bout ended in a draw, the UFC was forced to set up the immediate rematch. Injuries incurred by both fighters pushed the rematch back 10 months, and Pettis decided to take a fight instead of waiting around on the sidelines.
Unfortunately, the gamble didn’t pay off for Pettis, who lost a unanimous decision to Clay Guida.
Does Edgar deserve the rematch or should it go to Pettis, who is a fresh contender and the last man to defeat Henderson?
Jordy McElroy is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can follow him on Twitter @JordyMcElroy for breaking news, updates and an occasional laugh here and there.
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