Ben Henderson had questions that Frankie Edgar couldn’t answer.
- See what I did there.
I wen’t into the fight liking both guys, Edgar for his professional attitude and his unrelenting drive to prove naysayers wrong, and Bendo simply because he seems to be a great person, nerdy as hell and with a fighting style I really respect. They frantically went to war and didn’t slow down. A main event like that really affects how a card stays in your memory – which is probably why some people are calling it their favourite so far this year.
UFC 144 is now over and it delivered. Yes, I was hoping that Rampage would slam Ryan Bader so hard that he blasted through the canvas of the octagon breaking the sides off the cage, only for a Pride ring that was hidden neatly underneath pops out ready for the title fight… but maybe that dream was a little bit too infantile of me. I was also hoping for Kid to return to his old form, but at least it was an up and coming British fighter in Vaughan Lee that hammered the nail in that coffin. Hunt and Gomi won with great finishes so that will settle my wishes of success for the old guard of MMA for now. The card delivered on its promises and here are my favorite bits from each fight:
Zhang Tiequan vs. 
Issei Tamura
Tamura defeated Zhang via KO (punch) at 0:32 of round 2
_________________________________________________
Takeya Mizugaki vs. 
Chris Cariaso
Cariaso defeated Mizugaki via unanimous decision
_________________________________________________
Riki Fukuda vs. Steve Cantwell
Fukuda defeated Cantwell via unanimous decision
_________________________________________________
Norifumi Yamamoto vs. 
Vaughan Lee
Lee defeated Yamamoto via submission (armbar)
_________________________________________________
Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka
Gomi defeated Mitsuoka via TKO (punches)
_________________________________________________
Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon
Pettis defeated Lauzon via KO (head kick & punches)
_________________________________________________
Hatsu Hioki vs. 
Bart Palaszewski
Hioki defeated Palazewski via unanimous decision
_________________________________________________
Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch
Boetsch defeated Okami via TKO (punches)
_________________________________________________
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields
Shields defeated Akiyama via unanimous decision
_________________________________________________
Mark Hunt vs. 
Cheick Kongo
Hunt defeated Kongo via TKO (punches)
_________________________________________________
Quinton Jackson vs. Ryan Bader
Bader defeated Jackson via unanimous decision
_________________________________________________
Frankie Edgar (c) vs. Ben Henderson
Henderson defeated Edgar via unanimous decision
