“UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson” takes place this evening at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan and features UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar defending his title against former WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson in the main event.
Also, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson returns to the same Arena where he fought his last Pride bout six years ago as he takes on TUF 8 winner Ryan Bader in a light heavyweight showdown in the night’s co-main event.
The card is also stacked with Japanese fighting talent such as top ranked featherweight Hatsu Hioki, top middleweight contender Yushin Okami, “The Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi and several others.
ProMMAnow.com (www.prommanow.com) will provide UFC 144 LIVE fight results and play-by-play commentary throughout the evening, starting with the single preliminary bout airing on Facebook at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT), moving to the rest of the preliminary card on FX at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m.PT) and then the Pay-Per-View card at the normal start time of 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT).
While waiting for the event to start, be sure to check out our complete photo gallery from the UFC 144 weigh-ins and stick around after the event to watch the UFC 144 post-fight press conference LIVE stream in our UFC Room.
UFC 144 quick results:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)
- Benson Henderson def. Frankie Edgar by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 49-46)
- Ryan Bader def. Quinton Jackson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Mark Hunt def. Cheick Kongo by TKO (punches) Rd 1 (2:11)
- Jake Shields def. Yoshihiro Akiyama by unanimous decision (20-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Tim Boetsch def. Yushin Okami by knockout (punches) Rd 3 (:54)
- Hatsu Hioki def. Bart Palaszewski by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Anthony Pettis def. Joe Lauzon by knockout (head kick) Rd 1 (1:21)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FX)
- Takanori Gomi def. Eiji Mitsuoka by TKO (punches) Rd 2 (2:21)
- Vaughan Lee def. Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto by submission (armbar) Rd 1 (4:29)
- Riki Fukuda def. Steve Cantwell by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Chris Cariaso def. Takeya Mizugaki by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)
- Issei Tamura def. Tiequan Zhang by knockout (punch) Rd 1 (:32)
UFC 144 play-by-play:
(145) Issei Tamura vs. Tiequan Zhang
Round 1 – Touch gloves. Zhang drops Tamura with a big right, but Tamura gets up and rocks Zhang with his own punches and Zhang goes down. Tamura attacks from inside full guard. Tamura landing hammerfists to the temple as Zhang tries to tie him up, holding on. Tamura in half guard now, more hammerfists, some small elbows with his left. Herb Dean stands them up. They exchange punches and Tamura shoots for a double, Zhang locks on a guillotine from half guard as they hit the ground. Tamura lands some elbows to the body and Zhang lets go the guillotine. Tamura postures up with a couple big shots. Zhang has full guard and goes for an arm triangle from the bottom. Lets it go quickly. Tamura postures up with more punches but Zhang ties him back up. PMN scores the round 10-9 Tamura.
Round 2 – Zhang counters as Tamura swings. Leg kick from Zhang but Tamura lands a huge right hand and Zhang goes down and out. Big knockout win from the featherweight Tamura in his UFC debut. He took this fight on just two weeks notice. He pawed with a left, measuring, then dropped a right bomb that puts Zhang out cold.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Issei Tamura def. Tiequan Zhang by knockout (punch) Rd 1 (:32)
The crowd seems to love it!
(135) Chris Cariaso vs. Takeya Mizugaki
Round 1 – Left high kick from Cariaso, Mizugaki counters with a punch. Leg kick inside from Mizugaki. Another left high kick from Cariaso and counter punch from Mizugaki. Clinch, right left on the break from Cariaso. Mizugaki ducks and dodges a couple punches, Mizugaki goes for a knee tap takedown, stuffed. Right hook, straight left from Cariaso knocks Mizugaki’s head back. They trade punch combos, tie up, Mizugaki with a trip takedown, now on top in full guard. Mizugaki with some ground and pound punches. Cariaso goes for an omoplata, locks it up, Mizugaki stands up and pulls out then lays back on top inside full guard. Body shot from Takeya, head shot. Cariaso punches from off his back. Takeya postures up with a big left. Cariaso tries to lock up an armbar, Takeya pulls out. Ground and pound game from Mizugaki from inside guard. Cariaso with punches off his back, a few elbows from Takeya before the bell. PMN scores the round 10-9 for Mizugaki.
