Tag: benson henderson

Why a Frankie Edgar-Benson Henderson Rematch is the Wrong Thing to Do

From the moment the UFC lightweight title changed hands, it was likely a rematch between Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson would ensue.And as intriguing as it would be to see both competitors meet again, it’s one bout that most fans could pass on for …

From the moment the UFC lightweight title changed hands, it was likely a rematch between Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson would ensue.

And as intriguing as it would be to see both competitors meet again, it’s one bout that most fans could pass on for the time being.

With fighters like Anthony Pettis, Jim Miller, Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz climbing through the rankings, there should be more opportunities given to help keep fans invested in the lightweight division. Unfortunately, due to the competition and talent stemming from the division, opportunities are hard to come by.

However, it should be noted Edgar is one of the top contenders at 155 pounds and he possesses an undeniable amount of heart, but his presence near the top of the division will only make it grow stagnant in his constant pursuit of rematching previous opponents.

Although respective fights with BJ Penn and Gray Maynard had their reasons to be made, realistically there wasn’t much controversy coming out of Edgar’s bout with Henderson, as it was a highly competitive matchup.

Also, being a small 155-pound fighter, Edgar would be better suited to compete in the featherweight division.

But it’s evident that he can be successful in the lightweight division and there are still other matchups Edgar can compete in.

So as fans anticipate another lightweight rematch, others like Pettis and Miller will still have to continue earning their shot at a title, when they have already shown they are more than capable of being in title contention.

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Frankie Edgar Explains How He Was Offered Rematch With Benson Henderson

Frankie Edgar finally got his rematch with Benson Henderson.For several weeks, the former UFC lightweight champion voiced his frustration over the judges’ decision to award Henderson the 155-pound title at UFC 144, which was met with some controversy.&…

Frankie Edgar finally got his rematch with Benson Henderson.

For several weeks, the former UFC lightweight champion voiced his frustration over the judges’ decision to award Henderson the 155-pound title at UFC 144, which was met with some controversy. 

Edgar and his manager met with UFC President Dana White earlier this week to discuss the possibility of a rematch against Henderson and he was happy to hear the response.

“It was a relief, it really was. A weight lifted off my chest,” Edgar told MMAWeeklyRadio. “I definitely made it known that I wanted the rematch, I’m not going to sit there and I don’t want to argue for a title, I want to fight for a title.”

However, White was not sold on the rematch at first due to his persistence on seeing Edgar move down to 145 pounds. 

But they both eventually came to an agreement.

“Dana he was still concerned and I respect him for that. He thinks 145 might be better for the longevity of my career and my health and what not, and I disagree,” he said. “That’s when he said ‘alright man, you’re going to get it.”

Edgar has had previous success in rematches, defeating BJ Penn and Gray Maynard on respective occasions, and he hopes to repeat that same success against Henderson later this year.

“I feel like my track record’s pretty good in rematches so I want to keep it going,” he said. “That’s always the plan to get better between each fight and now that I kind of got to get in there and mix it up with him.”

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Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson Rematch: Dana White Made the Right Call

“What’s right?”That was Frankie Edgar’s question after losing his title to Ben Henderson in an epic bout at UFC 144. Edgar fought his heart out, taking Henderson to the limit. You could easily make the case Edgar won the five-round battle—Frankie…

“What’s right?”

That was Frankie Edgar‘s question after losing his title to Ben Henderson in an epic bout at UFC 144. Edgar fought his heart out, taking Henderson to the limit. You could easily make the case Edgar won the five-round battle—Frankie and others certainly did.

A rematch seemed the natural thing to do. After all, Frankie is no stranger to rematches. When Edgar won the title in a close fight against B.J. Penn, the UFC immediately granted Penn a rematch. Edgar’s draw with Gray Maynard last year was also replayed nine months later.

But, UFC President Dana White was hesitant to pull the trigger. White would clearly prefer to see Edgar drop down to 145 pounds to face featherweight champion Jose Aldo. Frankie, to his credit, stuck to his guns.

He didn’t want Aldo. He wanted to finish his business with Henderson. He thought he won the first fight and doesn’t want to let an opponent he thinks he can beat run him out of the division. Edgar’s confident.

And history tells us that he should be. Against Penn and Maynard, Edgar showed marked improvement between the first and second fights. The first fight with Penn was a razor-thin decision. In the second, Edgar dominated the five-round bout. Maynard didn’t survive his third fight with Edgar, falling by knockout in the fourth round.

Edgar and his team are able to get inside their opponent’s head. They figure out exactly what he intends to do, and the second time around, they capitalize on it in a major way.

