At 1:22 a.m. Sunday on the East Coast, Benson Henderson became the new UFC lightweight champion with a close but clear decision victory over Frankie Edgar at UFC 144.
Henderson (16-2) overpowered Edgar (14-2-1) over five frenetic and hotly contested rounds, shaking off takedown attempts and opportunistically punishing Edgar at every opening. The pivotal moment was an absolutely brutal upkick from Henderson at the very end of the second round, which appeared to break Edgar’s nose.
For his part, the indomitable Edgar battled throughout and probably out-struck Henderson by volume. But Henderson simply did more—a good deal more—with his chances.
Here are some key takeaways.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
Henderson’s physical advantage.
“I wanted to use my size to my advantage,” Henderson told UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan after the fight. “Making weight kind of sucks for me…I pay a big price for that so I want to make sure my opponents feel that pain when we’re inside this Octagon.”
Moments before that interview, the microphones picked up another, more private exchange. As everyone awaited the decision, Zuffa co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta went over and whispered something to Henderson. His words were not audible, but Henderson’s were: “I could fight again right now.”
Just about every clean strike Henderson landed seemed to damage Edgar. His bulk allowed him to shrug off a lot Edgar’s wrestling (not all of it, but a lot of it). Benson Henderson was the bigger, better athlete Saturday night, plain and simple.
What We Learned About Frankie Edgar
That he’s going to answer a lot of questions over the next few months about moving down to featherweight.
“I don’t know, man,” Edgar told Rogan. “We’ll see what happens. It’s too soon to make a decision.”
So we’ll see. He may not go down right away, but I’d guess it’s not a matter of “if.”
What We Learned About Benson Henderson
He’s got a lot of tools in the toolbox. Big power, strong grappling, strong takedown defense, endless confidence and a gas tank that matched Edgar’s, at least Saturday night. We’ll see how the first challenger does.
What’s Next for Edgar?
He may not have the belt anymore, but here’s guessing he stays at lightweight for the time being. After fully emerging from the two years he just spent tied up with only two guys, he finds himself facing an open field in the UFC’s deep lightweight division. I imagine that’s an exciting prospect for Edgar.
The winner or loser between Nate Diaz and Jim Miller comes to mind. Edgar and Diaz have never crossed paths. Edgar and Miller battled once before, with Edgar taking a unanimous decision. But that was all the way back in 2006, before either man had entered the UFC.
However, Miller-Diaz doesn’t happen until May 5, which would mean a long stay on the shelf. If Edgar wants to fight before Labor Day, how about Joe Lauzon?
What’s next for Henderson?
One name: Anthony Pettis. Pettis, the former WEC champ, likely took Knockout of the Night honors for his first-round finish of Lauzon. “Showtime” seems eager to wear gold again, and Henderson surely would jump at the chance to avenge his only loss in his last 15 fights.
And there’s a bit of extra intrigue farther down the road. Former Bellator champ and highly regarded 155er Eddie Alvarez may soon be moving to the UFC. He may need to win a fight or two in the Octagon before getting a title shot, but he would be right in the mix from the moment he signed. Especially if he can win the last fight on his Bellator contract, which comes in April against some guy named Shinya Aoki.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com