Tag: UFC 150

UFC 150: Another Close Call for Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar

It’s time to step into the Octagon once again as we take a look back at the second battle between Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar at UFC 150, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain. The broadcast bega…

It’s time to step into the Octagon once again as we take a look back at the second battle between Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar at UFC 150, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

The broadcast began in the featherweight division as Justin Lawrence took on Max Holloway.

This proved to be a very enjoyable battle. Lawrence began by showcasing his array of kicks, and from there this developed into a nice striking battle. Holloway connected with a left that opened Lawrence up, as well as connecting with a couple of unintentional kicks south of the border.

Holloway upped his game in the second round and, although Lawrence got in some good shots, Holloway had his number. As the clock ticked away towards the end of the second round, Holloway connected with a knee to the body, following it up with a body shot that sent Lawrence crashing.

Holloway followed him down for a spot of ground and pound before the referee stepped in to give him the TKO win.

The first of two middleweight fights saw Yushin Okami taking on Buddy Roberts (wasn’t he one of the Fabulous Freebirds?).

Roberts began his night’s work with some nice combinations, and his striking worried Okami enough that the Japanese fighter looked for a takedown. He was relentless in his attempt, eventually dragging Roberts down to the ground.

Okami’s work there wasn’t frantic but well thought out as he looked to change position, eventually taking the mount. Roberts quickly flipped over as he tried to escape but found himself on the receiving end of Okami’s ground and pound. But, as the old saying goes, Roberts was saved by the bell.

It was the same story in the second round. Roberts began well with his striking until Okami took the fight back to the ground. He quickly took the mount before taking Roberts’ back again and, with Roberts offering nothing in reply to Okami’s relentless right hand, the referee stepped in to give Okami the TKO win.

The second middleweight encounter saw Jake Shields returning to the division to take on Ed Herman.

The first fight of the broadcast to go the distance proved to be a very interesting affair. Herman began with a couple of strikes but then, to the surprise of almost everyone, he instigated a clinch against the cage.

This was like giving water to a thirsty man as far as Shields was concerned. He went on to control the grappling game throughout the round, frustrating Herman as he looked for the finish.

It was more or less the same story in the second and third rounds. Shields almost locked in a kimura in the second, and that, allied with his great ground work, saw the former Strikeforce champion controlling the action.

But with neither man able to get the win, it went down to the judges as Shields, unsurprisingly, took the unanimous decision. A shame that those in attendance booed the proceedings because it was a solid performance.

The penultimate fight featured catchweight action, fought at 157 pounds, between Donald Cerrone and Melvin Guillard.

This was originally meant to be a lightweight battle, but when Guillard failed to make weight he elected to forfeit a share of his purse instead of trying the shed the extra pounds in the two hours he was given.

This was quick. Guillard rocked his man early with a big left that sent Cerrone down. The Cowboy got back to his feet as Guillard went in for the kill, but then he backed off, giving Cerrone time to recover.

A short time later Cerrone connected with a kick to Guillard’s head. Guillard looked like his legs were made of rubber when Cerrone connected with a big right that sent him down. And that was it, with the referee stepping in to give Cerrone the knockout win.

The main event saw Frankie Edgar challenging Benson Henderson for the Lightweight title.

This has to be one of the closest fights I’ve seen in a long time. Henderson’s tactics early on were apparent for all to see, as he targeted Edgar’s lead leg with a series of kicks. These were hard and crisp, the third one putting his challenger on his backside.

Edgar was able to keep up with the champion, although towards the end of the round when the fight went to the ground, he found himself in a guillotine. But, with only a few seconds left, he gutted it out until the time limit expired.

As the fight went, on they showed just how close they were skill-wise. Henderson continued with his leg kicks. Edgar soon responded with some kicks of his own, but they were nowhere near as powerful as the champion’s.

Edgar’s big striking moment came in the second round when a right sent Henderson to the ground. He managed to survive, though, as the back and forth striking exchanges continued, making this a very interesting fight.

Despite all of this great striking we couldn’t get a finish, which meant more work for the judges. Like the rest of us, they couldn’t agree who won, with one picking Edgar and the other two going for Henderson, as the champion retained the title on a split decision.

With some time to spare, it was on to filler material as Ken Stone faced Erik Perez in the bantamweight division.