Round 2 – Cariaso checks a leg kick. Takeya comes in swinging, they tie up against the cage. Knee from Cariaso. Takeya pulls out and they square up in the center. High kick from Cariaso and Mizugaki counter punches. Cariaso lands a right that snaps Mizugaki’s head back. Leg kick from Takeya. Takeya shoots, pushes Cariaso to the cage but can’t get the takedown. Cariaso drops levels looking for his own takedown. They trade knees. Cariaso gets a body lock, tries to muscle a takedown but ends up on bottom with Mizugaki inside full guard. Mizugaki postures up, stands and lands a couple big punches before laying back inside guard. Cariaso sweeps but Mizugaki stands up and they square up. They tie up, elbow from Cariaso. PMN scores the round 10-9 for Mizugaki.
Round 3 – Left head kick from Cariaso, Mizugaki ties him up against the cage. Couple knees from Cariaso and Mizugaki answers. Cariaso drops levels for a shot. Mizugaki defends. Cariaso backs out with a combo. He ties up, knee to the gut from Cariaso, again, right elbow. Mizugaki with over under. Cariaso lands another elbow on the break. Cariaso goes for a left high kick, Mizugaki counters with a right and Cariaso slips to his back. Mizugaki lays on top inside guard and returns to his ground and pound. Cariaso tries to throw his legs up trying to make something happen. Mizugaki hardly tried to pass guard this whole fight. Cariaso makes it to his feet and lands a couple short punches before the bell but Mizugaki should have this easily. PMN scores the round 10-9 and the fight 30-27 for Mizugaki.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Chris Cariaso def. Takeya Mizugaki by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Rd 3 (5:00)
NOTE: The polite Japanese crowd even knows this decision was complete B.S. and boos. This is one of the worst decision I’ve ever ever seen and I really think maybe they read the results wrong. I think maybe there was a mistake somewhere. There’s no way in hell Mizugaki lost that fight. — Maybe this is a sign the Yakuza is still in control! I don’t know who they have for judges over here but that was ridiculous. Surprise Rogan and Goldy barely said a word about the decision.
(185) Steve Cantwell vs. Riki Fukuda
Round 1 – Head kick from Cantwell and the Robot gets put on his back. Fukuda inside full guard. Cantwell throwing his legs up looking for something. Nice elbows from Fukuda and the Japanese crowd is going crazy. Nice punches from Fukuda. Cantwell gets to his feet and Fukuda has him against the cage. Cantwell grabs a Thai plum and lands a couple knees on the break. They square up, nice inside leg kick from Cantwell, body shot. Nice right hand stuns Fukuda. one two, shot from Fukuda, stuffed. Leg kick from Fukuda. Leg kick from Cantwell as Fukuda shoots, Fukuda slips, gets up. Leg kick from Fukuda, again. One two three backs Cantwell up. Right hand from Cantwell. Right hook leg kick from Fukuda. One two from Cantwell. Right hand from Fukuda, leg kick. Right to the body from Cantwell. Leg kick from Fukuda. Again. Head kick from Cantwell, blocked. Head kick with other foot (right), then a body kick. PMN scores the round 10-9 for Cantwell.
Round 2 – Leg kick from Fukuda, inside, another. Inside from Cantwell. One two from Fukuda, shoots and takes Cantwell down but Cantwell locks on a guillotine. It’s tight. Fukuda punches the body. Cantwell adjusts and jumps to his feet right away as he lets it go. Half a collar tie from Fukuda and lands several punches with the other hand, does it again after Cantwell fires back a little. Left hook from Cantwell. Inside leg kick from Fukuda, checked. Body kick from Fukuda. Left hook from Fukuda, backs Cantwell to the cage, lands a combo, body shot after body shot . Cantwell’s back to the cage, misses a spinning elbow and fires back. Fukuda out-striking Cantwell right now. But Cantwell is tough, hangs strong, lands a couple nice shots in return as the crowd cheers. They square back up, high kick from Cantwell, body shot, another high kick. Uppercut from Fukuda, another, with a right right after, unleashes a nice combo then lands s low kick to the groin and time is called. Back to action. Cantwell gets the takedown, tries to go to side control, scramble and both back to the feet. PMN scores the round 10-9 Fukuda.
