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UFC 144 ‘Edgar vs. Henderson’ Results and Play-by-Play




Sherdog.com will report from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, at 7:30 p.m. ET with play-by-play and live results of UFC 144 “Edgar vs. Henderson,” which is headlined by a UFC lightweight title contest between champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Ben Henderson.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card.

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Click here for quick results.

Press F5 on your keyboard to refresh this page, as play-by-play is updated in real time.


Tiequan Zhang vs. Issei Tamura
Round 1
Zhang takes the center and flicks out punches, but it’s Tamura who scores first with a crisp left. Zhang slugs him back and Tamura gives him a short right, then a big one that sends him sailing backward to the canvas. Tamura pounces and Zhang tries to wrap up as Tamura keeps the heavy lefts coming from inside the Chinese fighter’s guard. Zhang just clings on as he’s scooted to the base of the cage, where Tamura drops short hammerfists dangerously close to the back of his head. Now the punches land straight on the back of Zhang’s head, but there’s no warning from ref Herb Dean. The official does restart the action on the feet with 2:20 to go, however. Zhang wades inside to clinch and gets socked again, then Tamura turns him around and drops low for a double-leg. Zhang goes for a guillotine as he’s plowed to the mat; he’s got Tamura’s head trapped, but the choke isn’t tight as the Krazy Bee product leans across Zhang’s body. Tamura is back in his opponent’s full guard for the last minute, peppering with ground-and-pound.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Tamura
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Tamura
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Tamura

Round 2
Zhang snaps off a couple inside thigh kicks before Tamura comes over the top with a crushing right hand. Zhang crumbles to the mat, out cold, and it’s a vicious knockout with for Issei Tamura in his short-notice UFC debut at 32 seconds of round two.

Takeya Mizugaki vs. Chris Cariaso
Round 1
Mizugaki ducks a head kick and gets grazed with a right hook from the southpaw Cariaso. The larger Japanese fighter stands at range and feints with low kicks inside. Now Cariaso comes inside, ties up and pops Mizugaki with a short right before wading out again. Mizugaki is ducking low with his punches, allowing Cariaso to counter. Cariaso stuffs a long shot and backs Mizugaki into the fence, slugging him with another right that makes the hometown fighter stumble backward. Mizugaki misses with some long punches, gets shoved into the fence and trips Cariaso to the base of the fence. Mizugaki works from Cariaso’s open guard and Cariaso throws up an omoplata escape. Mizugaki frees his arm and goes back to his man’s open guard, shoving Cariaso’s back into the cage again and occasionally popping up to throw punches. Cariaso is active off his back until Mizugaki postures up and hits him with a left and a forearm. Down to the final minute now and Cariaso tries some elbows from the bottom with a relatively inactive Mizugaki still in his open guard.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cariaso
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Cariaso
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Cariaso

Round 2
Mizugaki presses the action into the fence quickly, eating a couple punches from Cariaso on his way in. They break off and Cariaso takes the center with Mizugaki circling. Cariaso goes for another head kick which catches Mizugaki on the arm. A straight left comes through for Cariaso in an exchange and Mizugaki gets some space. Mizugaki is swinging big right hands, hooks and uppercuts, but he can’t find Cariaso, so he clinches up again. Cariaso reverses Mizugaki into the fence and the bantamweights trade hard knees inside before Mizugaki scores another trip takedown with two minutes left in the round. The pace slows again as Mizugaki controls better on top but still can’t pass Cariaso’s guard. Mizugaki postures up and socks the American with a couple punches before settling back in to the guard. Cariaso loops his arms around Mizugaki’s right and cranks on a modified neck crack. He uses the lock to push off the cage and sweep to the top, but Mizugaki scrambles to his feet and they finish in the clinch.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Mizugaki
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Mizugaki
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Mizugaki