I can see why this one was included. Stone connected with a couple of strikes. Perez countered with a big right that sent Stone crashing. Perez followed him down for a spot of ground and pound until the referee intervened to give Perez the knockout win after just 17 seconds.

Then it was on to the featherweight contest between Dennis Bermudez and Tommy Hayden.

These guys were impressive. Bermudez took the fight to the ground early on with a powerful takedown, and he allied this with nice striking that put Hayden on the back foot.

Hayden turned the tables a little when he scored with a big knee that sent Bermudez down to the mat. Hayden followed him down and quickly took his back, but Bermudez was able to get back to his feet.

Moments later, Bermudez caught Hayden and applied a standing guillotine. Hayden knew when he was beaten, tapping out to give Bermudez the submission win.

In conclusion—this show was the polar opposite of UFC 149. Every fight was infinitely more enjoyable, from the show opener right up to the main event.

Along the way we saw some great performances from the likes of Jake Shields and Donald Cerrone. For me, though, the fight of the night was rounds six through 10 of the Henderson/Edgar encounter. That really was a close one, and it’s a shame we’re not going to see these two go at it in a rubber match anytime soon.

But, as the old saying goes, never say never. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see those two hook up again in the future.

So with all of that being said let’s end this thing by giving UFC 150 the big thumbs up.

Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com. It’s been online in one form or another for over 12 years now! 

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UFC 150: Where Does the Fight Card Rank Among 2012’s PPV Events?

UFC 150 came and went last Saturday and delivered a compelling main event along with first-round knockouts, TKOs and a submission. It was the ninth UFC event this year and delivered, with the exception of Jake Shields’ lacklustre win against Ed H…

UFC 150 came and went last Saturday and delivered a compelling main event along with first-round knockouts, TKOs and a submission.

It was the ninth UFC event this year and delivered, with the exception of Jake Shields’ lacklustre win against Ed Herman, one of the best cards of 2012.

Kicking off with Nik Lentz’ satisfying TKO of Eiji Mitsuoka inside three minutes, 45 seconds, it was followed by two more TKOs on the undercard and a highly technical three-round war between Chico Camus and Dustin Pague.

That fight could have gone either way, but Camus’ assured performance in his UFC debut swayed the judges overall and he is set on a course for much tougher competition in his next bantamweight match.

The main event also delivered a closely fought rematch between Ben Henderson and Frankie Edgar which was just as exciting and controversial as their first match.

But this has been a year that saw Junior Dos Santos defend his title for the first time in a heavyweight extravaganza at UFC 146, Jon Jones settle his deeply personal feud with Rashad Evans at UFC 145 and Anderson Silva finally settle scores with arch-nemesis Chael Sonnen at UFC 148.

It’s also the year when we still expect Jones’ second fight of 2012 against Dan Henderson and when George St. Pierre marks his long awaited return to action against interim champion Carlos Condit.

With such headliners, it’s hard to rank UFC 150 as high as some of the other pay-per-view events this year.

It didn’t, for example, deliver the same hype as the UFC’s entry into Japan at UFC 144, which was the arena for Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson’s first showdown.

Nor was it seen as a landmark event such as the promotion’s first event in Brazil in years which took place at UFC 142 in January and seemed to hook a whole nation onto mixed martial arts.

At a live gate of only $650,000, UFC 150 was also disappointing as far as pay-per-view figures were concerned. So much so, that Dana White declared it the worst gate since 2007.

Still, the event delivered far more than the injury-ridden shows that have dogged some of the other main cards this year, which include Wanderlei Silva’s match against Rich Franklin at UFC 147 and Urijah Faber’s showdown with Renan Barao at UFC 149.

That alone makes it one of the stronger events to have taken place this year.

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Henderson vs. Edgar II: Numbers Don’t Lie, Say This Was No Robbery

I love statistics. Love them. I love fantasy sports. I love reading about the economy. I love reading about sales figures for video games. I love anything that can be quantified and contrasted with something else. So naturally, I love looking at number…

I love statistics. Love them.

I love fantasy sports. I love reading about the economy. I love reading about sales figures for video games. I love anything that can be quantified and contrasted with something else.

So naturally, I love looking at numbers from CompuStrike and FightMetric when it comes to controversial decisions.

