UFC returns to Japan with huge card and big stars

video courtesy of @UFC.

As one of the believed birthplaces for modern day mixed martial arts, Japan has been home to some of the greatest fights in the history of sport and some of the biggest names to ever grace the fight world. However, since late-2000 the sport’s biggest brand has been relatively invisible in the Land of the Rising Sun.

The sport in general has been somewhat quiet in the country with the exception of several fledgling promotions since the merge of PRIDE FC into the UFC in 2007, but on Saturday night the UFC makes its long-awaited return to Saitama, Japan with a seven-fight, four-hour main card with UFC 144 headlined by a Lightweight Championship bout between champion Frankie Edgar and No. 1 contender Benson Henderson.

UFC 144’s main card starts off with a clash between two lightweight fighters that are hungry for a title shot in Anthony Pettis and Joe Lauzon. Both fighters are coming off of victories at UFC 136, Lauzon over Melvin Guillard and Pettis over Jeremy Stephens. A win would be a climb up the ladder for a title shot, but there is an outside chance the winner will get a shot at Gilbert Melendez and his Strikeforce title. That, for now, is only rumor but expect both men to put on a show and look to get a title shot in their future.

Next on the card is a featherweight bout between Japan’s Hatsu Hioki and Bart Palaszewski. Hioki is coming off a successful UFC debut at UFC 137 in which he defeated George Roop via split-decision. Palaszewski is looking to build off his KO victory over Tyson Griffin at…you guessed it, UFC 137. With no clear-cut opponent to Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo, this fight could help make the title picture less hectic. Both have more to prove in the UFC, but without a viable next challenger this could become a very intriguing fight.

The Japanese influence on the main card doesn’t end with Hioki. Yushin Okami takes on Tim Boetsch in a middleweight bout. Okami is coming off of a loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 134 while Boetsch is on a two-fight win streak. In a crowded middleweight division a win could take one of these two from the middle of the pack into championship talk. The same can’t really be said for Japan’s Yoshihiro Akiyama and San Francisco’s Jake Shields as they do battle in a welterweight bout.

Akiyama is on a three-fight losing streak and Shields is on a two-fight skid of his own. Shields is looking to rebound from a disappointing 2011, which he lost to Georges St. Pierre in April and was KO’d by Jake Ellenberger in less than a minute in September. A title shot isn’t in the immediate future for either fighter, but a win is what both men are in need of.

In what promises to be the hardest hitting fight of the night, heavyweights Cheick Kongo takes on Mark Hunt. Both men are riding two-fight win streaks. Each man has had a KO win followed by decision victories. As good as this battle of heavyweights could be, my money is on the light-heavyweight bout between Ryan Bader and Quinton Jackson, who is a legend of PRIDE FC.

Jackson, at the age of 33, is looking to make one last run at current champ Jon Jones and the UFC light-heavyweight title. He believes this title run can begin in Japan with a win over former The Ultimate Fighter winner Bader. Jackson is coming off a loss to Jones at UFC 135 whereas Bader is coming off of a KO win over Jason Brilz at UFC 139.

With the build-up of six fights on the main card and five more on the preliminary card, the crowd in Saitama is sure to be restless. But, the main event between Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson will surely send a shockwave through the arena.

Edgar walks in having a seven-fight unbeaten streak. He has gone 6-0-1 with two wins over B.J. Penn and a KO victory over Gray Maynard at UFC 136. Henderson is riding a three-fight win streak with unanimous decision wins over Mark Bocek, Jim Miller and, most recently, Clay Guida at UFC on FOX: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos. Combined these fighters have six Fight of the Night honors, so it is safe to assume that no matter the length of the fight it will be an exciting one.

Edgar and Henderson have proven to have knockout power and the ability to submit opponents. There is no such thing as quit in these fighters' vocabulary. No matter the circumstance each fighter gives it their all and will fight thru any injury. With so many classic battles in their past, fans can assume this one will be no different. With a win Edgar can solidify himself as one of the greatest lightweights of all-time. For Henderson there is more than just a title at stake. It is an opportunity to prove many of his naysayers wrong. To show he is more than just a high-energy fighter.

UFC 144 is a chance at future glory, a shot at reliving past success and an opportunity to prove that these warriors are worthy of title gold. With so many person storylines in the works, there is no place better than Japan to hold this card. The Land of the Rising Sun is rich with MMA history and UFC 144 promises to add another chapter this weekend.

Follow me on Twitter @NiteshDutt.