Tag: UFC 144

UFC 144 Results: Frankie Edgar Deserves To Decide What Weight He Wants to Fight

Frankie Edgar lost a close decision to Ben Henderson on Saturday, and while there are ways to talk about how the loss was devastating, a picture is more convincing than mere words.As Henderson’s arm was being lifted, the photographer captured Edgar as …

Frankie Edgar lost a close decision to Ben Henderson on Saturday, and while there are ways to talk about how the loss was devastating, a picture is more convincing than mere words.

As Henderson’s arm was being lifted, the photographer captured Edgar as he slumped his shoulders and his head hung low. Edgar had nothing to be ashamed of, but it was obvious that the undersized former champion wanted to continue to prove people wrong.

He didn’t do it.

Fans and Dana White have both vocalized for some time that they would like to see Edgar fight at the featherweight limit of 145 pounds, and it is easy to see why. Standing at only 5′ 6″ and doesn’t struggle to make weight.

It wouldn’t be inconceivable for him to drop another 10 pounds and fight at a smaller weight.

At one time, the notion would have been better to understand because of the UFC only having weight classes that reached the lightweight limit, but since the beginning of 2011, both the featherweight and the bantamweight classes have been brought in to the organization.

He could still fight in the UFC at a lower weight, but in the end, the choice should still be his.

This isn’t someone who got lucky and caught a champion off guard to win the title. It isn’t someone who found himself in a weak division and was able to make the most of it.

Edgar has beaten BJ Penn twice by decision, come back from being almost knocked out by Gray Maynard twice to come back and get a draw and then a knockout victory in that order.

He has proven that he can do what he needs to be done and won fights at the top level in the lightweight division for some time now. This is only the second loss in his career with him having avenged the first one against Maynard.

Even this fight was close and in a rematch it isn’t impossible that he gets the win. The only problem is that White has tentatively thrown out the possibility of Henderson having a rematch with Anthony Pettis first, though nothing is set in stone.

It may not matter, as Edgar has been contemplating the move anyway as mentioned on an article at MMAFighting.com.

Some of it is because his emotions are running high after a loss. Another part may come from the fact that he has taken some serious beatings in his last few fights. He has been facing larger men, and with that, he has been handicapping himself.

Edgar has earned the right to choose which way he wants his career to go without the interference of others. He has been too successful not to.

No matter what decision he does make, fans will cheer for him the next time he steps into the cage because he proves himself every time.

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GIFs of the Day: Akiyama Even Makes Takedowns Look Sexy


(“I make this look good.”)

Sure, he didn’t win his UFC 144 bout with Jake Shields, but that didn’t mean Yoshihiro Akiyama went down without a sexy fight.

Although he wasn’t able to capitalize on the positions he created with his superior judo throws, “Sexyama” made the normally sedate Japanese crowd “ahhhh” in unison with these two tosses.

(“I make this look good.”)

Sure, he didn’t win his UFC 144 bout with Jake Shields, but that didn’t mean Yoshihiro Akiyama went down without a sexy fight.

Although he wasn’t able to capitalize on the positions he created with his superior judo throws, “Sexyama” made the normally sedate Japanese crowd “ahhhh” in unison with these two tosses.

First, Akiymama employed the Osoto Gari, or large outer reap — a simple outside trip-toss timed perfectly to negate Shields’ Condit-esque leg jab. Had he followed him to the ground faster he may have been able to take Jake’s back, but because he didn’t get his hooks in, Shields easily escaped.

Next, Yoshihiro went with the Uki Goshi, also known as the floating hip throw,” but couldn’t keep Shields down with the front headlock or lock up a choke.

 

 

UFC 144: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly


(This punch-face that Bendo gave Frankie Edgar? Good *and* ugly.)

By Mark Dorsey

Inspired by the 1966 Spaghetti Western film about three gunmen who set out to find a hidden fortune during the American Civil War, this post-event wrap-up is dedicated to the moments that may have slipped through the cracks or deserve a little bit more analysis. Before we bid adieu to the resounding success that was UFC 144, join us for a look back at the event with a solid, squinty-eyed gaze that would make a macho legend like Clint Eastwood proud.

