UFC 144 Recap: Benson Henderson leaves Japan as the new UFC Lightweight Champion
Posted on February 26, 2012, 02:44 AM by Trent Reinsmith
The odds for UFC 144’s main event had Frankie Edgar as the slight favorite, but that may have been a bit of a sentimental pick, because on paper it looked like Benson Henderson was the better fighter. However after betting against Edgar for so long and coming up wrong it looked like he had finally convinced many that he was the real deal.
That’s not to say that Edgar is not the real deal, it was just that tonight Edgar’s “heart of a champion” just wasn’t enough to overcome the skill, strength and shear size of Benson Henderson, who became the new UFC Lightweight Champion in Japan.
Questions after seeing Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson:
-What’s next? This is a difficult question. Does Frankie Edgar deserve a rematch? Yes, he probably does. Does Anthony Pettis deserve a shot at Benson Henderson’s crown? Yes, he probably does. Should Edgar drop to Featherweight and challenge Jose Aldo for that title? Again, this is something that is not out of the question. The fighters and the UFC management team have a lot to ponder after this one, but the reality is no matter what decision they make to the above questions, the fans will be the winners.
-Was the fight scored correctly? As soon as any big name fight ends in a decision there are many that question if the scoring was correct. This fight was no different. I don’t know if you’ll find many that think that Frankie Edgar was robbed of a win, but you will probably find some that thought the scoring was closer than what was announced.
Questions Following UFC 144:
-Will there be a better card during 2012? Selfishly I really hope there is a better card, but the reality is that this one will be hard to top. The first fight of the night was an amazing 32-second KO and it never really let up for the entire evening. Add to that fact that the UFC seemed moving things along like they had rented the arena by the minute and their was hardly any let up, it was fight after fight after fight. It was an incredible card and one that should go a long way toward establishing the UFC as a legitimate force in Japan.
-What’s next for Tim Boetsch? Boetsch showed every fighter that ever found themselves down two rounds to none, what can be accomplished with a solid chin, strong punching and a little touch of crazy. Boetsch was down when the third round began, but he threw caution to the wind and did what more fighters should do when backed into the corner, he fought his way out with abandon and KO’d Yushin Okami. He may not be title shot material at 185 but he sure looks like he could play spoiler.
-Can we finally stop harping on the Showtime kick? Was the kick that Anthony Pettis delivered in his WEC title bout against Benson Henderson memorable? Yes it was, but Pettis was and is more than that kick and he showed that at UFC 144 when he stopped Joe Lauzon with a perfectly placed head kick at 1:21 of Round One.
-Is Mark Hunt the most powerful striker in the Heavyweight division? That question is debatable, but there is a way to end that debate, put him in the Octagon against another heavy-handed heavyweight.
LowKick.com UFC 144 Main Card Awards:
Fight of the Night: Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson. A lesser fighter may have mailed it in when their nose exploded and their eye swelled shut. A lesser fighter may have opted to tap when their opponent clamped on a guillotine choke that stretched their neck in an unnatural manner. Frankie Edgar is not a lesser fighter nor was his opponent Benson Henderson. One of the better fights of 2012 and a definite candidate for Fight of the Year
Performance of the Night: Tim Boetsch. In a fight where he could have easily packed it in, he came out in the final round looking to end things and he did. There was no way he was winning if his fight against Yushin Okami went to the cards, so he avoided that, knocking Okami out less than a minute into the final stanza.
Finish of the Night: Anthony Pettis: He put his shin right onto the jaw off Joe Lauzon and dropped him to his back. The punches that he threw after that were not needed as there was no way Lauzon was getting up. The Showtime kick, forget about that one, remember this one.
Further Reading: UFC 144: Ben Henderson dethrones Frankie Edgar in Japan
Photo: Tracy Lee for YahooSports
Comments
i think edgar lost if stays in lightweight he needs to win once or twice with a deifinitive victory, pettis should fight the winner of diaz vs miller. if edgar do decide to go 145 could be the hardest fight for aldo .. imo
I think Frankie Lost because Randy Predicted He'll Win. Another one for Randy ! If I bet $1,000 Against all of Randy's Pick I would have a Million Dollars by Now.
Pettis vs Diaz would be gold!
I don't think Edgar moving to 145 will be such a wise move on his part. Let's not forget who the FW champ is at this moment.