Not coincidentally, we had a pretty controversial decision last weekend with Ben Henderson getting the better end of a razor-thin split decision over Frankie Edgar.

In the fallout, a number of my Bleacher Report compatriots have started playing the numbers game when it comes to the decision. You can check out the official stats here (via FightMetric).

The numbers, obviously, are extremely close. Sixty-six total strikes for Edgar compared to 62 for Henderson. Deeper analysis of those metrics can go either way (Henderson landed more power shots and strikes to the head total, Edgar landed more total strikes in three of five rounds, etc.).

What that breaks down to, precisely, is that people are nitpicking and arguing over two or three strikes per round. Literally. Two or three strikes. When you’re trying to make something big out of the teeniest, tiniest details, it is time to step back and realize that things are sometimes simply too close to call.

The numbers, ultimately, agree with that particular sentiment more than any other. Far too many are saying Edgar was robbed and are pointing to the numbers as evidence. The thing is, compared to past controversial decisions, Henderson vs. Edgar II is simply not in the same ballpark according to the tallies.

Take, for example, UFC 104’s Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. That fight, like this one, had many up in arms about the decision, which was unanimously in favor of Machida. Machida vs. Rua, though, actually looked the part of a bad decision on-paper.

While Edgar vs. Henderson, once again, had 66 strikes to 62 in favor of Edgar, Machida vs. Rua I had 82 strikes landed by Rua against 42 by Machida. If my math is right, 40 is a lot more than four. What’s more, Rua landed more hits per round in all five rounds.

Other notorious decisions are similarly lopsided on paper. The first bout between Leonard Garcia and Nam Phan had 102 strikes landed by Phan against 64 by Garcia. That, obviously, is also substantially more lopsided than 66 to 62.

Looking back further to UFC 75, Matt Hamill landed 88 strikes to Michael Bisping’s 62, and also had six takedowns to his credit. Again, Hammill ended up losing out on the score cards when he clearly outworked Bisping by a greater statistical margin than UFC 150‘s headline.

These decisions are held among the worst in the history of the sport and, clearly, the statistics actually back that up. Statistics, though useful in further investigating fights, are by no means the be-all and end-all determinant of a winner.

It is worth pointing out that there have been a few fights that had bad decisions on paper, but generated little to no outcry.

Looking strictly at the numbers, Kenny Florian should be the current UFC featherweight champion, as he landed more significant strikes against Jose Aldo in three of five rounds, and more total strikes in four of five rounds when they fought at UFC 136.

Similarly, in the opening round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, Fabricio Werdum actually landed more significant strikes than Alistair Overeem in two of three rounds, and landed more total strikes in all three.

Taking all these into consideration, labeling Henderson vs. Edgar II a “robbery” based on the numbers is not really accurate. In past controversial decisions, the numbers have been clearly skewed in favor of the loser.

The numbers, in reality, suggest what everyone acknowledges: The fight was very, very close on the whole, and even closer round by round.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a big Benson Henderson fan, but I also had the fight scored three rounds to two in favor of Edgar going into the announcement (Rounds 2, 4 and 5 for Edgar, 1 and 3 for Henderson).

The thing is, even among those crying that Edgar was robbed, there is no consensus on which rounds Edgar won (assuming they are saying he won three rounds, of course).

Looking at the numbers, I can see why judges would score the fight in favor of Henderson. After all, there were three very close rounds, and the old mantra “to be the champ, you’ve got to beat the champ” makes it clear where the edge should go, and the edge almost always goes that way.

One of the few times it did not was at UFC 112 where Frankie Edgar faced off with then-champion B.J. Penn who, according to FightMetric, should have kept his belt. Such, though, is the nature of leaving it in the hands of the judges and, worse yet, leaving it to the judges when you have not actually established yourself as the winner.

Sometimes it goes one way. Other times, it goes the other way. For the first time, really, it did not go Edgar’s way.

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UFC 150: Cerrone vs Guillard and the 5 Best One-Round Fights of 2012

Short, but sweet! It isn’t an adjective commonly used to describe Fight of the Night candidates. In fact, the fights that are considered to be the best of the sport are typically lengthy affairs.Griffin/Bonnar, Liddell/Silva and Shogun/Henderson all ma…

Short, but sweet! It isn’t an adjective commonly used to describe Fight of the Night candidates. In fact, the fights that are considered to be the best of the sport are typically lengthy affairs.

