UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar (14-1-1) is, with little debate, the No. 1 lightweight in all of MMA right now, and if you don’t buy that, check out his track record:With his UFC 136 win over Gray Maynard (10-1-1, 1 NC), Edgar earne…
UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar (14-1-1) is, with little debate, the No. 1 lightweight in all of MMA right now, and if you don’t buy that, check out his track record:
With his UFC 136 win over Gray Maynard (10-1-1, 1 NC), Edgar earned the distinction of snapping a total of five unbeaten streaks in his career, having beaten Jim Miller (5-1 after Edgar loss), Matt Veach (shockingly, 11-1 after Edgar loss), Tyson Griffin (8-1 after Edgar loss), and Mark Bocek (4-1 after Edgar loss) previously.
Add that in with his reputation of being the only lightweight to have beaten BJ Penn twice at 155 pounds, and he serves as a game task for former WEC Lightweight Champion Benson “Smooth” Henderson (12-2), but the aggressive style of Henderson—coupled in with his iron neck—could make for yet another candidate for the Fight of The Year, as if both men didn’t do that enough in 2011.
On top of the potential “card of the year,” featuring Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Ryan Bader, Mark Hunt vs. Cheick Kongo, Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon, and some of Japan’s finest vs. the best of the world, Bleacher Report MMA presents its live blog coverage of UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson!
Mixed martial arts is continuing to gain popularity in Europe. With its growth, a number of legitimate European fighters will emerge in each weight class in pursuit of their respective weight class title.With a number of already established fighters in…
Mixed martial arts is continuing to gain popularity in Europe. With its growth, a number of legitimate European fighters will emerge in each weight class in pursuit of their respective weight class title.
With a number of already established fighters in combination with emerging prospects, Europe is set to become a haven of talent.
Let’s take a look at the best fighters Europe has to offer by weight class.
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA.—Last week, Bleacher Report was able to catch up with Bellator Light Heavyweight Matt “Gutter” Van Buren (MMA: 5-0; Bellator: 2-0) to talk about his next fight, training camp and effective style of fighting.Van Buren will face …
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA.—Last week, Bleacher Report was able to catch up with Bellator Light Heavyweight Matt “Gutter” Van Buren (MMA: 5-0; Bellator: 2-0) to talk about his next fight, training camp and effective style of fighting.
Van Buren will face off against Chris “The Professional” Davis (MMA: 10-3; Bellator: 0-1) on May 18th, 2012. On the line is a spot in next Light Heavyweight Tournament for a chance to face the current Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Chrisitan M’Pumbu (MMA: 18-4; Bellator: 3-1).
The venue will be the L’Auberge du Lac Hotel Casino Resort in Lake Charles, LA. This information was revealed after the interview.
Gutter also discussed moving his training camp to Alliance MMA in San Diego, where he will be training with UFC Light Heavyweight standouts Phil Davis, Brandon Vera and Alexander Gustafsson, among others.
Something that was also revealed after the interview was that Alliance MMA would be moving their whole team to help current UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz coach the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter in Las Vegas, NV. Gutter will be joining the crew in Las Vegas for his whole eight-week training camp.
Follow Justin Fuller on Twitter @JustinFullerMMA or like him on Facebook for the latest and greatest in…well…whatever, that’s what. Just do it, he’s hilarious.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will make his 11th appearance in the UFC Octagon at UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson. Jackson will take on Ryan Bader at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, which will mark the first UFC event in Japan since 2000. Although …
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will make his 11th appearance in the UFC Octagon at UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson.
Jackson will take on Ryan Bader at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, which will mark the first UFC event in Japan since 2000.
Although Rampage holds a UFC record of 7-3, his wins as of late have not been impressive and he has looked like an old fighter in his losses.
There are plenty of questions surrounding Rampage Jackson. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
9,637
That is the total amount of miles UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar (14-1-1) will be traveling to take on No. 1 contender Benson Henderson (15-2) in a 155-pound clash at UFC 144.