Round 3 – One two from Fukuda, leg kick. Leg kick. Leg kick inside. Right hand. Leg kick, leg kick outside. Inside leg kick. Cantwell checks a couple leg kicks. Front kick right hand from Cantwell. Fukuda fires back with a one two. Right from Fukuda on the chin. Head kick and a right from Cantwell. Cantwell looks to have slowed a bit. Fukuda shoots and puts Cantwell on his back. Cantwell throws up his legs for an armbar. Now has a gogoplata locked up but Fukuda escapes an now has his back. Cantwell rolls, Fukuda in side control. Cantwell gets to his feet. One and a half minutes to go. Leg kick right hand from Fukuda. Leg kick, leg kick outside. Fukuda landing a couple nice combos to the head and body. Body head from Cantwell. Body kick from Fukuda, again, again. He’s picking Cantwell apart. Cantwell is exhausted. Body kick from Fukuda, one two, body kick, front kick. Man Fukuda looked amazing. PMN scores the round 10-9 and the fight 29-28 for Fukuda.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Riki Fukuda def. Steve Cantwell by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) Rd 3 (5:00)
(135) Vaughan Lee vs. Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto
Round 1 – Lee trying to close the distance as Kid circles on the outside. Right hook from Kid. body shot from Lee. They tie up, Lee tries to escape, body kick from Kid. Right hook from Kid. Lee lands one back. Knee from Kid after slipping to the ground briefly. Big right hook from Kid drops Lee. He gets up and Kid unleashes a big combo as Lee covers up. Lee seems okay for now. Big knee from Lee wobbles Kid. They tie up against the cage. Body shot from Lee. One two from Kid, left. Right hook from Lee. One two from Kid. He misses an uppercut. Lee wobbles Kid and Kid takes him down. Lee locks up a triangle, it’s deep, lands some elbows to the head, switches to an amrbar and Kid taps out. Kid punches the ground in anger, losing in his home country here in the UFC. Beautiful performance from Vaughan Lee.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Vaughan Lee def. Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto by submission (armbar) Rd 1 (4:29)
(155) Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka
Round 1 – Uppercut connects from Mitsuoka. Right hook from Mitsuoka but Gomi counters him and puts him on one knee. He’s back up, lands a right hook and a left. Shoots, stuffed, two big knees from Gomi, another knee from Gomi. Right hook from Mitsuoka. Leg kick from Mitsuoka. Right from Mitsuoka connects. He shoots, stuffed. Gomi pawing with a left. Misses the right. Pawing again, misses again. Mitsuoka connects with a straight left. Body kick from Gomi scores. Uppercut from Mitsuoka but Gomi counters solid, leg kick, leg kick again. Straight left from Mitsuoka. Body kick from Gomi. Gomi gets caught by a big right coming in and goes down. Mitsuoka takes his back and gets a mounted triangle with 15 seconds to go and is saved by the bell. He gets up, shakes his head. Wow! PMN scores the round 10-9 for Mitsuoka.
Round 2 – Body kick from Gomi. Mitsuoka lands a left, a right. They stand in the pocket and trade shots. Gomi is head hunting. He smells blood. Mitsuoka shoots, stuffed. Gomi grabs half a collar tie and lands some big punches. Gomi pours it on with big shots and knees and Mitsuoka shoots. He has Gomi’s leg and Gomi gives him big body shots. Mitsuoka turtles up and Gomi pounds away to the side of the head until the referee stops it. Great comeback by Gomi. Great fight and the crowd is on fire for the Fireball Kid.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Takanori Gomi def. Eiji Mitsuoka by TKO (punches) Rd 2 (2:21)
(155) Joe Lauzon vs. Anthony Pettis
Round 1 – No glove touch. High kick from Pettis, blocked. Leg kick. One two from Pettis, one two from Lauzon. One two from Pettis as Lauzon covers up. Side kick from Pettis. One two from Joe. Head kick from Pettis and Joe Lauzon goes down and out. One left high kick right to the chin and Joe Lauzon goes out for the first time in his career. Joe thought it was going low, went to block it and took the shin on the chin. Pettis landed a couple hammerfists to put the stamp on it but they weren’t needed.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Anthony Pettis def. Joe Lauzon by knockout (head kick) Rd 1 (1:21)
(145) Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski
Round 1 – Touch gloves. Left from Hioki, front kick. Hioki drops him to his butt with a left jab, then lands a leg kick as Bart gets up. Leg kick from Bart. Front kick from Hioki. Leg kick. Jab. Jab from Bart, ducks for a single, Bart hops, locks up a guillotine but Hioki is out, moves to half guard to the cheers of the crowd, to side control and the crowd goes nut, that’s an educated crowd folks. Hioki landing several punches as he traps Bart’s right arm from side control. Elbow from Hioki, he is dominating this fight so far. Hammerfist and Bart gives up his back. Hoki goes for the arm. Bart rolls, stands up. Bart rolls, they scramble and Bart is free and the crowd goes nuts. Hioki on top inside full guard. Hammerfists and punches from Hioki. Big left hands and right hammerfists from Hioki. Hioki postures up with big shots before the bell. PMN scores the round 10-8 for Hioki.
