The UFC will travel to Japan for UFC 144. The fight card will mark the first time the promotion has traveled to that country during the Zuffa era. Early reports indicate that the event will be a sellout, with close to 20,000 fans watching the fights take place at the Saitama Super Arena.
The main event will feature a title bout, as lightweight champion Frankie Edgar puts his title on the line against former WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson.
This is one of the most evenly matched bouts in recent times. Both fighters possess strong cardio, as well as solid wrestling and striking. While it is a cliche, the winner in this bout may be the fighter who wants it more; the one that has a little bit left in the tank as the final seconds tick down.
In the evening’s co-main event, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will meet Ryan Bader in a light heavyweight scrap. Jackson lobbied hard to be included on this card as he was a fan favorite while fighting in the PRIDE organization. With that in mind, expect Jackson to look to please the crowd with his performance.
When the cage door shuts behind the fighters, Bader will attempt to play spoiler to Jackson’s returning hero.
Not too long ago, Bader was thought of as one of the best up-and-coming fighters in the light heavyweight division; however, consecutive losses to Jon Jones and Tito Ortiz have dropped him down the rankings a bit.
His last fight, a win over Jason Brilz, will give him some momentum heading into this one.’
Full Fight Card:
Main Card:
Frankie Edgar (154) vs. Ben Henderson (154)
Ryan Bader (205) vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (211)**
Cheick Kongo (229) vs. Mark Hunt (264)
Yoshihiro Akiyama (169) vs. Jake Shields (170)
Tim Boetsch (186) vs. Yushin Okami (185)
Hatsu Hioki (145) vs. Bart Palaszewski (146)
Joe Lauzon (156) vs. Anthony Pettis (155)
Preliminary Card:
Takanori Gomi (155) vs. Eiji Mitsuoka (154)
Vaughan Lee (135) vs. Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto (136)
Steve Cantwell (185) vs. Riki Fukuda (185)
Chris Cariaso (136) vs. Takeya Mizugaki (135)
Issei Tamura (145) vs. Tiequan Zhang (146)
**Jackson will forfeit 20% of his purse and the fight will be contested at catchweight
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