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Henderson vs. Edgar 2 Results: The Answer Gets Screwed, Smooth Retains Title

Frankie Edgar fought well and deserved to win back the UFC lightweight title at UFC 150. Benson Henderson, with some controversy involved, retained his title after a split decision, winning 48-47 on two cards and losing 49-46 on the third. Yes, it was …

Yes, it was a great and close fight, an exciting back-and-forth main event that didn’t disappoint.

But then there is that pesky little detail about how Frankie “The Answer” Edgar controlled the fight for most of the bout. Henderson himself didn’t know whether or not he was the winner until the announcement was made.

“Of course, you always have concern when it goes to the judges,” Henderson said, according to Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports.

After another five rounds, it is even harder to tell who the better fighter between the two is.

For a fight that Henderson was outmatched in for most of, he should have been concerned.

According to FightMetric’s fight stats, Edgar landed 66 significant strikes to Henderson’s 62 and 70 total strikes Henderson’s 65. He also took down Henderson two times to his single takedown, had the edge in grappling and attempted two submissions to the lone attempt by Henderson.

The analysis tool scored the fight with a 48-48 draw. However, it narrowly gave the win to Frankie Edgar.

Oddly, the figures displayed by the UFC calculations indicated Henderson was the aggressor and landed more punches. This is the information the judges were working with to make their decision.

If their information was incorrect, was their split decision also incorrect?

MMATorch Editor-in-Chief Jamie Penick claims that this decision is one of the worst title fight decisions in UFC history. He also said, “No one had this fight for Henderson.”

How does Henderson still have the title if the metrics of the fight appear to favor Edgar and the look of the fight clearly favored him three rounds to two?

It doesn’t make sense.

And it isn’t going to get any better for Edgar any time soon.

Heading into UFC 150 Dana White promised Nate Diaz would be the next up for a lightweight championship fight, regardless of who came out on top. No more rematches was the message White was sending, according to Damon Martin of MMAWeekly.com.

That’s unfortunate for Edgar’s hopes of retaining the lightweight title any time soon. It’s especially discouraging for him after coming so close in both of his last bouts with Henderson.

The Answer got screwed and will not get another shot anytime soon. Next time, if there is a next time, he needs to take that power away from the judges and knock out Henderson, leaving all doubt out the window.

Follow me on Twitter @BigHoagowski

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Henderson vs. Edgar 2: Most Likely Outcomes of Lightweight Title Rematch

Frankie “The Answer” Edgar and Benson “Smooth” Henderson’s headlining rematch at UFC 150 is one of the most difficult fights to predict in recent memory. Anything can and will happen under the lights of the Pepsi Center in…

The air will be thin at the mile-high arena, but you’ll be able to taste the tension in the air as the fight begins.

At UFC 144, back in February, Henderson edged off the relentless and determined Edgar in order to steal his prized lightweight championship. The smaller Edgar was seemingly outmatched physically and could not do enough to turn the tide against the imposing attack of his opponent.

Since then, Edgar has had plenty of time to study and make adjustments from where he went wrong just six months ago. This added time to reflect and game-plan, coupled with his never-ending desire and passion, will make things different this time around in Denver.

That is for sure.

But what is the outcome most likely going to be? Will “The Answer” overcome the physical superiority of Henderson? Can he outlast him for five rounds and sway the judges in his favor this time? Or will he have to make an impact and take the decision out of the judge’s hands?

Let’s take a look at the three most likely outcomes of this pay-per-view grudge match.

Going the distance

Henderson has proven he has the strength, stamina and quickness to counteract the fast attack and wrestling of Edgar and gain the edge in the judges’ points system.

If he can withstand another five rounds of Edgar’s attack, he will likely be able to do enough on the scorecard to retain the lightweight championship in this one.

If this happens: Henderson will retain the title via decision.

Early-Round Winner by TKO

Edgar may not be a favorite to knock out Henderson because of the size and perceived strength gap between the two, but if someone scores an early-round, surprise TKO, it’s going to be Edgar.

The Answer is going to unleash everything at his disposal to try and avenge his title loss after a fifth-round decision.

If this happens: Edgar will be the one to do it.

Submission

Edgar has a more effective mat game and is the better of the two in taking down his opponent. If he can keep Henderson on the mat, unlike in their first bout, he may be able to secure a surprise submission and shock the world.

Henderson isn’t going to go down easily and if he does, it’s going to be even harder for Edgar to keep the stronger and bigger fighter on the mat. However, The Answer’s striking and relentless attack could set up a situation in which Henderson is jeopardized and in a position to be submitted by the former champ.

If this happens: It will be Edgar who sneaks in a surprise submission.

Follow me on Twitter @BigHoagowski.

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Rua vs. Vera Results: Boring Win the End of Shogun’s Title Hopes

Shogun’s struggles defeating Brandon Vera signal the end of the former champion’s title hopes. Mauricio Rua would have had his hand raised when all was said and done, even without the fourth-round TKO. However, this was supposed to be a wal…

Shogun’s struggles defeating Brandon Vera signal the end of the former champion’s title hopes.