Round 2 – Front kick Hioki. Head kick, blocked. Jab. Checks a leg kick. Left jab to the body from Hioki. Again. Big one two from Bart scores. Leg kick from Bart. Right hand. Right to the body from Hioki. Head kick from Hioki. Left jab from Hioki. Leg kick from Bart, left counter. Hioki checks his leg kick, front kick. Just misses a head kick, lands one, checks a leg kick, lands a leg kick. Leg kick from Bart. Again. Again. Body punch, leg kick. Leg kick from Bart on the end of a double jab. Front kick from Hioki lands low. Brief break. Leg kick from Hioki. Bar lands an inside leg kick, lands low. Brief break. Right hand from Bart. Leg kick. Looks much better this round. Two front kicks from Hioki. One two leg kick from Bart. Jab and shot from Hioki, gets the takedown, goes for the back as the bell sounds. Close round PMN scores it 10-9 for Palaszewski.
Round 3 – Bart comes out swinging. Hioki shoots, stuffed. Knee from Bart, trip takedown from Hioki and he’s on top in empty half guard. Hioki moves to side control, knee to body, goes for the mount. Bart has him in a headlock, lets it go. Hioki in side control in a modified crucifix. Drops an elbow or two, punches, knee to the body. Bart gives up his back with just over two minutes to go. Hiioki gets both hooks in now as Bart gets to one knee. Hammerfist from Hioki and punches to the face and body. Bart trying to get up. Hioki with a body triangle and pulls Bart down and goes for the neck crank with 15 seconds left. PMN scores the round 10-9 for Hioki and the fight 29-27 for Hioki.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Hatsu Hioki def. Bart Palaszewski by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) Rd 3 (5:00)
(185) Tim Boetsch vs. Yushin Okami
Round 1 – Leg kick Boetsch. Front kick. Right hand from Tim. Left right from Tim. Lef from Okami. High kick from Tim. Yushin pushes him back. Nice right from Yushin. Tim wipes his eye. Nice right from Yushin knocks Tim off balance. Right from Yushin counters a leg kick. Right hand from Tim. High kick blocked. Front kick, again. Tim shoots, stuffed. Right from Tim. Inside leg kick from Okami. Head kick from Okami. Boetsch does not look good. Looks timid. Body kick from Okami. Right on the chin. Leg kick from Boetsch. Head kick from Okami is blocked. Left from Tim, leg kick. Right hand. Tim presses forward with a right left. He’s using some very awkward angles. Big knee to the body from Okami. PMN scores the round 10-9 for Okami.
Round 2 – Nice jab and big knee to the body from Okami. Tim presses forward with a combo and Okami dodges it. Nice head movement from Tim. Okami ties him up against the cage. Body, head shot from Tim. Okami with a body lock, muscles Tim against the cage. Drops levels and puts Tim on his back. Tim has Okami in a guillotine but he does not have him locked up with guard and Okami is out after Tim used up a lot of energy there. Okami in half guard, trying to move to side control. Okami drops some punches and hammerfists to the body. Yushin mounts and is looking for Tim’s arm. Lets the arm go and starts raining punches. Tim tries to scramble but Yushin holds him down. PMN scores the round 10-9 for Okami.
Round 3 – Matt Hume told Tim he has to be “super aggressive”. Right hand from Tim. Knee and a right from Tim. Right hand over the top. He hurt Okami with a right and puts him on the run. Big uppercuts from Tim. He holds the back of Okami’s head and knocks him out and Joe Rogan just lost his damn mind like I’ve never heard. It was a remarkable comeback. Joe Rogan said it was the greatest comeback in the history of the UFC. As soon as Tim had him hurt he smelled blood and went for the kill. Amazing guys! And yes I picked Tim to win, but don’t think I wasn’t nervous the first two rounds (see our staff picks). Yes I was the only one of the staff to pick Tim; just lucky I guess.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Tim Boetsch def. Yushin Okami by knockout (punches) Rd 3 (:54)
(170) Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields
Round 1 – Light leg kicks inside from Jake, one to the outside. Right hand behind the head. Slips and back up. Light leg kick inside, one two punch. Shoots for a single pushes him to the cage. Akiyama gets an underhook and stops the takedown. Knee from Shields. He backs out. One two from Shields, high kick. Shields shoots, stuffed. Body kick from Shields, again. Left hand from Shields. Left from Shields, shoots for a single, trips Akiyama but he gets right up and loses him. Shields ties him up against the cage. Low knee from Shields hits the cup. Shields has a back body lock. Akiyama grabbed the cage at one point to prevent the takedown. Time is called as Akiyama drops his mouthguard and got free of the clinch. Shields lands some jabs. Crazy trip takedown from Akiyama. But can’t do anything with it. Shields up, lands some jabs. PMN scores the round 10-9 Shields. I swear man… I don’t know what Rogan is watching sometimes. He just said great round for Akiyama. He did nothing.
