With memories of PRIDE in the back of everyone's minds, this event surely lived up to its hype. On to the results.
To start off the thrilling UFC 144 in Japan, LW's Anthony Pettis and Joe Lauzon squared off. As I expected, Pettis showcased his superior striking just 1:21 into the first round, as he knocked out Lauzon with a devastating head-kick, finishing the fight with some extra shots on the ground. The second fight of the night was between FW's Hatsu Hioki and Bart Palaszewski. I wasn't too confident in Hioki after he barely beat George Roop in a split decision, so I had to go with "Bartimus". Unfortunately for my pick percentage's sake, Hioki came out strong and dominated the fight on the feet, winning a unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28). The third fight of the night featured MW's Yushin Okami and Tim Boetsch. Okami being heavily favored, I had to pick him. He showed his dominance by leaving Boetsch frustrated on the feet for the first two rounds. It was looking bright for Okami going into the 3rd, until Boetsch's corner told him to leave it all on the line. Unfortunately for Okami, those words sunk in, as Boetsch came out swinging like a man on a mission. Once he backed Okami onto the fench, he landed some solid uppercuts that left Okami no defense, sending Okami to the canvas. He followed up with some shots until the ref pulled him off, winning via TKO in the biggest fight of his career, and showing one of the best comebacks in UFC history in the process. Kudos to Boetsch, but man do I feel bad for Okami.
In the fourth fight of the night, WW stars Yoshihiro Akiyama and Jake Shields faced off in a bout that could jeopardize the losers career greatly. This bout was a very odd one to score, as Shields spent most of the time trying to get a hold of Akiyama, while also providing a steady offense on the feet. Oddly enough, all three judges saw it as a 30-27 victory for Shields, granting him the unanimous decision win. In the fifth fight of the night, HW's Mark Hunt and Cheick Kongo battled it out in a bout that Kongo was favored in. Just two minutes into the first round, PRIDE veteran Mark Hunt dropped Kongo with powerful shots against the cage, dropping him and finishing the fight with a few strikes on the ground, forcing Herb Dean to pull him off. Im expecting Hunt to be put against a relatively big name in his next fight at HW. In the co-main event, PRIDE veteran and fan-favorite Quinton "Rampage" Jackson squared off against fellow LHW Ryan Bader. For the majority of the fight, it was Ryan Bader controlling the cage with his effective wrestling/takedowns. Other than for one big slam, Rampage didn't have much offense in the fight. At the expense of the Japanese fan's happiness, the judges determined Ryan Bader as the winner via unanimous decision (30-27's all around). Rampage claimed that the reason he came in overweight and didn't preform to his peak ability was because of knee injury, and I believe him. If there was one thing I could change about this event, I would have chose to have Rampage win in front of this beloved crowd.
In the main event, LW Champ Frankie Edgar attempted to defend his belt against the #1 contender in Benson Henderson. Frankie clearly one the first round with his effective boxing, and the second round went to Ben. Most notably in the second round, Bendo rocked Frankie with an upkick that put Frankie in a lot of danger. Check it out:
Most people gave the third round to Frankie, and then the fourth the Bendo. The fifth was close, but a lot of people gave it to Frankie. Most of the bout was spent on the feet, with Bendo throwing a lot of body kicks, but being caught late by Frankie. On the other hand, Frankie landed some nice combos but didn't seem to do much damage on Henderson's face. If you had seen Frankie's face without watching the fight, you would have thought he was completely thrown around the entire fight. This is one factor I think that led to the judges scoring. Unfortunately for most Frankie fans, the judges did not agree with their scoring. After all was said and done, Bruce Buffer announced that the UFC had a "NEW!" LW Champ in Benson Henderson, the winner via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 49-46).
Standings:
Joe: 34 points
Alex: 33 points
Jon: 29 points
Shawn: 29 points
Vinny: 25 points
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