Mauricio Rua would have had his hand raised when all was said and done, even without the fourth-round TKO. However, this was supposed to be a walk in the park for the light heavyweight title hopeful.

Does this say less for Rua or more for Brandon Vera for his unexpected performance?

After seeing the impressive dominance Lyoto Machida exhibited in his second-round knockout via straight right hand to the jaw of Ryan Bader, you would think Rua would have been more aggressive.

Machida stepped up under the spotlight of the nationally televised UFC on Fox 4 and earned his way to a title shot at UFC 151 in September.

Shogun just kind of showed up.

The former champ may have won each round, using quick takedowns and surviving the Vera storm, but he didn’t do it decisively. He didn’t make a statement that Dana White was looking for. One that said, “I want my title back.”

Speaking of White, he said the following to Bleacher Report and MMA media following Saturday night’s event:

“Leading up to this fight Shogun did turn down a fight. Shogun has not been terrorizing me for another shot at Jon Jones. And Lyoto Machida has. Lyoto Machida wants it,” White said. “He’s been all over me. He’s been aggressive about this thing. He went out and fought tonight and he fought a top 10 guy.”

This is White’s way of saying that Rua struggled fighting a guy everyone thought he should have beaten. UFC on FOX 4 wasn’t set up to be an exhibition of technical skill and longevity by the co-main eventers, it was supposed to be exciting and over quick.

Machida heard the message, loud and clear. Rua shied away from the opportunity and it will be sometime, if ever, that he finds himself in a position to step back into the octagon with the light heavyweight championship on the line.

Let’s see if Rua delivered on his pre-fight promises.

“I will put on a great show for my fans to pay them back for all the support they have given me over the years,” explained Shogun. “It has been a great motivation for me and I will give my best against Brandon Vera on Saturday.”

If that’s your best, Shogun, you’re definitely in trouble.

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UFC on Fox 4 Prelims: Shogun Rua vs. Brandon Vera and Must-Watch Fights of Card

UFC’s Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida are headlining the stacked UFC on Fox 4 free card on August 4. The former title contenders will square off in their own respective battles as they attempt to regai…

There are plenty of reasons to watch the UFC on Fox, the main one being that it’s free. The other primary reason is because they’re lining up some great fights for fans to enjoy in between their pay-per-view extravaganzas.

Let’s take a look at which fights you simply CANNOT miss on Saturday night.

Mauricio (Shogun) Rua vs. Brandon Vera

The main event of the night is sure to not disappoint. Former champion Shogun Rua is coming off of a devastating loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 139 in what many believe could be the best MMA fight of all time.

A win here for Shogun could set up the former champ with a rematch versus Henderson or Jon Jones. Can he reach down deep and recover from disappointments against Henderson and Jones?

Brandon Vera has shown promise but has never been able to get over the hump in his career. The unlikely event of a win over Rua here would effectively count as that.

This one will likely come down to a decision as Rua’s striking will be tested by Vera, who has only been taken down by striking twice.

Lyoto Machida vs. Ryan Bader

“The Dragon” and Bader will make up the Co-Main Event at Fox 4. This fight could really go either way. Following a huge 2009, Machida has failed to live up to Joe Rogan’s branding of the “beginning of the Machida Dynasty.”

Bader has a real chance at upsetting the favorite Machida because of his excellent wrestling skills. If he can keep things close, he will have the opportunity to capitalize on those skills while keeping Machida away from using his strengths

Former UFC great Chuck Liddell disagrees and weighs in on why Machida is going to come away with the win in this one (via Opposingviews.com):

Bader has to take him down and not get caught on the way in…That’s going to be the fight right there. After Tito [Ortiz] caught him and knocked him almost out, I think there’s a question on Bader’s chin, but he has to take chances to get the win. Bader has to go forward, throw punches and set up the takedown. But I always side with the striker. I’m going for Machida to catch him coming in and stopping him.

There is also an underlying storyline that you may not know about. On his way to winning The Ultimate Fighter competition, Bader had a little run-in with Machida. He stated (via Dana Becker of Fightline.com):

Lyoto was demonstrating a move, he checked a kick, came under and swept my leg, knocking me on my back. I was a little upset because I had a fight in just a few weeks. So, he had me do it again, and I thought there was no way he’ll sweep me again. But, again, he sweeps me to my back; it was all in fun.

Joe Lauzon vs. Jamie Varner

Jamie Varner has had an up-and-down MMA career but is back in what you might call a redemption match against Joe Lauzon. This one looks like a true title contention bout for Varner, who defeated Edson Barboza, an exciting prospect, by TKO in May.

The draw of this match comes from the uncertainty. Lauzon is severely inconsistent and could come out and completely dominate, or come out and get pummeled. He hasn’t had a real signature win in his career and this wouldn’t be that.

However, defeating Varner as he is rising from ashes would do wonders for Lauzon’s career by helping set up a shot at something to make his mark.

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