Benson Henderson (10/21) vs. Frankie Edgar (17/10)
Betting odds drawn from Bovada.lv
Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson will be squaring off again, and this time Edgar is hoping for some sweet revenge.
Henderson and Edgar have both made their respective ascents in the 155 pound weight class, while taking slightly different approaches to do so.
Henderson has a 9-1 record and his only loss came to Anthony “Showtime” Pettis, in a very closely matched fight. He’s always fought good competition and been an exciting fighter, but he hasn’t garnered the same respect that other fighters of his stature have. He made his debut against Mark Bocek and from that time onwards, he was well on his way to rising to the place he is now occupying, most specifically a main event fight.
Another turning point for Henderson along the way was his big win over Clay Guida on Fox last November. The fight went the full 15 minutes yet it was Henderson and not the favored Guida who found a way to pull it off. It was his third consecutive victory, marking an impressive start for a fighter who may only now be beginning to realize his full potential.
After defeating Guida, Henderson was given a chance to win the lightweight title against Frankie Edgar, and oh, look at that, here we are again…
In their last fight, Henderson started a bit slowly but gained momentum as the fight went on. Two rounds in, he handed a great kick which was a fight changing move. From that point onwards, he dominated the fight, and many are thinking that the performance is a precursor to further dominance Saturday night. The fight was decided by decision, but it was a lopsided one; Henderson dominated Edgar.
Edgar started in obscurity in his own right. He came in at a time when B.J. Penn was dominating everyone, and it took a while before people even noticed just how good Edgar is. His loss to Gray Maynard in his fourth UFC fight set his career back a bit, but he would eventually regain form and go on to the point he is at now. He came back from the Maynard loss to beat Hermes Franca and Sean Sherk. It was enough to make people begin to turn their heads, as he displayed amazing body control and showed the signs of what makes a good lightweight fighter.
The real turning point was when he drew the fight against Penn. Again, it was decided in decision, but his dominance on the score card was undeniable. Edgar went on to get revenge against Maynard and scored a fourth round knockout in that fight at UFC 136.
That fight then brought us back to where we are, again, the first fight between these two touted lightweights.
Henderson is unorthdox, Edgar is determined.
Both are successful.
Many chose Edgar to beat Henderson in that last fight, but Henderson won it by a close decision. This is going to be a very closer and competitive match, far close than MMA oddsmakers would indicate in giving a very decisive edge to Henderson. I realize he won the last fight, but I would be very surprised if it came down to anything other than what to many may end up appearing to be an arbitrary decision on the side of the judges.