Round 2 – Akiyama goes for that same trip takedown but not this time. They trade strikes in the pocket. Spinning backfist from Akiyama doesn’t land solid. They go back to boxing. Shields’ shot gets stuffed twice so far this round. Body kick from Shields, leg kick. Jab from Shields. Body kick. Body kick from Akiyama, Shields catches it, lets it go. Leg kick from Shields, jab. Jab jab. Jab from Shields. Shields looks at the clock. It’s not pretty but Shields is winning the stand up. Left jab from Akiyama. They tie up, Akiyama pushes him off. Big leg kick from Akiyama. Right hand from Akiyama. Leg kick from Shields. Jab from Akiyama. They tie up and Akiyama judo throws him but can’t do anything with it. And Shields is back up with the clinch. Body lock from behind by Shields. They do the merry go round with Jake hanging on. PMN scores the round 10-9 for Shields.
Round 3 – Touch gloves. One two from Shields. Jab from Shields. Right hand. Left hand and a big right from Akiyama. Leg kick body kick from Shields, left hand. Leg kick from Shields. Leg kick from Shields. Again. Jake tries to clinch, gets pushed off. Two nice kicks from Shields, jab. One two from Shields. Uppercut from Akiyama. Shields shoots, Akiyama gets underhooks and pushes Shields aside. They tie up against the cage. Body shots from Akiyama. Leg kick from Shields, again. Body kick. Shields shoots, stuffed. Shields gets Akyama’s butt touching the ground and that’s it though and is back up. Shields with a body lock and lands several knees before the ref breaks them up. Jab body kick from Shields, jab. Takes Akiyama down and Akiyama gets up. He goes to take him down again and Akiyama prevents it twice by grabbing the fence. Shields goes for the choke with 10 seconds left. Rogan says, “I think Shields might have got it there…. really Joe?” Shields had it after the second round most likely in my opinion. All he did was two or three judo throws and very little more except some good takedown defense. PMN scores the round 10-9 and 30-27 for Shields.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Jake Shields def. Yoshihiro Akiyama by unanimous decision (20-27, 30-27, 30-27) Rd 3 (5:00)
(265) Cheick Kongo vs. Mark Hunt
Round 1 – Heavyweight time baby. Touch gloves. Leg kick from Hunt, Kongo catches it and Hunt falls. Kongo presses in clinched and Hunt turns him to the cage. Kongo backs out. Leg kick from Kongo. Hunt misses a left hook. Jab from Kongo, front kick. Paws with a jab. Overhand right from Hunt misses. Checks a leg kick. Hunt misses a left hook. They trade leg kicks. Hunt lands a counter left that drops Kongo. Kongo gets back up. Hunt lands a huge right and Kongo gets hurt and goes on the run. Hunt hunts him down with more right hands and Kongo goes down. Hunt lands some more shots and the ref is forced to save him.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Mark Hunt def. Cheick Kongo by TKO (punches) Rd 1 (2:11)
Amazing Hunt has put together three straight wins now in the UFC. Who would have thunk it? Not me and that just cost me my Kountermove victory dadgumit.
(205) Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Ryan Bader
Round 1 – Rampage walks out to the Pride theme song and the crowd goes crazy. Rampage takes the center early. Jab, leg kick from Bader. Leg kick Bader. One two from Bader and Quinton shoots, stuffed. Bader presses him to the cage. Left hand and knee to the thighs from Bader. Body shot from Bader. Bader backs out after Rampage pummels under. They meet back in the center. Bader with a big overhand right and it looked like the breeze made Rampage go off balance a little. Leg kick from Bader. Leg kick. Jab from Bader. Overhand right from Bader clips Rampage and they tie up, he presses on Rampage against the cage. Bader backs out. Leg kick from Bader inside. Leaping left hook from Bader is blocked. Nice left hook from Bader. Shoots for a double, presses Rampage to the cage. Rampage looks for a shot, stuffed. Front head lock from Bader, lands a knee, Rampage puts a hand down. Rampage shoots, stuffed. Rampage with a body shot and swings big and just misses a big combo. PMN scores the round 10-9 for Bader.