Round 3
Cariaso finally reaches Mizugaki’s face with a slapping head kick, but Mizugaki withstands it and ties the smaller man up on the fence. More knees inside from both, then a left hand over the top from Mizugaki as he’s reversed into the cage. Mizugaki drills Cariaso with a knee that has “Kamikaze” dropping for a takedown, but Mizugaki defends and they split as Cariaso flurries with punches. Cariaso shoots again and winds up with his back on the fence. A knee and a short right connect for Cariaso and he turns Mizugaki around. Cariaso slips on a high kick and Mizugaki wastes no time in going down to his opponent’s guard again, this time with two minutes left in the bout. Mizugaki tries to get some ground-and-pound going, but Cariaso is bumping and rolling underneath, trying to push off the cage to escape and mixing in elbows. Mizugaki finally passes to half-guard with 30 seconds left, but he’s back in full guard with 15 to go. They spring to their feet just before the end; both men raise their hands at the horn.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cariaso (29-28 Cariaso)
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Mizugaki (29-28 Mizugaki)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Mizugaki (29-28 Mizugaki)

Official result: All three judges score the bout 29-28 for the winner by unanimous decision, Chris Cariaso.

Riki Fukuda vs. Steve Cantwell
Round 1
Fukuda catches a kick and quickly drives Cantwell to the mat in the middle of the cage. Cantwell immediately throws his legs up for an armbar, but Fukuda defends well and slugs the former WEC champ with some hard shots to the face and midsection before they scurry back to their feet. Fukuda presses Cantwell into the cage and “The Robot” connects with a knee as they disengage. Cantwell connects with a hard right hook and stuffs a shot. Fukuda lands a leg kick but gets popped with a jab before failing on another shot. More leg kicks from Fukuda as he walks Cantwell around the perimeter. The middleweights are sniping with single shots. Fukuda keeps the leg kicks coming in the last minute while Cantwell scores with some right hands and slapping head kicks.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Fukuda
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Fukuda
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Fukuda

Round 2
Fukuda comes out with more strong leg kicks, then rushes in for a single-leg. Cantwell grabs an arm-in guillotine with his left arm as he’s plowed to the ground. It’s a deep one, but Fukuda is patient, punching to the body and waiting for his chance to pop his head out. Cantwell releases and they’re back to the feet, where Fukuda scores with more leg kicks and uppercuts in the clinch. The next single-leg from Fukuda doesn’t go, so he gives it up and stands in front of Cantwell as the American throws a solid two-piece. Fukuda blitzes Cantwell with heavy hooks, then presses him into the cage and lets loose with punches to the body. Cantwell misses with a spinning elbow, connects in a follow-up exchange and uses the chance to circle out. It’s Fukuda still going strong though, just pouring on the hooks before Cantwell escapes. Cantwell’s nose is bloodied now as the middleweights stand in the pocket and slug it out. Fukuda is getting the better of the exchanges with uppercuts and big hooks. An inside leg kick goes straight up the middle and catches Cantwell on the cup, and ref Marc Goddard calls for a break. Cantwell doesn’t need long and they resume with 30 seconds left in the round. Cantwell ducks a punch and scores a takedown, then tries to jump on Fukuda’s back as they stand. Fukuda shakes him off and finishes with one last combo.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Fukuda
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Fukuda
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Fukuda

Round 3
It’s right back to the leg kicks for Fukuda at the start of the final frame, chopping away to the inside and outside of Cantwell’s left leg while mixing in some combinations. Fukuda lands a pair of hard straights; both men are breathing with their mouths open, but it’s the Japanese product looking the fresher fighter. Cantwell grazes with a turning head kick but there’s not much behind it. Fukuda gets his man on the fence and drags him down again. Cantwell throws up his legs, hunting for an armbar, but Fukuda defends. Cantwell gets rolled over and Fukuda takes his back, so the American flips to his back with Fukuda in side control. They scramble up and Fukuda renews his kicking attack before turning on the punches, battering the covering Cantwell on the fence. Fukuda is landing kicks and punches to the body and head of Cantwell at will now, and it looks like a done deal with 30 seconds to go. Fukuda finishes off with a few more kicks to the body.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Fukuda (30-27 Fukuda)
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Fukuda (30-27 Fukuda)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Fukuda (30-27 Fukuda)

Official result: Two judges score the contest 30-27, while the third sees it 29-28, all for the winner by unanimous decision, Riki Fukuda.

Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto vs. Vaughan Lee
Round 1
Kid takes the outside while Lee lines up against the lefty in a southpaw stance. The bantamweights feint and fake for the opening minute until Yamamoto slugs Lee with a hard right. Lee fires back with a left hand and walks inside to tie up. Yamamoto denies the clinch and goes back to looking for the big right. Lee catches the Japanese slugger slipping and tries to hold him down, but Kid is right back up. He decks Lee with a big right and Lee goes down. The Englishman staggers to his feet and covers up against the cage to survive an onslaught of knees and big punches. Now it’s Lee who drives forward and cracks Kid with a leaping knee. Kid clinches and recovers before backing out and throwing hands with 90 seconds left. Kid lunges with lead right hooks and uppercuts but gets zapped with a shot from Lee and goes for a takedown. Lee immediately throws up a triangle, and while it doesn’t look bad at first, the submission specialist quickly tightens it up. Kid postures up and tries to escape, but Lee switches to an armbar and Yamamoto is left no option but to tap at 4:29 of the first.

Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka
Round 1
Gomi hunches over and flicks out some speedy jabs while Mitsuoka throws lead uppercuts and looks to tie up. Mitsuoka clips Gomi with a right and slips to the ground, but pops right back to his feet. Now a jab and a left hook score for Mitsuoka, and he comes in shortly after, trying to pick Gomi’s ankle. Gomi makes Mitsuoka pay for coming inside with a pair of hard knees to the gut. Gomi is standing out the outside, just waiting for an opening as Mitsuoka connects with a jab, a leg kick. Now Gomi switches to southpaw and throws to the body, but Mitsuoka steps out of the way. Gomi slips and turns around, taking a punch from Mitsuoka as he does. Ninety seconds left in the round now and it continues to be Mitsuoka pressing the action, as well as scoring with more consistent strikes. Mitsuoka backs Gomi into the cage, scores with some hard short punches and takes a chopping leg kick. A short counter-right hand from Mitsuoka buckles Gomi’s legs and Mitsuoka hops on the back of “The Fireball Kid” with around 30 seconds remaining. Mitsuoka is very high on Gomi’s back as he locks up a reverse triangle choke. Gomi is in deep trouble but he survives to see round two.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Mitsuoka
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Mitsuoka
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Mitsuoka

Round 2
Gomi lands a couple leg kicks, but it’s still Mitsuoka getting the better of the punching exchanges as Gomi just swings wild. Mitsuoka swings and misses, and suddenly he’s looking tired as Gomi blitzes him into the fence with more punches. Mitsuoka slows the pace with a takedown try, but Gomi denies it and keeps the hard strikes coming. Knees, kicks and punches land for Gomi until 90 seconds in, when Mitsuoka is able to slow the assault with a single-leg on the fence. Gomi goes to a knee as he sprawls and punches underneath Mitsuoka’s armpit. Gomi turns the corner and slugs away with right hands to the face of the kneeling Mitsuoka. Referee Leon Roberts is hovering nearby as Gomi piles on the punches; he steps in to wave it off when he decides the turtling Mitsuoka has had enough. The Saitama crowd roars as Takanori Gomi gets the comeback win via technical knockout at 2:21 of the second round.

Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon
Round 1
Pettis emerges in the southpaw stance and quickly puts a kick on the ribs of Lauzon, who walks the former WEC champ toward the fence. Pettis steps backward out of the range of Lauzon’s combinations, then comes forward and forces Lauzon to cover up under fire. Pettis goes high with a left kick and puts his shin square on Lauzon’s chin. Lauzon is dazed as Pettis slams him with follow-up punches to turn out the lights. Referee Marc Goddard steps in, giving Anthony Pettis the knockout victory at just 81 seconds of the opening round.

Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski
Round 1
Palaszewski flicks out a jab, but Hioki lands first and clips “Bartimus” with a right that sends the veteran to the ground. Palaszewski hops right back up and Hioki puts him on his back foot, walking him down with long punches. Hioki sends some front kicks up the center and the featherweights trade stiff jabs. He ducks a punch from Palaszewski and grabs on to a single-leg, dragging Palaszewski down along the fence. Palaszewski tries a guillotine but Hioki pops right out and passes to half-guard, then side control. Hioki leans from right to left on Palaszewski, trying to secure the right arm for a crucifix. He can’t get it and instead peppers Palaszewski with short left hands. Palaszewski tries to scramble to his feet and stalls out on his knees, allowing Hioki to leap onto his back. Hioki is riding high and switches to an armbar, but Palaszewski won’t tap. Now it’s an omoplata for Hioki as Palaszewski stands, and the former Shooto champ clings to the hold long enough to regain top position. With a minute to go, Hioki works from Palaszewski’s closed guard, posturing up to zap him with left hands and hammerfists. Palaszewski stays calm, trying to slow Hioki’s work rate, but he finishes the round on his back, dodging strikes.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-8 Hioki
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Hioki
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Hioki

Round 2
Hioki lands a front kick to the body, snaps off a jab to the face and one to the gut. Palaszewski lands his best punch of the fight, a right straight; it slows Hioki for a moment, but he’s soon moving forward again, hunting for a right high kick. Palaszewski goes to the body and Hioki pays him back with some hard jabs up top. Palaszewski finishes a combo with a low kick and Hioki urges him on by raising his arms. Hioki puts another high kick on Palaszewski’s face, but the Team Curran representative is unfazed. Hioki pumps the jab again with 90 seconds left in the round; Palaszewski doubles up on his jab and finishes with a low kick. Palaszewski catches a kick in the cup, but he wants to keep going. A second later, a kick catches Hioki low. He’s right back to work as well, and the featherweights throw hands with half a minute left. Hioki puts a pair of front kicks in Palaszewski’s breadbasket and scores a double-leg on the fence, jumping on Palaszewski’s just before the horn.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Palaszewski
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-10
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Palaszewski

Round 3
Hioki has his first shot stuffed, but he keeps working and trips Palaszewski to the floor. He struggles to pass to side control, but he gets there eventually and starts looking for the crucifix, as he did in the first. Again, Palaszewski defends his arm, but he’s taking elbows and short punches to the face while offering only a couple knees to Hioki’s side from his back. Palaszewski tries to stand and has his back taken again. This time, Hioki gets both hooks in and works to sink in a rear-naked choke with two minutes remaining. Hioki is holding Palaszewski’s left wrist while using his right hand to soften him up for the choke. Palaszewski is on one knee, trying to escape the position as he’s warned not to grab the fence by ref Herb Dean. Hioki debases Palaszewski and puts his own back to the mat, looping his left arm around Palaszewski’s chin. Hioki can’t get the neck crank and he finishes the fight there.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Hioki (29-27 Hioki)
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Hioki (30-28 Hioki)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Hioki (29-27 Hioki)

Official result: The judges have it 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28, all for the winner by unanimous decision, Hatsu Hioki.

Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch
Round 1
The middleweights dip in and out of the pocket, trading punches with Boetsch throwing up a high kick. Okami’s right hand is landing best early, putting Boetsch off-balance the third time it lands. Boetsch stays up and pushes Okami away with front kicks. Okami keeps landing his right and denies a single-leg attempt to keep the fight vertical. A left straight, the back end of a one-two combo, has Boetsch checking his jaw. Boetsch is pulling up short on his punches and eating more jabs, now sporting a mouse under his left eye. Boetsch moves forward in the last 30 seconds and Okami makes him pay with more jabs and a stiff kick to the gut.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Okami
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Okami
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Okami

