UFC 144 Betting – Edgar Holds On To Belt, Defeats Henderson In Japan

Sports betting players that follow UFC will see the company head to Japan for the first time since UFC 29 in December 2000, and the main event for UFC 144 should be wildly entertaining as lightweight champion Frankie Edgar defends his belt against Benson Henderson in a matchup of two wrestlers who are always adding to their game. In a fast-paced chess match, take the champion to retain his title.

What: UFC Betting
When: Saturday, February 25th, 8:00 PM ET
Where: Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan
Pick: Frankie Edgar -125

Why Bet On Frankie Edgar (14-1-1)

Edgar has held the UFC lightweight title since April 2010, when he upset longtime king and two-division champion B.J. Penn, and then in August of that year he erased any doubts by dominating Penn in the rematch. Following that, Penn took on Gray Maynard on New Year’s Day in a highly entertaining draw that was named the “Fight of the Year” by Sherdog, and Edgar showed the heart of a true champion by coming all the way back from a brutal first-round beating in which he was almost out. The script was the same for the rematch in October, but Edgar didn’t let this go to the judges as he recovered from another early onslaught to knock out Maynard in the fourth round, avenging the only loss of his career from way back in April of 2008. Edgar isn’t the largest fighter at 155 pounds and in the matches against Penn and Maynard, he was obviously the smaller fighter, but he willed himself to victory in three of the four matches, and his most impressive effort may have been in the Maynard draw.

But “The Answer” is also a well-rounded fighter with a wrestling background (he is also an assistant wrestling coach at Rutgers University), and he surprised everyone with his ability to outstrike Penn in their pair of matches. Edgar is also a brown belt in jiu-jitsu and his cardio is as good as anyone in the UFC. It’s his heart that gives him an edge over many fighters; you just can’t keep Edgar down for long and he is going to come after you until he physically can’t anymore.

Why Bet On Ben Henderson (15-2)

Henderson is also a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, along with a black belt in taekwondo and a wrestling background, and like Edgar, he has also improved his striking throughout his MMA career. The former WEC lightweight champion has won all three of his fights by decision, but Henderson stays active throughout the match and you may not find a fighter who scrambles as well on the mat than the one they call “Smooth”; he is incredibly tough to take down and it’s even tougher to keep him down. Henderson showed he has done a lot of work on his striking as he dominated Jim Miller, while he showed his scrambling ability as well and got out of a few submission attempts by an accomplished black belt in jiu-jitsu. Then in his “Fight of the Night” victory over Clay Guida to earn this match, Henderson showed he could take a punch and not only could he keep up with Guida’s pace, he beat Guida at his own game with his quick transitions. Another aspect of Henderson’s game that shouldn’t go unnoticed is his ground-and-pound, which is brutal when he takes you to the mat.

Most UFC betting players know that Henderson has a lot of heart from his days in the WEC. Henderson has a couple of wins over Donald Cerrone, including one that was named the 2009 “Fight of the Year” by Sherdog and his 2010 loss to Anthony Pettis was a contender for that year’s honors as well. Henderson loves to put on exciting fights for the fans and he is always pushing the pace, which makes for a thrilling bout and that should be the case once again when he challenges for the 155-pound belt for the first time in the UFC.

How It Will Play Out

Edgar is a slight -135 UFC betting favorite in this championship tilt, while Henderson comes in at +105 and this is definitely a “Fight of the Year” contender, when you look at the resumes of these two lightweights. The edge standing up probably goes to Edgar, who continues to work on his boxing and he proved he had knockout power in his third battle with Maynard. He probably also has a small edge when it comes to wrestling, if only because Henderson went to an NAIA school, but don’t underestimate him at all because Henderson is aggressive and forces you to make mistakes. They’re even on the mat and when it comes to heart, you won’t find two fighters at 155 pounds with more of it.

The nod has to go to the favorite, Edgar, as he has been a main-event fighter in the UFC before and the Japan show is going to be huge for the company as they haven’t been there in over 12 years. How will Henderson’s nerves hold up? If Edgar can avoid his usual slow start, he could end this fight quickly, but he may have to hold off a furious rally from Henderson in the later rounds. Take Frankie “The Answer” Edgar in your online betting picks.