The Good
• The Japanese crowd. As expected, the Japanese crowd was politely engaged in the fights throughout the entire event. There were long periods of respectful silence during most of the action, prompting Joe Rogan to urge Mike Goldberg to take off his headphones in order to soak in the eerie quiet in the arena. Rogan is a stand-up comic who doesn’t often get the opportunity to crack jokes during the fights but it was funny when he said that event was akin to watching “a cagefight in a church.” Despite the reverent atmosphere, the crowd also had its moments of vocal fervor, erupting into chants of Hioki’s name and random “UFC” chants, while also scolding Ryan Bader with boos when he tried to tie-up Rampage from the bottom. The Japanese fans showed a lot of support to non-native fighters such as Vaughan Lee after his impressive armbar victory over Kid Yamamoto, and Tim Boetsch after his shocking comeback win over Yushin Okami. The vibe in Japan was markedly different from the UFC’s amazing shows in Toronto and Rio, but anytime there’s an event when the fans become one of the main talking points, it speaks to their passion.

• Referees. Referees usually only get the spotlight if they make a mistake or controversial decision, but sometimes they should get mentioned simply because they did a solid job. That was certainly the case at UFC 144 which saw some great stoppages. Particularly noteworthy was Herb Dean’s reaction time, jumping in to stop Mark Hunt and Issei Tamura from inflicting more damage after their devastating knockouts of Cheick Kongo and Zhang Tiequan, respectively. In a similar vein, during the Lauzon/Pettis fight, referee Marc Goddard was right on top of the action, quickly stepping in to prevent follow-up damage after Lauzon was KO’d.


(This punch-face that Bendo gave Frankie Edgar? Good *and* ugly.)

By Mark Dorsey

Inspired by the 1966 Spaghetti Western film about three gunmen who set out to find a hidden fortune during the American Civil War, this post-event wrap-up is dedicated to the moments that may have slipped through the cracks or deserve a little bit more analysis. Before we bid adieu to the resounding success that was UFC 144, join us for a look back at the event with a solid, squinty-eyed gaze that would make a macho legend like Clint Eastwood proud.

The Good
• The Japanese crowd. As expected, the Japanese crowd was politely engaged in the fights throughout the entire event. There were long periods of respectful silence during most of the action, prompting Joe Rogan to urge Mike Goldberg to take off his headphones in order to soak in the eerie quiet in the arena. Rogan is a stand-up comic who doesn’t often get the opportunity to crack jokes during the fights but it was funny when he said that event was akin to watching “a cagefight in a church.” Despite the reverent atmosphere, the crowd also had its moments of vocal fervor, erupting into chants of Hioki’s name and random “UFC” chants, while also scolding Ryan Bader with boos when he tried to tie-up Rampage from the bottom. The Japanese fans showed a lot of support to non-native fighters such as Vaughan Lee after his impressive armbar victory over Kid Yamamoto, and Tim Boetsch after his shocking comeback win over Yushin Okami. The vibe in Japan was markedly different from the UFC’s amazing shows in Toronto and Rio, but anytime there’s an event when the fans become one of the main talking points, it speaks to their passion.

• Referees. Referees usually only get the spotlight if they make a mistake or controversial decision, but sometimes they should get mentioned simply because they did a solid job. That was certainly the case at UFC 144 which saw some great stoppages. Particularly noteworthy was Herb Dean’s reaction time, jumping in to stop Mark Hunt and Issei Tamura from inflicting more damage after their devastating knockouts of Cheick Kongo and Zhang Tiequan, respectively. In a similar vein, during the Lauzon/Pettis fight, referee Marc Goddard was right on top of the action, quickly stepping in to prevent follow-up damage after Lauzon was KO’d.

• Rampage Jackson. There were many disappointing aspects of Rampage’s performance at UFC 144, but he should also get some credit for providing a lot of interest in this card. Although he couldn’t pull off a win, Rampage did his best to entertain with a great entrance in which he came out to the Pride FC opening theme song and provided the crowd with a couple of his signature howls. His Japanese homecoming clearly meant a lot to an emotional Rampage who fought through a knee injury and showed a lot of maturity in many of the interviews he gave before and after the event. Also, the slam/spike on Bader was thrilling and a reminder of the potentially fight-ending techniques that Rampage still possesses.