Round 2
Boetsch is cut up on both sides of his face now, and Okami looks to worsen the damage with further punches. “The Barbarian” has a couple of head kicks blocked before he’s hustled into the fence, where he tries to loosen Okami’s grip with short body shots. Okami won’t let go as he works to trip the American top the ground. He changes to a double-leg and whip Boetsch to the ground. Boetsch grabs a headlock in the process, but Okami steps into half-guard and doesn’t look concerned. Okami breaks the grip with 2:20 left in the frame and works to pass to side control. His left side to the cage, Boetsch defends and maintains half-guard, but allows Okami to secure head-and-arm control in doing so. Okami lets go and socks Boetsch with a couple punches and elbows to the body, still trying to pass. Okami tries a kimura on the far side and steps into full mount, changing to a straight armbar. The hold won’t go and Okami postures up in full mount, battering Boetsch with lefts and rights as the clock ticks down. With 15 seconds left, Okami tries an arm-triangle. Boetsch gets out and survives to hear the horn.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Okami
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Okami
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Okami

Round 3
Okami lands a jab and steps out of the way of a Boetsch knee. Boetsch clips Okami on the temple with a head kick and the Japanese fighter is clearly hurt as he tries to circle away. Boetsch gets a collar tie and slams Okami with uppercuts against the fence. Okami’s on wobbly legs as Boetsch grabs hold of him again and decks him with uppercuts. Okami falls over backward and Boetch polishes him off, securing the TKO victory at 54 seconds of round three.

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields
Round 1
Akiyama is on the defensive early, trying to extract himself from the clinch and then a single-leg on the cage. He turns Shields around and presses him tight on the fence before backing away. Shields has another takedown attempt stuffed, puts a couple kicks on Akiyama’s body. Akiyama comes inside with an uppercut, gets brought down with an ankle pick but hops back up. Now it’s Shields pushing Akiyama into the fence; a knee seems to catch Akiyama low and the judoka grimaces, but the action continues. Shields has a rear waistlock and takes Akiyama’s back standing. Akiyama breaks the grip and spins away, losing his mouthpiece in the process. Once it’s back in, he’s moving forward, trying to crack Shields with his power right hand. Shields comes up short on punches and kicks, and Akiyama steps inside to sweep him effortlessly to the ground. Shields pops up and pumps his jab again, neither man landing much in the last seconds.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Akiyama
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-10
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Akiyama

Round 2
Shields shoots low and gets denied, and Akiyama misses on the same trip he hit in the first round. Shields tries to tie up and Akiyama shoves him off, then grazes with a spinning backfist. Shields’ jabs are still coming up short, and again he has a shot stuffed. Shields catches a lazy kick from Akiyama and clinches up, but doesn’t stay there long. The former Strikeforce champ glances up at the clock with two minutes left in the round. Akiyama lands a chopping low kick then socks Shields with a straight right. Shields wants to get in close, but every time he ties up, Akiyama pushes him away. Akiyama whips Shields to the ground again, and again Shields stands back up and shoots. Akiyama denies it with his back to the fence and Shields turns to take his back again. This time, Akiyama can’t extract himself and Shields finishes the round with a couple lefts.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Akiyama
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Akiyama
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Akiyama

Round 3
Shields stuffs a jab in Akiyama’s face and the judoka slugs him one back. Though Shields’ strikes were looking better in the early going of the third, Akiyama has turned that around about a minute in. He stuffs another takedown from Shields and they work slowly on the fence for a moment before breaking off. Shields’ nose is bloodied but he keeps coming forward, shooting for another takedown that Akiyama snuffs out. Akiyama puts his back on the cage and Shields gets him on the ground for a split second. Akiyama is right back up, throwing short arm punches inside while Shields throws some knees. The action isn’t enough for ref Marc Goddard, who breaks them up with just over a minute to go. Shields catches Akiyama coming in and latches on to his back again. Akiyama grabs the fence to defend the takedown, but Shields gets him down anyway and works to secure a rear-naked choke. Shields can’t get it before the horn and that’s where it ends.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Shields (29-28 Akiyama)
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Shields (29-29 Draw)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Shields (29-28 Akiyama)

Official result: All three judges score the bout 30-27 for the winner by unanimous decision, Jake Shields.

