UFC 144: Henderson Snatches Edgar’s Crown in Japan

Benson Henderson became UFC lightweight champion at UFC 144, defeating Frankie Edgar by unanimous decision over five rounds. The event took place at Saitama Super Arena in Japan on February 26, 2012, local time, with the American broadcast airing on February 25.

A new lightweight champion

Edgar and Henderson completed twenty-five minutes in the title fight, leaving the championship to the judges. Henderson’s victory transferred the 155-pound belt and supplied the main event’s decisive outcome on a card with considerable depth beyond its headliners.

In the co-main event, Ryan Bader defeated Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson by unanimous decision. Jackson’s return to a Japanese arena ended without the victory his supporters wanted, while Bader added a former UFC light heavyweight champion to his record.

Hunt and Pettis supply the fireworks

Mark Hunt stopped Cheick Kongo in the opening round at 2:11. Anthony Pettis also produced a first-round finish, dropping Joe Lauzon with a high kick before follow-up strikes brought the stoppage at 1:21. Their wins delivered the card’s most abrupt heavyweight and lightweight conclusions.

Tim Boetsch turned his middleweight meeting with Yushin Okami into a third-round stoppage victory. Jake Shields outpointed Yoshihiro Akiyama, and Hatsu Hioki defeated Bart Palaszewski, both by unanimous decision. Those results gave UFC 144 a broad competitive story: Henderson left with a championship, Bader won a high-profile assignment, and several supporting bouts ended with forceful reminders of how quickly a fight could change.

Sources

• View the official UFC 144 event archive on UFC.com.
• UFC: UFC 144 main-event report
• UFC: UFC 144 main-card report

Article Tags

UFC 144, UFC history, MMA