However, Edgar is embracing every step (or mile) along the way…
9,637
That is the total amount of miles UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar (14-1-1) will be traveling to take on No. 1 contender Benson Henderson (15-2) in a 155-pound clash at UFC 144.
However, Edgar is embracing every step (or mile) along the way, as he realizes he’s been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fight on a main event in Saitama, Japan.
“It’s going to be pretty awesome,” Edgar told Bleacher Report. “I guess you could say that I’ll be going from the east coast to the far east.
“Mixed martial arts is such a big thing in the Japan culture. MMA really came from Japan. Having the opportunity to fight in Japan will be one of the most memorable things of my lifetime,” said Edgar. “It’s going to be amazing.”
In order to make his experience even more memorable, the fearless Edgar will need to overcome a much larger Henderson who also has hopes of making his journey to Japan worth the effort.
However, Edgar’s 1-0 when fighting outside of the United States; he captured the lightweight title with a win over BJ Penn at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi.
Edgar said his experience fighting outside the U.S. has come to be his most memorable to date, and he hopes to push his record to 2-0 on foreign soil.
“The most memorable moment of my career to date is definitely when I first won the title against BJ Penn. Just for the fact that I won the UFC title for the first time. Then this last fight too, with Gray just because of the history we had with each other and the way it ended,” said Edgar. “Hopefully this one with Henderson will be up there too.”
In order for “The Answer” to defend his title for a third time, he’ll have to overcome the athleticism of Henderson, who many believe is the favorite.
But when push comes to shove, Edgar holds UFC gold for a reason.
“It’s really tough to say who has the upper hand over who. We are both elite athletes but you know I am the champion and he is the No. 1 contender for rightful reasons,” stated Edgar. “This is for the UFC title and this is my fourth time at it.
“If you look at him, he’s a bigger guy but that’s what’s great about MMA. You never know what’s going to happen. It could end anyway. I obviously would love to end the fight early and get back to the gym but he’s a tough task,” said Edgar. “For me to think I’m just going to go in there and stop him would be foolish.”
However, finishing his opponent may be an easier task for Edgar as Henderson will be squaring off with arguably the pound-for-pound toughest fighter in the UFC today.
Edgar’s unwillingness to surrender has captured the hearts of fans across the globe.
“It’s ingrained in me I guess you could say. It was the way I was raised. I just don’t like to lose and sometimes you see no choice,” stated Edgar. “Sometimes you get put in a position where you are going to lose.
“But, if there is something I can do, maybe not giving up or not tapping then I’m going to do it. It’s finding a way to win you know,” said Edgar. “It is in my hands and I’m going to do everything I can do to make sure that I come out the winner this time around as well.”
When asked if he was the toughest fighter in the UFC today, Edgar laughed and concluded by stating “that’s really tough for me to say. You see a lot of tough guys in the UFC today who never give up or never quit.
“We’ll play it safe by saying maybe.”
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This Saturday’s UFC 144 will mark the UFC’s first trip to Japan under Zuffa ownership. An event that will be crucial to the future health of the sport in Japan, UFC 144 has been stacked with a lightweight title fight and a number of popular Japanese fi…
This Saturday’s UFC 144 will mark the UFC’s first trip to Japan under Zuffa ownership. An event that will be crucial to the future health of the sport in Japan, UFC 144 has been stacked with a lightweight title fight and a number of popular Japanese fighters.
In the card’s main event, lightweight titleholder Frankie Edgar will attempt to defend his title for a third straight fight.
Looking to dethrone the champion will be former WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson, who has not lost since joining the UFC.
The event will also feature a battle between top light heavyweights Quinton Jackson and Ryan Bader. The fight will mark Jackson’s first fight in Japan since his days with Pride. Indeed, “Rampage” will have plenty of motivation to please the fans that helped him become the fighter he is today.
Before Saturday’s event, the fighters will hit the scales at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on Friday at 11 p.m. ET. Video of the weigh-ins will be streamed live on the below video player.
After the weigh-ins, stay tuned to Bleacher Report MMA for all the latest on UFC 144 and the rest of your MMA needs.
Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, Follow Sean Smith on Twitter
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This Saturday’s