Mark Hunt vs. Cheick Kongo
Round 1
Hunt has his base taken out early with a low kick and Kongo rushes him into the fence. Hunt reverses the position and the Frenchman breaks away. The “Super Samoan” wants to come over the top with a right while Kongo keeps the leg kicks coming. A left hook backs Kongo off and Hunt follows up with a low kick of his own. A counterpunch from Hunt drops Kongo, but Hunt doesn’t follow and allows Kongo back to his feet. Kongo is still in trouble and Hunt knows it. He blitzes Kongo against the fence and slugs him with a right hand, another and another. The fourth one takes Kongo’s legs out from underneath him and referee Herb Dean jumps in to rescue the dazed heavyweight from further punishment. Mark Hunt gets his third straight UFC win at 2:11 of the opening round.

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Ryan Bader
Round 1
Bader moves around the outside while Rampage takes the center and raises his hands to egg him on. Bader ties up and puts Rampage on the fence, but they’re soon split up and throwing again. The Arizona State wrestler is looking for the overhand haymaker but Rampage is moving out of the way of each one. Bader ducks in behind a punch and presses Rampage on the cage again with an underhook, trying to trip him to the mat. Jackson stays up and breaks away, keeping his hands high as Bader feints and jabs just out of range. Bader misses another double-leg and puts Rampage’s back on the fence. Again they break off. Bader gets a front headlock and puts a knee on Jackson’s before the former Pride star puts his hand on the mat. Jackson lands a left hook in the last seconds and Bader gives him one to the body.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Bader
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Bader
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Bader

Round 2
Leg kicks open up the round for Bader, and Jackson is headhunting with big punches. Rampage takes control in the clinch now, moving Bader onto the fence and driving a few uppercuts into his ribs. Rampage lifts Bader into the air and slams him down, and Bader is clearly dazed as he scrambles back up. Rampage has Bader on his back foot now, zapping him with straight punches. He over-commits on an uppercut to the body, though, and Bader uses the opportunity to plow Jackson down. Bader works from half-guard on Jackson’s right, dropping elbows to the face and punches to the body as the crowd begins to boo. Jackson is breathing heavy with 90 seconds left as he inches his way up the cage and avoids damage from Bader. He gives up his back as he tries to stand and Bader drives hard knee strikes into Jackson’s thigh. Now it’s Bader doing the slamming, rag-dolling Jackson back to the ground with 40 seconds remaining. Rampage regains full guard and throws elbows from his back before the end of the round.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Bader
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Bader
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Bader

Round 3
Rampage throws jabs and uppercuts to try and keep Bader at bay, but he can’t ward him off for long. Bader is quickly pressing his man into the fence again, working on the inside with punches and foot stomps, and disengaging with a solid hook. Bader drives Jackson down and immediately moves to side control, dropping hard knees on Rampage’s ribs. Rampage gets full guard and tries to control the wrists of Bader, who stays heavy on top and keeps a waistlock as Jackson stands. Rampage is only up for a few seconds before Bader drags him back down. With two minutes left, it’s looking like a lost cause for Jackson, who’s unable to get out from underneath his younger foe. With 40 seconds left, Bader goes for a kimura on Jackson’s right arm, leaning across from the left side. He’s not in good position to torque the hold and Jackson kicks out from underneath. Bader grabs a choke from the bottom but the horn sounds.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Bader (30-27 Bader)
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Bader (30-27 Bader)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Bader (30-27 Bader)

Official result: All three judges score the bout 30-27 for the winner by unanimous decision, Ryan Bader.

UFC Lightweight Championship
Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson

Round 1
Edgar opens up with an inside leg kick and some speedy straight punches down the pipe. He catches a leg kick from Henderson and moves him backward around the cage, but Henderson twists out and hops back to his feet. Edgar blocks two head kicks in succession and tosses Henderson to the ground. “Bendo” is right back up again, trying to walk down the smaller champ with range-finding punches and low kicks. The champ takes a kick in the cup but he’s ready to get back to work seconds later. Edgar keeps catching kicks but isn’t doing much to follow up. Henderson lands a left and takes a short punch to the body, has another kick caught. Edgar spins him to the ground this time and Henderson is right back up. Henderson lands a knee inside, steps out of the way of a spinning backfist. Edgar tosses Henderson down again, and again allows him back up.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Edgar
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Edgar
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Edgar