Round 2 – Lef t hook, leg kick from Bader. Rampage just misses a big right. Again. Leg kick from Bader. Rampage misses another punch. Overhand right from Bader lands on top of the head. Rampage shoots, stuffed. Pushes Bader to the cage. Body shot from Rampage, again. Rampage caught a knee and slammed Bader on his head. They get up and Rampage landed a big knee to the head. Bader gets a takedown, on top in half guard. That was a huge slam. Bader lands a little elbow. The crowd boos. I didn’t even know they booed in Japan. Bader throwing elbows and scoots him to the cage. Rampage trying to get up breathing hard. Bader puts him back on his back. Rampage gets to his knees. Bader with knees to the thighs. Tries to drag him down. Bader picks up Rampage for a little slam, lands a right hand. Rampage recovers full guard. Couple elbows from Rampage and he is warned for the 12 to 6 elbow. Rampage is very slow to get up. PMN scores that round 10-9 for Bader.
Round 3 – Rampage takes the center. Left jab counters a leg kick. Bader ties him up, presses Rampage to the cage. He hits Rampage’s thigh. Rampage backs out. Bader shoots, stuffed. Rampage hunting. Blocks a left hook. Gets the takedown and lands in side control. Knee to the body from Bader. Again. Again. Elbow from Bader. Rampage gets full guard. Rampage kicks him off and tries to get up but Bader grabs him again and wrestles him down. Rampage with a right hand underneath but gets put back on his back ad Bader goes for the ground and pound and even the Japanese fans boo. Bader with elbows to the body with one minute to go. Punches from Bader, nothing big, just staying busy enough not to get stood up. Ryan looks for a kimura but Rampage gets free. Rampage tries to get up and Bader goes for a guillotine. Time is up and Rampage is still on his back in the center of Saitama. Rampage has come full circle. This is the last place when he fought in Japan six years ago. And sad to say but it’s time to move on I do believe.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Ryan Bader def. Quinton Jackson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Rd 3 (5:00)
The good news for Bader is he gets 20% of Rampage’s big purse!
(155 Title) Frankie Edgar (c) vs. Benson Henderson
Round 1 – Ben flashing a jab. Leg kick from Edgar. Right hand. Edgar catches a leg kick. Ben kicks at the head with his other leg but kicks over his head, almost scalped Frankie. He’s right back up. They meet kicks in the air. Ben looks huge. Body kick from Ben. Edgar catches the next one and dumps Ben. He’s back up. Edgar catches a leg kick. Inside leg kick from Edgar. Superman punch followed by a kick to the groin. Brief time out. Edgar catches a leg, kicks him three times back. Nice counter right from Edgar. Right to the body. He catches another one. Again. Right from Edgar. Misses a high kick. Great angles from Edgar. Lands a body shot counter to Ben’s left. Takedown by Edgar but Ben bounces up. Knee from Henderson. Catches a leg lands a right from Edgar. Edgar with a left hook after knocking Ben down with a sweep. PMN scores the round 10-9 for Edgar.
Round 2 – Ben comes out flashing a jab, eats a couple shots from Edgar. Edgar catches a kick and lands two in return. Big right from Bendo right on the chin and Rogan nor Goldy call it, they missed it and it was his hardest punch of the fight. The hardest punch of the fight. Edgar catches another kick and Hendo swings for his hid hard. Bendo lands a nice jab as Edgar comes in with a combo. Edgar is still out striking him though at this point. He’s faster. Left hand from Bendo and a knee. Spinning backfsit from Edgar is blocked. One two from Edgar, shoots and gets the takedown, has a front headlock. Henderson gets up. Right from Edgar. Inside leg kick from Edgar. Dodges a punch kick from Ben. They tie up, Ben lands a kick on the exit and Edgar lands a one two. Right from Edgar. Takedown from Edgar, inside full guard with half a minute to go. Ground and pound from Edgar. Big up kick from Henderson hurts Edgar bad and cuts him open, it might have broke his nose. Ben sweeps at the bell. PMN scores the round 10-9 for Benson. The upkick almost KO’d him. Ben jumped on a guillotine right after that but time ran out.