The Bad
• Late fights and timing issues. As the UFC continues to expand into different overseas markets, there will be some growing pains regarding how to satisfy both the live crowds and the North American television audience. Let’s be honest, it’s nice that we can watch the UFC at its regular time slot here in North America, but I’m not sure that catering to the PPV numbers is the best way to build a strong UFC following in Japan, especially when it means starting the fights at 10AM on a Sunday. Also, it may seem like a strange thing to complain about, but a 4-hour PPV is just way too long. The average major league sporting event is only 2.5 to 3 hours long; this was a 4-hour PPV with 2 hours of preliminary fights. It’s great that there are so many fights being shown but hopefully it’s not at the expense of waning interest by the time the main event rolls around.

• The state of Japanese MMA. Japanese fighters did not fare very well on this card as a whole. When it came down to all of the high-profile matches of Japanese versus foreign fighters, the Japanese contingent didn’t do well, with Yushin Okami, Kid Yamamoto and Yoshihiro Akiyama each suffering definitive losses. Yushin Okami dominated Tim Boetsch for two rounds, but for a guy constantly hyped as the best Japanese fighter in the UFC, he quickly fell apart after getting stormed in the third round. Aside from Hatsu Hioki’s impressive win over rising contender Bart Palaszewski, the Japanese fighters who did secure victories (Riki Fukuda, Takanori Gomi, and Issei Tamura) did so against less-than-stellar opposition (Steve Cantwell, Eiji Mitsuoka, and Tiequan Zhang).

The Ugly
• Rampage Jackson. As a fan of Rampage, it’s easy to want to give him some leeway for fighting through a knee injury, but the truth is, this was an ugly event for him in the context of his entire career. After missing weight and giving up some of his purse, Rampage appeared to be mentally checked out. It seems he was looking past Bader and didn’t really take him seriously. During the fight, Rampage didn’t throw his hands much, and other than his slam, he showed very little of the dynamism that has marked some of his more famous fights. For a guy who has expressed a desire to fight Jon Jones again, this was a big setback.

• Rogan and Goldie. There were a couple head-smacking moments from the commentary during the Cheick Kongo and Mark Hunt fight. First, during the walk-in, Mike Goldberg stated that Hunt “brutalized” Fedor for eight minutes in their fight at Pride Shockwave 2006. While it’s true that Hunt had Fedor in some legitimate trouble, stating that Fedor was “brutalized” is disingenuous and reeks of Zuffa-inspired revisionist history. Second, during the fight itself, Joe Rogan talked about Kongo’s improved grappling, especially in the Ben Rothwell fight. After Goldie chimed in with “He even attempted an armbar” Rogan got confused and began talking about Hunt’s grappling instead of Kongo’s, saying of the armbar, “Well, he also did that in the Fedor fight. He almost caught Fedor in an Americana, or was it a Kimura, at some point.” Unlike Goldie’s misnomer, Rogan’s was obviously an accident. Plus, did Rogan really describe Tim Boetsch’s win over Okami as the greatest comeback win he’s ever seen in MMA?

• Mangled limbs. Yushin Okami’s left leg collapsed after he got KO’d by Tim Boetsch and it was reminiscent of Cro Cop’s mangled-looking leg after his loss to Gonzaga. On a similar note, during his fight against Rampage, Bader stupidly put his arm down to try and stop from being slammed. Luckily, it didn’t cause any major damage to his arm.

UFC 144 Results: If Rampage Jackson’s Heart Isn’t in it He Needs to Walk Away

Albeit Quinton “Rampage” Jackson tried his damndest to upend Ryan “Darth” Bader at UFC 144 that doesn’t necessarily suggest his heart is still in sport of MMA, and if that’s the case, the former light heavyweight tit…

Albeit Quinton “Rampage” Jackson tried his damndest to upend Ryan “Darth” Bader at UFC 144 that doesn’t necessarily suggest his heart is still in sport of MMA, and if that’s the case, the former light heavyweight titlist needs to walk away.

Due to an injury incurred prior to the fight, Rampage entered the co-main event six pounds over the limit. Whether that had anything to do with his poor performance is neither here nor there (though he says it did), the fact remains, that for some time now, Rampage’s mind has been elsewhere.

