UFC 144 is due to be a monumental event for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as the organization returns to Japan, trying to make an impact in the land that many consider to be the birthplace of martial arts. With the Japanese MMA scene falling apart over the last few years, fans in that country need a major event such as this one to spark their interest. And to satisfy that rabid craving, UFC executives matched two of their most exciting lightweights against each other to create a very interesting main event. UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar will defend his title against former WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson. This fight is intriguing on a few different levels, and has many people expecting a fight of the year candidate.
Edgar is coming off his UFC 136 win, where he stopped Gray Maynard by technical knockout in the fourth round. In doing so, he was finally able to gain retribution over the only man to defeat him, which became even more important after their New Year’s Day bout at UFC 125 ended in a draw. Henderson, in contrast, has been steamrolling the competition since the UFC merged with the WEC organization at the end of 2010. After being turned into one of the most watched sports highlights of that year in the Showtime Kick, Henderson has been on a tear, defeating Mark Bocek, Jim Miller, and Clay Guida in impressive fashion, setting up a title fight that in many ways has been years in the making.
It was always perceived that the lightweight fighters in the WEC were a part of the B roster since they were not fighting in the UFC’s Octagon. However, since the merger, the WEC lightweights have been more than competitive with the best fighters that the UFC has to offer. Henderson has been particularly successful in the “big show.” But before WEC was acquired, Edgar and Henderson were champions at the same time, and many fans wondered how a bout between the two would go. Both fighters are known for work rates that seem to outshine nearly every other fighter in the weight class. Now we have the opportunity to see exactly how this fight will play out.
This fight will be hotly contested on many levels. Both Henderson and Edgar are fast-paced fighters who can strike, wrestle, and grapple when called upon. On the feet, Edgar is the more technical striker of the two. His footwork and combinations are very fluid as he attacks from multiple angles. He will have to be able to move in and out because Henderson is going to try to pressure him around the cage, as he did the smaller Guida. He will likely try to hit Edgar hard and fast in the opening rounds in hopes of overwhelming the champion. The size difference between the two fighters will factor into this bout as well, as it has been reported that Henderson plans on weighing in around the 170-pound range come fight time. Edgar, on the other hand, has been known to walk around near 160 at the most, so the difference in size will be greatly noticeable.
The wrestling abilities of both competitors will also come in to play during this fight. Henderson will also try to use the aforementioned size advantage to dictate where the fight takes place. However Edgar has proven that he can take down larger fighters, as he did against Maynard and Matt Veach, as well as avoid their takedowns, like he did against former champion Sean Sherk. The crucial question for this fight is whether Henderson will make multiple attempts to take the champion down, or instead try to stand and trade with his opponent from start to finish.
On the mat, both competitors are brown belts in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Henderson was able to fight off multiple submission attempts when he defeated Miller during their bout, while Edgar was twice able to thwart BJ Penn, who could not find a way to secure a submission even though he found himself in dominant positions on the ground. I do not see a lot of offensive grappling in this bout; instead I see both fighters using their defensive grappling abilities to keep each other away from positions in which the other can attempt techniques.
This bout is extremely difficult to call, and I believe much of it hinges on the opening moments of the fight. If Henderson comes out guns blazing he will have to use his size and cardio to push Edgar around before he can get into his zone. Henderson has not been known for his knockout power, so I question whether he will be able to rock Edgar like Maynard was able to. Edgar, for his part, will have to stick and move the same way he’s done since starting his surge to the top. The longer this bout goes, the more he will be able to score points in the judges’ eyes by landing combinations, fending off takedowns, and scoring with his own takedowns when the opportunities open up. In a very close and exciting fight from start to finish, I have Frankie Edgar retaining his title by unanimous decision.
