by Alex Mattis
When Frankie Edgar found out his next title defense would be against Ben Henderson, it is safe to assume he grabbed his wife and kissed her like he had just returned from war. It wasn’t the joy of having to fight a former WEC champion, but the exhilaration of finally having a fresh face to look forward to. For the first time in two years, Frankie Edgar will be fighting someone besides BJ Penn or Gray Maynard. Granted, the Penn fights were necessary and the Maynard fights were incredible, but even The Beatles had to mix it up after awhile.
While, for Edgar this fight brings the thrill of a new challenge and offers Henderson the greatest opportunity of his career; this fight offers the fans something they’ve anticipated for a great while. When the announcement of the UFC-WEC merger hit, the potential lightweight cross-over bouts had fans salivating. None were viewed greater than a potential champion vs. champion scrap between the UFC champ, Frankie Edgar and the WEC’s lightweight king, Ben Henderson. At the WEC’s final event, however, Anthony Pettis had a little something to say and defeated Henderson for the WEC gold. Shortly after, Edgar went to a draw with Gray Maynard and the lightweight picture was all sorts of fuzzy. Fourteen months later, the picture has cleared up and we have this fight.
Since the loss to Pettis, Benson “Smooth” Henderson has gone undefeated in his move to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Dominate victories over Mark Bocek, Jim Miller, and Clay Guida put him in-line for a shot at MMA’s lightweight prized jewel. Henderson has looked incredible in these three bouts and has displayed the skills needed to win a world title in the UFC.
It has been nearly four years since Frankie Edgar was handed the lone loss of his MMA career. It took over three years to avenge it but with his knockout victory over Gray Maynard, Edgar gained the vindication he was looking for. Now, on to greener pastures. Edgar’s title run has been an incredibly unlikely one, but it’s become impossible to question his spot as the #1 lightweight in mixed martial arts. An indomitable will and unquestionable heart have made Edgar a champion to watch and his consistent victories have made him a champion to respect.
The question this bout always posed was “how would Frankie deal with the size and strength of Henderson?” It’s a very valid inquiry, but seeing how Edgar has dealt with opponents that had a size advantage (most, if not all, of them), it will be interesting to see if Henderson will be any different. Henderson’s wrestling and solid punching power present some interesting problems for the champion, but Edgar has gotten in the habit of adapting and surviving. The lightning-fast speed and vastly superior striking of Edgar is what the challenger must be vigilant of.
Edgar has shown outstanding takedown defense and solid grappling in his title victory and defenses, it will be interesting to see the challenge Benson Henderson will bring into the octagon. What the styles of these two men promise is anything but a boring title fight.
This UFC lightweight title fight goes down live from the Saitama Super Arena at UFC 144. This historic return to Japan brings an undercard full of native’s favorite. Former PRIDE stars Rampage Jackson and Mark Hunt will battle Ryan Bader and Cheick Kongo, respectively. Also, countryman Yosihiro Akiyama will look to win at home against former Strikeforce champion, Jake Shields. Indeed, a very exciting card comes our way tonight! Throw on your Sakuraba shirt, grab a six-pack, make your buddy pick up a pizza, blast the PRIDE theme while taking turns doing Lenne Hardt impressions, and enjoy UFC 144!