In 2010, he starred in the movie A-Team when there was money to be made in the Octagon. Rampage has also completed the filming of Fire with Fire and at present has another in post-production (Duel of Legends). This could easily suggest a future change in vocation for the former Pride star.

In addition, Rampage has intimated that he’s bored with professional mixed martial arts, and as such hinted at lacing up his gloves in the art of the sweet science.

Furthermore, Jackson is almost 34, and has contested in 42 fights. Now that wouldn’t be much of problem, save for the fact that in the last five years, seven of his nine outings have gone to decision—some of them grueling encounters. Which begs the question, has the fight game finally taken its toll on him?

Rampage says he wants to continue fighting, though saying it is one thing, and actually believing it is another. If it’s the latter, then now is the time for the Memphis native to walk away.

 

For additional information, follow Nedu Obi on Twitter.

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UFC 144 Results: Paying Tribute to the Great Frankie Edgar

Sometimes, photographs don’t lie. Benson Henderson, the new world lightweight champion put a beating on Frankie Edgar Saturday night in Japan. If you don’t believe me, believe your own eyes. It was a sustained 25-minute attack, a whirlwind of hands, fe…

Sometimes, photographs don’t lie. Benson Henderson, the new world lightweight champion put a beating on Frankie Edgar Saturday night in Japan. If you don’t believe me, believe your own eyes. It was a sustained 25-minute attack, a whirlwind of hands, feet and knees— Hurricane Benson.

Despite that, this article isn’t about Ben Henderson. Plenty are whispering sweet nothings in his ear right now. He won’t miss a glowing tribute from the likes of me.

He was magnificent in victory, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that he belongs in any conversation about the sport’s best fighters. But the true hero of the fight was the vanquished champion.

Edgar was, to borrow a phrase your parents might recall, simply marvelous. He’s barely 155 pounds but, make no mistake, he is a monster of a man. Watching Frankie Edgar fight is like sitting down with a great sports movie. Edgar seems intent on making his life a tribute to Rocky Balboa.

Fighting Edgar has to be a mental challenge of the highest order for his poor opponents. If you knock him down, at this point, you can’t even get excited. You just have to know, in your heart, that he’s going to pick himself back up off the mat and leap right back into the fray.

In every fight at lightweight, Edgar is over-matched. Look closely at his fight with Henderson. The two don’t just look one weight class apart. Henderson looks like a man and Edgar the perpetual boy. Until the fight begins. That’s when Edgar springs to life.

It’s almost unthinkable, in a sport where fighters cut massive amounts of weight to gain even the slightest edge in the Octagon, to compete at your own natural body weight. But, that’s exactly what Edgar does at lightweight, giving up as much as 20 pounds to his opponent.

Perhaps that’s the only way to make the fight fair? Perhaps that’s Edgar’s way of evening the odds. Because he’s an absolutely brilliant fighter, combining precision punches with an uncanny ability to upend his larger opponents.

Although he lost the decision to Henderson, it was as close as they come. Fight Metric, the official statisticians of the UFC, scored four of five rounds for Henderson. But all save one were close rounds that could have reasonably gone either way. For his part, UFC President Dana White had the fight for Edgar.

What’s next is anybody’s guess. Edgar seems content at lightweight. White wants the former champion to drop to 145 pounds; he’s actually talked about his champion dropping down a weight class for some time, even in the midst of an amazing run with the belt. Even then Edgar will be on the smallish side against a monster featherweight like Jose Aldo.

The truth? Most men Edgar’s size are bantamweights who compete at 135 pounds. That’s the true brilliance of Frankie Edgar. He’s able to compete at the highest level with men who dwarf him in the cage.

Now imagine what he might be able to do picking on someone his own size? It’s time for 135 and 145-pound fighters in the UFC to start sleeping with the lights on. A nightmare of a challenge may soon be heading your way.

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UFC 144 Results: Biggest Winners and Losers in the UFC’s Return to Japan

UFC 144 is done, and an interesting event it was. We saw a great comeback, a brutal five-round slugfest and unfortunately what could be the final fall of a legend. After an unprecedented seven-fight main card, some are debating whether this is one of t…

UFC 144 is done, and an interesting event it was. We saw a great comeback, a brutal five-round slugfest and unfortunately what could be the final fall of a legend. After an unprecedented seven-fight main card, some are debating whether this is one of the best UFC cards ever.