Round 3 – Body kick from Edgar. Frankie seems okay. Right from Edgar. They tie up briefly. Nice counter combo from Edgar and his nose is leaking badly. Body kick from Benson. Edgar shoots, carries him all across the cage but not down. Knee to the body from Ben. “Frankie” chants from the crowd. Nice right from Edgar. Edgar gets taken down and Henderson tries to hold him there but he’s back up, eats a kick. Edgar’s eye is almost closed from swelling. Right hand from Edgar. One two from Edgar. Leg kick. Edgar catches a hard body kick. They tie up and Edgar slams him but Ben is right back up and they go back to striking. Edgar with a takedown before the bell to take the round 10-9.
Round 4 – Edgar can still see out of his eye, they checked him between rounds. Ben is completely unmarked on his face unlike Edgar. Inside leg kick from Edgar. Edgar catches a kick. Jab from Ben. Leg kick from Edgar. Body kick from Ben. One two from Edgar. Kick to the groin from Ben and time is called. Nice right from Edgar. A counter right, leg kick. Nice one two counter. Nice jab from Ben. Edgar catches a knee, slams Bendo but is caught in a guillotine with full guard. Edgar gets free and back to the feet as he attempts to take Ben’s back. Edgar catches another leg kick and gives a counter right, again. Nice counter right from Edgar snaps Ben’s head back. Edgar gets another takedown. Nice jab from Ben on the way up. Leg kick from Ben. PMN scores the round 10-9 for Edgar.
Round 5 – One two from Edgar. Edgar catches another kick. Left hand from Ben. Edgar shoots, stuffed, Edgar with an uppercut on the break. Ben flashing a right jab and gets hit with a big left. Edgar gets a takedown, Ben is up, goes for the standing kimura again and Edgar lets go. They square back up. Inside leg kick from Edgar. Nice left right from Henderson. Left from Edgar. Body kick from Ben. Edgar drops Ben with a right hand. Ben lands a body kick on the way up. Edgar catches another kick and fires back. His footwork has been the key. Edgar shoots, stuffed, shoots again, eats a knee to the body. Ben gets a takedown at the end and drops a couple punches as the bell sounds. PMN scores the round 10-9 for Edgar and the fight 49-46 for Edgar.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Benson Henderson def. Frankie Edgar by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 49-46) Rd 5 (5:00)
Not sure who the judges were tonight… Maybe I’m crazy, but Mizugaki’s loss was one of the worst robberies in recent memory and I frankly don’t understand this decision either.
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That Mizugaki decision was one of the worst I have ever seen…and he is Japanese, in Japan???
That Mizugaki decision was one of the worst I have ever seen…and he is Japanese, in Japan???
[…] TODAYLive NOW: UFC 144 'Edgar vs. Henderson' Results and Play-by-PlaySherdog.comUFC 144 LIVE results and play-by-playPro MMA Now5thRound.com -Bloody Elbow -Head Kick Legendall 539 news articles » […]
[…] TODAYLive NOW: UFC 144 'Edgar vs. Henderson' Results and Play-by-PlaySherdog.comUFC 144 LIVE results and play-by-playPro MMA Now5thRound.com -Bloody Elbow -Head Kick Legendall 539 news […]
[…] TODAYLive NOW: UFC 144 'Edgar vs. Henderson' Results and Play-by-PlaySherdog.comUFC 144 LIVE results and play-by-playPro MMA Now5thRound.com -Bloody Elbow -Head Kick Legendall 539 news […]
[…] TODAYLive NOW: UFC 144 'Edgar vs. Henderson' Results and Play-by-PlaySherdog.comUFC 144 LIVE results and play-by-playPro MMA Now5thRound.com -Bloody Elbow -Head Kick Legendall 541 news […]
[…] start with the one fight on …UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson Preliminary Card Live BlogHeavy.comUFC 144 LIVE results and play-by-playPro MMA NowUFC 144 Predictions: Winner for Every Fight on the CardBleacher ReportNorthern Voices […]
See..that’s why I don’t really bet on fights….that was a robbery…
i thought maybe i was crazy… i gave every round to mizugaki. i seriously thought they read the name wrong.
What the hell just happend??? How did Benson win that??????
I know they brought some refs over but where did these judges come from?
I know! I seriousy think these judges were payed off… two judges giving 49-46 to benson is just a joke! Btw, your interview with chael sonnen was awesome!