Round 2
The champ starts the second round with a sizable lump beneath his left eye. He catches yet another kick from Henderson, this time trying to punch off it, but he’s having trouble navigating the distance. Edgar whips a kick to the inside thigh, misses with one to the body. He catches another kick. Edgar comes over the top with a right and takes a jab in return. They clinch up briefly, Henderson scoring with a knee. Henderson gets Edgar on the cage and drills him with another knee. A spinning backfist misses for Edgar and he slips away before Henderson can grab hold. With two minutes left, Edgar spins Henderson down with a single-leg. Henderson tries to scramble up, gets caught in a headlock and nearly gives up his back. Henderson frames up a kimura and Edgar breaks away. Edgar mixing up his strikes now, going to the body and legs in equal measure, but Henderson is keeping the offense coming as well, putting punching combos and knees on the champ. Edgar scores another takedown with under a minute left and this time he goes down to Henderson’s guard. Henderson is looking for an armbar from the bottom, then cracks Edgar with an upkick when the champ tries to stack him up. Edgar is absolutely gushing blood from his nose as he walks back to his corner.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Henderson

Round 3
Edgar looks to be recovered at the start of the third but his nose is still seeping blood as he hops around the perimeter. Henderson denies two takedowns and walks the champ down with punches and knees to the body. Edgar zaps Henderson with a right hand that has the challenger checking his hair. The champ slips, gets up and gets taken down again. Henderson scoots Edgar into the fence with 2:20 to go and Edgar uses the cage to work back to his feet. Edgar catches another kick, but not before it slams into his face. He dumps Henderson to the mat, but the former WEC titleholder doesn’t stay down. Edgar gets one more takedown before the horn, only to be elbowed by Henderson from his back.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Edgar
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Edgar
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Edgar

Round 4
Henderson backs the champ off with a whipping outside leg kick but Edgar comes right back in to stuff a combo in his man’s grill. Henderson throws a leg kick just as Edgar is turning and it lands square on Edgar’s cup. The New Jerseyan recovers and gets back to work, stepping inside to put another combo in Henderson’s face and finishing with a hard right. Henderson catches Edgar with a knee but Edgar follows through and plows his challenger down. On the way, Henderson grabs a guillotine. It’s tight, but Edgar finds the angle to extract his head, then tries to take Henderson’s back on the way up. Another kimura attempt from Henderson forces Edgar to back off and they’re trading again. Henderson changes up his stance with his hands at his waist. Edgar catches a kick and socks Henderson with a right hand this time, then does it again. Henderson lands a knee and Edgar responds by rushing forward with a straight right with a minute to go. They get tangled up and Edgar throws Henderson down, but Henderson pops up and kicks the champ in the ribs.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Henderson
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Henderson

Round 5
Edgar steps in with a right hand up top and Henderson retorts with a left. The champ has a takedown stuffed but follows up with a solid uppercut, then cracks Henderson with a straight left. Edgar gets inside with a combo, drags Henderson to the ground and tries to take his back standing. The process repeats with Henderson framing a kimura and Edgar backing off. Edgar scores with a two-piece and Henderson gives the champ a sweeping right to his bloodied nose. Two minutes left and the round -- and possibly the fight -- is still up for grabs. Henderson hits the deck on the back of an Edgar right, but it looked like a partial slip and he’s soon back up. One minute to go now. Edgar blocks a high kick, catches one and walks Henderson to the cage, where he lets go. Edgar tries to pick the ankle, can’t and kicks to the body instead. Henderson lands a jumping knee, grabs for a guillotine and wails away with ground-and-pound at the final horn.

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Edgar (48-47 Edgar)
Freddie DeFreitas scores the round 10-9 Henderson (48-47 Henderson)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Edgar (48-47 Edgar)

Official result: The judges have it 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 for the winner by unanimous decision and new UFC lightweight champion, Benson Henderson.

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