The first fight was a tough one for Ben Henderson. In the rematch, he better come ready to fight because he’s going to find himself in a brand-new fight with a brand-new Frankie Edgar. It looks like 2012 just got its odds-on favorite for fight of the year.

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Dana White Confirms Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar II

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.”Th…

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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Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson II: "It’s On!"

Frankie Edgar has just confirmed that his chance of getting back his UFC lightweight belt from Benson Henderson is official. In his recent tweet today (March 6, 3:37 p.m.) he says (unedited),” Rematch anyone??…it’s on!! Thanks to @danawhite @lo…

Frankie Edgar has just confirmed that his chance of getting back his UFC lightweight belt from Benson Henderson is official.

In his recent tweet today (March 6, 3:37 p.m.) he says (unedited),” Rematch anyone??…it’s on!! Thanks to @danawhite @lorenzofertitta. Me and Henderson 2. Here we go!!”

The Answer lost his title to Smooth last UFC 144 via decision in a fight which saw the deposed champion’s face bruised and bloodied.

Edgar fought at his usual frenetic pace, but Henderson managed to land more strikes—in quantity and quality.

FightMetric confirmed that aside from hitting with more shots, Henderson also landed the heavier blows compared to Edgar.

Edgar, who gamely fought in defending his title, tried to answer everything that Henderson threw at him, but came out the more damaged fighter.

In fact, there may be no comparison as Henderson finished the fight with his face unblemished and looking fresh enough to scrap for five more rounds.

The former champion thought he won, as he was also able to land some significant punches. The most noteworthy of these was the right that felled Henderson in the fifth and final round.

But even that seemed to only stun the erstwhile challenger for just a second, as he quickly got back on his feet.

Edgar also outwrestled Henderson, scoring five takedowns to the latter’s one. However, the effectiveness of Edgar’s consummated takedowns were questioned by the fans and pundits, as Henderson was able to get up immediately every time.

Edgar has been wooed by UFC president Dana White to go down to lighter champion Jose Aldo’s featherweight territory, but the ex-champ hasn’t budged an inch.

Now he has another shot of proving why he really belongs to the lightweight terra firma—by taking his belt once again at a still to be disclosed place and time.

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UFC Morning Update: Rampage Jackson Quitting UFC, Henderson vs. Edgar 2

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is an emotional dude. This news shouldn’t surprise you in the slightest. And that’s why you also shouldn’t be surprised that Jackson went on a Twitter rant while you slept, revealing that he has one fight remaining on his UFC …

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is an emotional dude. This news shouldn’t surprise you in the slightest. And that’s why you also shouldn’t be surprised that Jackson went on a Twitter rant while you slept, revealing that he has one fight remaining on his UFC contract. 

After that fight ends? I’ll let him tell the rest in today’s UFC Morning Update.

 

Rampage Says He’s Quitting The UFC After One More Fight

Jackson is an open book. He’ll tell you exactly what’s on his mind and detail his trials and tribulations to the entire world. It’s one of the things that has made him one of the most endearing fighters in the history of the sport. In short, he’s real. Fans appreciate that kind of thing.

Last night, Jackson was once again an open book on his Twitter account.

I didn’t say I would b done fighting,I just said I’m not fighting 4 the UFC,(u fight cheap)I said I have other things on my mind (big head)

I will fight who ever they put n front of me,I always have,but it will b my last fight n the ufc,I have other things on my mind

:  your leaving the UFC?” Y should I stay? I don’t need them or anybody else negative dealing with my carrie

Much of this likely stems from the interview Jackson did with Fighter’s Only where he admitted to using Testosterone Replacement Therapy for his fight with Ryan Bader. Jackson also said the UFC’s doctor pushed him towards using TRT, which probably didn’t go over too well in the Zuffa offices in Las Vegas.

Jackson has a history of emotional outbursts, so there’s no real way of knowing if this will stick. He and Dana White have one of the most up-and-down relationships in the industry.

He won’t be able to earn the kind of money he gets from Zuffa anywhere else in the world. If he wants to keep fighting, he’ll stick around and forget this whole incident ever happened.

 

Benson Henderson Willing To Rematch Frankie Edgar

New UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson appeared on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Hour podcast on Monday and said he’s perfectly willing to give Frankie Edgar the rematch he so badly wants.

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.

It’s looking more and more likely that we’ll see a rematch. Dana White badly wants Edgar to move down to featherweight for a big fight with Jose Aldo, but Edgar has resisted all efforts to force him to switch weight classes. He wants the rematch, and Henderson would seemingly rather face Edgar a second time than face Anthony Pettis a second time.

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