Griffin/Bonnar, Liddell/Silva and Shogun/Henderson all made their way to the scorecards, as did several other fights that immediately come to mind when thinking about outstanding MMA. However, that doesn’t mean that quick bouts can’t be thrilling engagements. 

Here is a look at the five best one-round fights of 2012.

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UFC 150 Results: Can Nik Lentz Make a Run at the Featherweight Title?

Whoever advised perennial lightweight journeyman Nik Lentz to drop down a division and fight at featherweight will be wearing a smug grin after his performance at UFC 150 on Saturday. Lentz defeated Eiji Mitsuoka via first-round TKO in one of the best …

Whoever advised perennial lightweight journeyman Nik Lentz to drop down a division and fight at featherweight will be wearing a smug grin after his performance at UFC 150 on Saturday.

Lentz defeated Eiji Mitsuoka via first-round TKO in one of the best performances in his career and could become the next big thing at 145 pounds.

Certainly the fighter is brimming with confidence, telling interviewers after the fight that he’s a “completely different human being” at featherweight.

However, Mitsuoka was not the opponent to prove that. At 36, the Japanese fighter was also making his featherweight debut with a weight cut that was less kind to him.

To get to Jose Aldo, Lentz will have to go through the likes of Dennis Bermudez (also victorious at the weekend), Dustin Poirier (who has faltered once in his UFC career but has looked a compelling star nonetheless) and Chang Sung Jung (who now sits waiting for his own title shot).

And, with talks of Frankie Edgar dropping down, Lentz would certainly have his work cut out to reach the belt.

But the fighter clearly feels at home at featherweight in a way he’s never felt at 155. He himself seems to be in no doubt that he can mount a serious challenge at this weight.

The lightweight division is deep, and Lentz still has all to prove. But, at 27 with 28 professional bouts under his name, he is young enough and experienced enough to seriously make a mark at featherweight.

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UFC 150: Benson Henderson’s Controversial Win Overshadows Rivalry

Benson Henderson came away with a controversial victory over Frankie Edgar at UFC 150, and the outcome is taking away from the rivalry between the two fighters.UFC 150 showcased a battle between the two fighters for a second time, and the outcome was t…

Benson Henderson came away with a controversial victory over Frankie Edgar at UFC 150, and the outcome is taking away from the rivalry between the two fighters.

UFC 150 showcased a battle between the two fighters for a second time, and the outcome was the same as the first. 

Henderson walked away from both fights as the victor, but it was close both times. As Fox Sports lists the results of UFC 144, he came away as the clear winner in the first matchup. The three judges all agreed he won, and he came away with a unanimous 49-46, 48-47, 49-46 decision.

The second meeting managed to be even better than the first. 

Jeff Wagenheim of Sports Illustrated breaks down the latest fight, and he believes Edgar should have been named the new lightweight champion.

While two judges ruled 48-47 in favor of Henderson, one judge scored the fight 49-46 in Edgar’s favor. It was about as close as it gets, but the controversial outcome now overshadows the great battle.

Round 1 belonged to Henderson, but Edgar got stronger as the fight went on. Edgar appeared to take command in the fight during Round 4 with a great showing, but two of the judges awarded the round to Henderson. Round 4 was the turning point in the match, but it ended up going against Edgar on the scorecards.

Henderson and Edgar are about as evenly matched as it gets. The first two matches were scored closely, and it now creates even more drama. Whether or not the second outcome was the right decision, the Henderson-Edgar rivalry will be known for the controversy.

This has the making to be one of the best rivalries in UFC, but they will need to move on from this decision. The two fighters could not have had closer fights than what they had in UFC 144 and UFC 150.

One positive may come from this controversial result: a third fight. The close fights will lead to demand for a rematch, and Edgar will be pushing for a chance to win. 

Controversy can set the stage for a rematch, and Henderson also has something to prove. People are questioning the decision of the latest fight, so he needs to show he was the better fighter. 

A third fight will not change the outcome in this fight, but it will allow Henderson and Edgar to battle again to see who is the rightful lightweight champion.

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