UFC 144 marked the organization’s long-awaited return to Japan, and it didn’t disappoint.
The main event featured a very competitive bout for the lightweight championship where Ben Henderson defeated Frankie Edgar by unanimous decision to claim the 155-pound strap.
Henderson, who looked noticeably bigger than Edgar, was able to dictate the fight with his leg and body kicks while also using his size and strength to stay off his back for frequent periods of time.
While each of the five rounds was razor thin, the overall impact of the fight clearly took more of a toll on Edgar, who was battered an bruised, than Henderson, who looked fresh throughout.
In the co-main event, Ryan Bader earned the biggest win of his career, picking up a hard-fought decision win over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Bader showed some good striking and head movement to earn the nod on the feet and then managed to score three takedowns against Jackson, who has been notoriously hard to take down. Jackson, who missed weight by six pounds, looked sluggish as the fight prolonged. Bader had clearly won the fight when the final horn sounded.
The main card started off with a bang as lightweight Anthony Pettis knocked out Joe Lauzon with a vicious head kick. Pettis dominated the fight, taking little to no damage while working nice jab combinations and kicks. Pettis ended the fight with a head kick to Lauzon and then a few punches on the ground for good measure. The KO was much-needed for Pettis, who failed to have a signature win since joining the UFC. He is now right up there as a top-5 contender in the 155-pound division.
Another big highlight on the card was an incredible comeback TKO win for middleweight Tim Boetsch, who stopped Yushin Okami in the third round. Okami dominated the first two rounds with sharp striking and nearly finished Boetsch on two occasions. However, in the third round, Boetsch had the mindset of kill or be killed, and he was the one that did the killing. He attacked from the opening second of the round and used a series of uppetcuts in the clinch to fold Okami up like an accordion and earn the win, by far the biggest of his career.
For complete UFC 144 results, check out the jump.
UFC 144 Results (Courtesy of MMAMania.com)
Saturday, February 26, 2012
Saitama Super Arena, Tokyo, Japan
155 lbs.: Ben Henderson defeats Frankie Edgar via Unanimous Decision
205 lbs.: Ryan Bader defeats Quinton Jackson via Unanimous Decision
170 lbs.: Jake Shields defeats Yoshihiro Akiyama via Unanimous Decision
265 lbs.: Mark Hunt defeats Cheick Kongo via TKO (Strikes) Round 1
185 lbs.: Tim Boetsch defeats Yushin Okami via TKO (Strikes) Round 3
145 lbs.: Hatsu Hioki defeats Bart Palaszewski via Unanimous Decision
155 lbs.: Anthony Pettis defeats Joe Lauzon via TKO (Head Kick) Round 1
155 lbs.: Takanori Gomi def. Eiji Mitsuoka via TKO (strikes) at 2:21 of round two
135 lbs.: Vaughan Lee def. Norifumi Yamamoto via submission (armbar) at 4:29 of round one
185 lbs.: Riki Fukuda def. Steve Cantwell via unanimous decision
135 lbs.: Chris Cariaso def. Takeya Mizugaki via unanimous decision
145 lbs.: Issei Tamura def. Zhang Tiequan via KO at 0:32 of round two
