Edgar and Benson added to list of classic fights held in Japan

The UFC’s return to Japan promised to be an entertaining card on paper, but nobody imagined it would be this good. A seven fight main-card is rare in the UFC and for each fight to be as exciting as they were, was something nobody could have imagined. This night was one the UFC had been planning for and it was one that fans would not forget. Let’s get into the main card.

Lightweight Championship fight – Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson: Champion versus worthy opponent. One-time underdog versus current underdog. There were many storylines heading into UFC 144’s main event, but only one really mattered. UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar was looking to defend his title against former WEC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson.

It was a bout that had all the makings of a classic. Two fighters worthy of holding a championship title and one would walk out of Japan with the UFC title. Henderson and Edgar delivered with one of the best fights of all-time in the deepest weight class in the UFC.

Each round was a back and forth battle and could have gone either way. It would be one of those fights that would be talked about for months and would have fans clamoring for a rematch as soon as possible.

Benson was able to throw kicks and land them, but he was too slow to bring the kicks back and Edgar wound up holding onto his legs. He would land several punches before letting go. It was like that thru the first three rounds and when the fight reached the championship rounds things really picked up.

The momentum and energy of the fighters picked up. Edgar was looking like a fighter that had been through a gruesome battle while Henderson was untouched and looked ready to continue for another five rounds. As with three other fights on the main card, this one went to the judges. They had 49-46, 48-47 and 49-46 for the new UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson.

Catchweight (211 lb) – Quinton Jackson vs. Ryan Bader: The night’s co-main event pitted a one-time PRIDE FC legend, Jackson, who was returning to Japan and was set to face former The Ultimate Fighter winner Ryan Bader who was fighting in Japan for the first time in his career. It would be the biggest night in Bader’s career and, possibly, the lowest in Jackson’s. Quinton came in six-pounds overweight and did not look like the motivated Rampage fans expected.

Rampage was outworked in every aspect by Bader. Bader pushed the tempo and was able to land strikes, score takedowns and even had enough energy to try for a kimura as time expired in the third round. It was the dominating fight that can help build Bader up as a title contender. All three judges scored in favor of Bader, 30-27, to give him the win on the night.

Heavyweight – Mark Hunt vs. Cheick Kongo: This battle of behemoths promised to be a quick finish with somebody getting knocked out. The New Zealander Hunt made quick on that promise. He finished Kongo with a solid right hand followed by several other shots that dropped the Frenchman and caused Herb Dean to come in and end the bout. Unlike his bout with Pat Barry last year, there’d be no comeback for Kongo on this night.

Welterweight – Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields: It was a debut at welterweight for Akiyama and a fight that Shields needed to win after going 0-2 in 2011. Both men left it all on the mat, but it was Shields’s ability to throw more strikes and constant takedown attempts to push the tempo that garnered him the unanimous 30-27 victory over Sexiyama. It was Shields first win since 2010 and helped him bounce back from a disastrous 2011, both personally and professionally.

Middleweight – Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch: After two rounds this middleweight fight looked like it was going to be a dominant victory for Yushin Okami he had dictated the pace and controlled every aspect of the fight. Going into the third round, Boetsch needed a miraculous effort to pull out a win. And, that is exactly what he did. 54 seconds into the final round Boetsch had control of Okami’s head and was landing vicious uppercuts and dropped Okami. He followed up with more punches and won via TKO.

Featherweight – Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski: A featherweight bout that would likely settle the next opponent for Jose Aldo and his title went to Japan’s Hatsu Hioki. Hioki dominated Palaszewski thru all three rounds of action and showed to be a more skilled fighter than his UFC debut win over George Roop. It was a unanimous decision victory for Hioki who is likely next in-line for a shot at Aldo.

Lightweight – Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon: In what was expected to be one of the more exciting fights of the night, Pettis made sure the crowd was not disappointed. Lauzon was the one who tried to utilize kicks early on, but Pettis was able to land a shot to his chin and end it early in the first-round with an impressive KO victory. This win should put him next in line for a shot at the UFC lightweight title.

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