I thought Henderson won that fight without question….he landed the harder shots…was the aggressor…Edgar didn’t do much damage at all…if any…also…he didn’t do anything with the takedowns he did get…and the kicks he kept catching from Henderson…he caught them AFTER they landed…
I can’t wait to see the Fightmetric stats on this one….
Like this….
http://blog.fightmetric.com/2012/02/henderson-vs-edgar-official-ufc.html
Fight metric backs you up. Compustrike does not. I also think whole “they landed before he caught them” is bull shit. If a kick lands with force you’re not catching it every single time. Sure they landed, but not giving the person credit for putting that opposite fighter at a disadvantage everytime is insane to me.
I had the fight exactly the way Jack had it. Most sites I’ve looked at so far had it for Edgar. Still haven’t seen Junkie, and a few others but here, Sherdog, mmafighting, and bloodyelbow had it for Frankie. MMAweekly had it for Ben.
Interesting… Still think that Edgar won though…
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FM has its issues too…but they are much more accurate than Compustrike…Compustrike is horrible…
“If a kick lands with force you’re not catching it every single time. Sure they landed, but not giving the person credit for putting that opposite fighter at a disadvantage everytime is insane to me.”
If Edgar had done something to do damage after catching the kicks…then yea…but he just let the leg go without doing anything like 90% of the time…everybody keeps talking about the takedowns…but Edgar didn’t do anything with them! He couldn’t keep Henderson down…I thought it was a pretty clear cut win for Henderson…
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[…] UFC 144 LIVE results and play-by-playPro MMA Now“UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson” takes place this evening at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan and features UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar defending his title against former WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson in the main event.Takeya Mizugaki Paid 'Win Bonus' Despite Loss at UFC 1445thRound.comUFC 144 results recap: FX 'Prelims' round up for 'Edgar vs Henderson' PPV …MMAmania.comall 47 news articles » […]
Edgar usually landed a kick off the tie up, or maybe a punch to the body. Either way catching a kick like that so many times adds in to “octagon control”, doesn’t it?
I’ve said it before I thought compustrike was better. After the sonnen-bisping fight, and condit-diaz fight I leaned more with FM’s stats; but after this fight I gotta go back to compustrike. There’s just no way in hell Ben landed 20 more strikes then Edgar did in that fight.
Maybe the most baffling thing to me is that the two “Fact or Stat checking websites” have the fight completely different.
BTW checked a few other sites, and a few more had it for Ben but the majority was still Edgar. It seems to be just one of those decisions that could have literally gone either way depending on which judges were watching the fights.
I’m pretty sure Henderson landed 20 more strikes than Edgar…
Compustrike #’s are always ‘off’ IMO….I don’t use them…counting stuff like ‘arm strikes’ is dumb IMO…I mean if a guy blocks a punch and it hits the arm it counts? smh…
The overall consensus is that Edgar got whipped…on FO comments…on the UG…on Twitter it’s about even…and even Dana White saw the FM numbers and has reconsidered who he thought won I do believe…
The overall consensus is no where near that Edgar got whipped. That’s either you not doing enough research on the subject, or an out right lie.
There was close to zero conversation on FO about the actual fight. It was 90% about the show, and of those comments it was about 7 people who discussed the fight.
On FO…tons of people commenting…first few people mention they though Henderson clearly won….only like 2 including yourself thought Edgar won…I’m making an assumption here…but I’d like to think more folk would say state they though Edgar won if that was the case…
I’ve gone to several forums and the consensus if that Henderson won…I don’t like to use sites play by play…I’ve done them for PMN and my old site…it’s tough to watch a fight…type and catch everything IMO…so I’d rather go by people that can watch the fight the whole time…
On FO the majority thought Henderson won. I’m not disputing that. What I’m saying is only 6 or 7 people not including myself even discussed the fight. The majority of that discussion went towards how the Japanese crowd took to the UFC, how they will fare in the future, so on and so forth.
I comment here, lowkick, junkie, sherdog, and 5oz along with FO. The majority of Junkie was for Henderson at first, and in the past few days it went to about even. Sherdog it was completely split down the middle, 5oz was more towards Ben. On Lowkick I did the PBP along with live chat (which was a hell of a good time as it was the first time we froze because of the amount of comments…). There is was favored towards Frankie, and on the days after it’s become more split up in the comments section.
If you want to say the majority though Henderson won I won’t dispute that because that might very well be the case. But saying the general consensus is that Edgar got whipped is just not an accurate statement.