Mad props to Ben for becoming the new UFC LW champ, congrats.
due to his age and lack of ground game it is highly unlikely they will ever fight but mark hunt ko's jds 9 out of ten times and the other time he just beats the crap out of him
Im gay and id give bendo a bonus for winning ;)
A big bonus or just a little one LOL
No rematch for Edgar
he has tied up the division for over 2 years with rematches
let's see Edgar-Maynard 4 instead
and let ben do his rematch with Pettis
plus Miller-Diaz will create a frontrunner that Edgar would face in a title eliminator
to get some big buzz started
You just said Edgar has tied up the division with rematches for 2 years, then ask him to rematch Maynard for the third time? LOL nice logic
I think Ben will beat Nate handily due to style. Ben is unconcerned with people trying to intimidate. Ben has great wrestling and when there is basically unsubmittable. Ben utilizes kicks a lot to keep range and cut off escape. Ben has good powerful hands and a decent chin. Diaz can swarm Henderson but it is unlikely to slow Ben down. Ben has at least as good cardio if not better. Ben is stronger and faster. I think ben wins via decision due to Nates toughness.
Guys, Pettis is 2-1 in the UFC. Lost 30-27 to Guida, SD to Jer. Stephens (who is not even top 20) and now one kick and he is the #1 contender.
Bendo vs Diaz/Miller
Pettis vs Edgar (#1 cont. fight)
Rampage vs Tito
Bader vs Gustaffson (if beats Lil Nog)
Shields vs Kampmann/Alves winner
Akiyama vs Hughes
Boetsch vs Munoz
Okami vs Maia
Hioki vs Poirier/KZ
Bartimus vs Oliveira
Hunt vs Browne/Griggs
Kongo vs Nelson
Lauzon vs dos Anjos
Gomi vs Stout
pettis is 2-1 on the UFC but he has a victory like 15 months ago to bendo!! and also if you think the fight against stephens was close you didnt watch cause he won that one easily.
if miller defeats diaz why will he deserve a shot before pettis?? miller lose to bendo and pettis didnt... ill give pettis the shot and make fight edgar against miller/diaz
rampage franklin
bader machida
shields vs mcdonald/mills
hunt carwin
on every other match up i agree 100%. maybe on the hioki vs poirier/kz i dont... aldo needs a contender right now. if dana wants to make money he better make edgar fight aldo because if not hes going to destroy hioki and i dont think anyone wants to see that fight
I never said the Stephens fight was close. I left my opinion out of my comment. The fight was a split decision.
Has to be Edgar instant rematch, absolute BS if he doesn't get it.
I think Edgar won and even if he didn't it was one of the closest matches I've seen since Edgar Maynard 2
Yea sure, edgar won, thats complete nonsense. He stayed in the fight thats about it, was saved by the bell too.
Btw edgar catching bens kicks is like getting hit by a wreking ball, then holding on to it as you swing into the building.
Read many posts about this fight. Am massive Edgar fan and thought he edged it but it was a close fight and damage wise Henderson done more by way of upkick. Edgar clearly won round 1 and 5 with others very close so can't argue about decision it was VERY close either way. But for the upkick he would probably have won but all these posts about either fighter won clearly are a joke.
Edgar lost get over it. I wanted him to win, I thought he won too but a close fight like that is a coin toss and given damage done it's maybe a fair outcome.
regards a rematch I would certainly like to see that as I think Edgar would adjust more than Hendo and leave no doubt a 2nd time around but the great thing is we will now see Edgar come back as a contender with many great match ups ( the belt is a side issue in this respect) and I personally am confident he will be fighting for the title again sometime and will prove himself worthy once again as the title of #1.
PS: At FW Edgar has no equal.
The Judges are on a TRAVERSTY/ROBBERY roll,great job guys,NOT!!!!!
They've been trying to get Edgar to drop to Featherweight for a long time now. I bet he'd be pretty well inclined toward seeing their point of view if they offered him an instant title shot against Aldo.
I'm thinking maybe Mark hunt vs Shane Carwin?
Both have lead in their hands and both have tungsten chins.
Could be awesome.
you know....on earlier posts about this fight, i argued that frankie did no damage, and his light punches are worth less on a score card, then the more powerful shots of ben...
i stand corrected, and apologize, frankie did do damage, most people didnt realize....he slightly messed up bens hair, but ben was able to fix it every time.....