While I believe that more time will be needed to debate that topic, what can be discussed now is who were the biggest winners and losers of Saturday’s event.


Winners

Ben Henderson

The new UFC lightweight champion put on an impressive display against Frankie Edgar. While it could be debated that Edgar should’ve won the fight, Henderson’s performance can not be argued.

He fought hard, negated Edgar’s efforts to gain any advantage on the ground and landed some powerful shots, including one of the most vicious up-kicks this writer has ever seen.

Henderson’s abilities continue to evolve with each fight and his future inside the Octagon is wide open.

Jake Shields

Riding a two-fight losing streak, Jake Shields needed an impressive outing to prove that he is more than another UFC import who couldn’t hack it.

Against Yoshiro Akiyama, Shields used effective striking to will his way to a unanimous decision win. He withstood Akiyama’s takedowns and defeated “Sexyama” on his feet.

According to FightMetric, Shields landed more strikes than Akiyama by a margin of nearly 2.5 to 1. It was a much-needed win for Shields who is now looking to climb back up the welterweight ranks.

Anthony Pettis

“Showtime” showed why he is one of the best fighters at 155 lbs. Had it not been for his off-the-cage kick versus new champion Henderson, this would’ve been arguably the best highlight kick of his career.

Pettis started the fight off using his southpaw jab to keep Joe Lauzon at bay. Then, at the 1:21 mark of the first round, he sent Lauzon crashing to the canvas with a devastating head kick which all but ended the fight.

Pettis has staked his claim as a lightweight contender. Don’t be surprised to see him attempting to strip Ben Henderson of another championship belt in the near future.


Losers

Frankie Edgar

Frankie Edgar is one of the toughest fighters that I have ever seen. In his last three fights, he has been beaten like a slab of meat by Rocky yet he keeps coming back. Unfortunately, he didn’t have quite enough for Henderson.

Although he landed more strikes than Henderson, Edgar just couldn’t inflict enough damage and took a lot of punishment in return.

Frankie now must decide between two options: stay at lightweight and lobby for a rematch, or drop down to featherweight for a shot at Jose Aldo. Either way, Edgar will bounce back.

Quinton Jackson

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t saddened by Jackson’s performance. “Rampage” pleaded to UFC President Dana White for the opportunity to once again fight in Japan.

He then proceeded to miss weight by six pounds. Next, he followed that up with the absolute worst performance of his career.

Jackson appeared out of shape and soft around the mid-section; not to mention he was gassed four minutes into the opening stanza. Jackson would be best served by doing some soul-searching and deciding if he even desires to enter the Octagon again.

Japanese MMA

In a previous article, I questioned whether the UFC’s Japanese fighters would give a performance in Japan similar to the Brazilian showing at UFC 134.  Unsurprisingly, the UFC’s Japanese fighters failed to impress in the return to their home country.

Posting a 4-5 record on the night, the most impressive performance was by featherweight Hatsu Hioki who put on a dominating ground display against Bart Palaszewski.

With Akiyama possibly on his way out of the UFC and Okami being knocked out in a fight he was on his way to winning, Japan’s hope for a happy homecoming was anything but.

It is almost conclusive that Japanese MMA is no longer the force once demonstrated in the days of PRIDE.

Ryan Bader

Yes, I am aware that “Darth” Bader won the fight. Regardless, I still found his performance lacking any real depth. All Ryan Bader did was prove that he will never be a title contender.

“Rampage” was out of shape and sucking wind for two of the three rounds. Bader never really hurt Jackson and fought scared for the first five minutes. A better fighter would’ve finished off Jackson, who was clearly in no condition to compete.

Although Bader is strong and a skilled wrestler, his game just hasn’t evolved and at this pace will never be good enough to compete with the division’s elite.

 

Follow Walt J. as he gives his no-holds-barred opinions on the NFL, MMA and other sports topics on his blog, “Live From AREA 49.” You can also follow him on Twitter @area49sports.

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