Tag: UFC 144

UFC “Quick Break”: Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson

UFC 144 QB: Part 3 Whether you just have a short downtime during work, or don’t want a lengthy breakdown, these “Quick Breaks” are for you. “Quick Breaks” = short breakdowns of upcoming fights. In a summed up focus of strengths, weakne…

UFC 144 QB: Part 3

 

Whether you just have a short downtime during work, or don’t want a lengthy breakdown, these “Quick Breaks” are for you. “Quick Breaks” = short breakdowns of upcoming fights. In a summed up focus of strengths, weaknesses and variables, this column will analyze what could happen in the fight and end with this writer’s prediction. 

Headlining the UFC’s return to Japan (UFC 144) is the lightweight championship. Frankie Edgar will be putting his belt on the line against top contender Benson Henderson, a former WEC champion himself. Topping off a very stacked card, the main event is slated to be one of the best fights of the night. 

In the blue corner you have Benson Henderson, who is 15-2 and riding a three-fight winning streak, unbeaten since coming into the UFC. He brings an explosive power and submission game that poses a dangerous threat to anyone at lightweight, and Henderson certainly wants to get back to his WEC days of finishing his fights. 

In the red corner stands current champ, Frankie Edgar. After dealing with grueling battles with Gray Maynard and his rise to fame against BJ Penn, Edgar is now ready to take on the pool of talent that is the rest of the lightweight division. Edgar is 14-1-1, or 14, Gray and Gray. He is on a six-fight winning streak, and brings a unique quickness and resilience to his fights. 

The question will be if Henderson can get his hands on him. Edgar is known for getting in and out when he strikes, and has excellent footwork. Through being beaten down, twice, and then coming out alive and still the champ, he has shown the world what the heart of a warrior truly is. 

 

Henderson is a great striker, and has a decent size advantage over the champ. He has a two-inch reach on Edgar, and has proven his own resilience in his fights. From watching his fights, it is clear that Henderson is not an easy guy to put away. Henderson’s ability to finish a fight is superior to anything Maynard has done recently, therefore he poses a significantly greater threat than Maynard. Henderson has great jiu-jitsu and is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, making him a threat wherever the fight goes. 

This fight has the potential to win any of the “Of the Night” awards, and should prove to be a great climactic end to a great night of fights. 

Prediction: Benson Henderson wins via TKO in the 1st round.

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UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson Live Results and Analysis

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!

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UFC 144: Questions We Have About Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson

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.

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Frankie Edgar Talks UFC 144, Heart of a Champion, Foreign Soil, and More

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.”

For additional information, follow Garrett Derr on Twitter.

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UFC 144 Live Streaming Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson Weigh-in Video

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,

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UFC 144: Strengths and Weaknesses of Each Main Card Fighter

UFC 144 will hit Saitama Super Arena in Japan tomorrow night with a vicious slate of action, topped with a talent-laden seven-fight main card.
In the main event, ligthweight champion Frankie Edgar looks to defend his title for a third time against…

UFC 144 will hit Saitama Super Arena in Japan tomorrow night with a vicious slate of action, topped with a talent-laden seven-fight main card.

In the main event, ligthweight champion Frankie Edgar looks to defend his title for a third time against the surging Benson Henderson, while a light heavyweight collision between heavy hitters Quinton Jackson and Ryan Bader takes the co-main event slot.

A batch of other fights grace the main card. Many of the fighters wield opposing styles that will make for interesting fights. Here’s a breakdown of their strengths and weaknesses. 

 

Quinton Jackson/ Scott Petersen for MMAWeekly.com

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