It’s safe to say that Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar’s second fight is going to be one of the most debated decisions in a long while. After another close fight between arguably the two best lightweights in the world, we were left to go …
It’s safe to say that Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar’s second fight is going to be one of the most debated decisions in a long while.
After another close fight between arguably the two best lightweights in the world, we were left to go to the judges’ scorecards, a phrase that puts fear into the hearts of fans every time we see a fight that looks like it could have gone either way.
Edgar earned himself a 49-46 score from judge Tony Weeks, but the other two judges weren’t as kind to “The Answer”, and each awarded Henderson a 48-47 result that kept the UFC lightweight title in the hands of the champion.
Can you say controversy?
Many in the MMA world thought that Edgar had done enough to earn the decision, and it turns out that they can use the FightMetric numbers to back their claim.
The MMA scoring system gave the slight edge to Edgar in Rounds 2, 4 and 5, while giving Henderson the first and third.
Still, the fight was so close that a deeper look into the numbers is needed, so we’re going to break this one down round by round with the FightMetric numbers.
Frankie Edgar delivered another controversial result at UFC 150, where he came out on the wrong end of a split decision against lightweight champion Benson Henderson.After a slow start, Edgar had a strong second round, dropping Henderson with a right h…
Frankie Edgar delivered another controversial result at UFC 150, where he came out on the wrong end of a split decision against lightweight champion Benson Henderson.
After a slow start, Edgar had a strong second round, dropping Henderson with a right hand. The following three frames saw both fighters land their fair share of strikes, which left the judges responsible for determining the winner of a very closely contested title fight. Ultimately, they sided with Henderson for a second straight contest.
Though Edgar’s almost deserving of a third straight meeting with Henderson, that’s simply not a fight that is reasonable right now, and it might never make sense. Therefore, Edgar may finally be forced to make a highly anticipated move to the 145-pound division in order to return to title contention.
With another hotly debated lightweight title bout in the books, let’s take a look at who should be next for Henderson, Edgar and the rest of the UFC 150 competitors.
Although the final result of the fight between Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar did not please everyone, this controversy will help UFC in the long run.The two lightweight competitors faced each other in UFC 150 in a highly anticipated rematch. In th…
Although the final result of the fight between Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar did not please everyone, this controversy will help UFC in the long run.
The two lightweight competitors faced each other in UFC 150 in a highly anticipated rematch. In the first installment, Henderson won by decision in a very close match. This time was no different, as it took a split decision for the champ to retain his title.
Both times, however, controversy followed the decision. Yahoo writer Kevin Iole said his card gave Edgar the win in the most recent match by a score of 49-46. The fans at the Pepsi Center also were not happy with the judges’ call.
Regardless of who you believe won, it was definitely an incredibly close match. FightMetrics lists Edgar as having the advantage of strikes landed by a margin of 70-65, with significant strikes only separated by four. However, the same site gives Henderson a one-point edge in its Total Performance Rating.
While fans love to see knockouts and submissions, this type of finish is more likely to get people talking. As a growing league, UFC will not become mainstream until people continue to talk about matches long after they finish.
Some fights are going to be the best fights you’ve ever seen, and some are going to suck. And I think you’re better off to go out and talk about why the fight sucked and you know, be honest about it. You’re not going to fool anybody.
It is the same theory as the old saying, “bad press is better than no press.” If fans are arguing who won a title fight from a pay-per-view, the people who missed it will feel out of the loop. They will then make sure they do not miss the next big match.
College football is one of the most popular sports in America despite the fact there is almost always controversy over the national champion at the end of the season. The truth is that sports fans enjoy arguing. Any time they can debate a ruling of some sport, it only increases popularity.
According to Yahoo, ratings for the recent FOX 4 UFC event were up from the previous FOX 3, despite going against the Olympics. This is a good sign as the league tries to continue to gain a bigger profile in America.
Fans might be upset at the controversial result from the matchup between Henderson and Edgar, but there are more marquee events that they can turn to and hope for a different finish.
As long as people watch, it does not really matter who wins.
UFC 150 is in the books. Despite a few dull moments the card delivered excitement when it mattered with both main event bouts getting the audience on its feet.We saw a number of prelim fighters attempt to separate themselves from the rest of …
UFC 150 is in the books. Despite a few dull moments the card delivered excitement when it mattered with both main event bouts getting the audience on its feet.
We saw a number of prelim fighters attempt to separate themselves from the rest of the pack with some strong showings and a pair of former title challengers picking up much needed victories. In the co-main event Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone survived a huge punch from Melvin Guillard to drop his former teammate with a head kick and right hand.
The main event saw Benson Henderson retain his title in a hotly contested decision against former champ Frankie Edgar. The fight was close and both sides of the coin have valuable arguments as to why their guy won.
A number of fighters appear to be at a crossroads in their UFC careers while a few have clear paths set in front of them. Peek into the future in this attempt to show you what’s next for both the winners and losers from UFC 150.
Last night, Ben Henderson once again defeated former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar by decision. This contest was much closer than their last meeting—a split decision which felt the wrong man won.Nonetheless, Dana White has said no more remat…
Last night, Ben Henderson once again defeated former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar by decision. This contest was much closer than their last meeting—a split decision which felt the wrong man won.
Nonetheless, Dana White has said no more rematches, and Nate Diaz will face Henderson next (per MMA Weekly).
Diaz is coming off possibly one of his most impressive performances—a fight against Jim Miller back in May—and will now have a chance at UFC gold.
The matchup is an exciting one and one that I can’t wait for, so let’s take a look at how the two match up on paper with the Henderson-Diaz head-to-toe breakdown.
It seems impossible for Benson Henderson or Frankie Edgar to dominate the another. Henderson won a controversial split-decision over Edgar in their rematch at UFC 150 on Saturday night.They could fight five times and each decision would be close. Even …
It seems impossible for Benson Henderson or Frankie Edgar to dominate the another. Henderson won a controversial split-decision over Edgar in their rematch at UFC 150 on Saturday night.
They could fight five times and each decision would be close. Even though Nate Diaz is next in line for Henderson, at some point Edgar and Henderson need to meet again.
Nothing was really etched in stone with their second meeting.
I had the fight a draw, but either way Henderson would have kept the title. Still, the point of these fights is to definitively decide who the better man is, and I think there are still doubts about that.
In the first fight I had Henderson winning, and I really didn’t see what the controversy was about. He landed most—if not all—of the significant strikes, and even though Frankie was catching the leg kicks, he wasn’t countering off them.
In Saturday night’s fight, Edgar made some significant adjustments. He used skip-kicks and feints to land leg kicks on Henderson, and he used his height disadvantage to his advantage. He easily ducked under Henderson’s punches and countered with the right hand.
But you can’t ignore Henderson’s effective leg kicks—especially in the first round—his up-kick to Edgar’s head in the fourth round and the grazing head kick in the fifth factored into the decision.
Neither man hurt the other, but those strikes and counters scored.
All those details equate to a hotly-contested battle between two of the best fighters in the world. I don’t blame Dana White for plugging Nate Diaz between these two guys to cut down on redundancy, per MMA Junkie.
But Henderson-Edgar must become a trilogy.
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Although the final result of the fight between Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar did not please everyone, this controversy will help UFC in the long run.