UFC 144: Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson

Yoshihiro Akiyama will make the move down to welterweight to tangle with former divisional No. 1 contender Jake Shields at UFC 144 in Japan.

The UFC confirmed the bout on Monday afternoon.

Akiyama had lost three straight as a middleweight, dropping bouts to Vitor Belfort, Michael Bisping and Chris Leben, and it had been feared that he may be cut from the promotion. Instead, he finds new life as a 170-pounder.

The 36-year-old, who is 13-4 with 2 no contests, will no doubt help sell tickets in his native Japan.

Meanwhile, Shields will be looking to bounce back from his 53-second knockout loss at the hands of Jake Ellenberger in September. The defeat came just two weeks after the passing of his father, Jack.

Shields is 26-6-1 overall.

UFC 144 will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan and features a main event of UFC lightweight champ Frank Edgar against challenger Ben Henderson.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.mmafighti...iyama133el.jpg

Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson Title Fight Slated for UFC 144 in Japan

Less than two hours after Ben Henderson became the No. 1 contender, he already has a date set for his championship match against current titleholder Frank Edgar.

The two will meet on February 26, 2012 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan, at the event likely to be numbered UFC 144.

UFC president Dana White confirmed that the fight has been booked during the UFC on FOX post-fight press conference.

"I think it's a great matchup," Henderson said after finding out his fate. "I'm as confident as any fighter here in the UFC. As far as the matchup with Frankie, I have to do a better job sticking to the game plan ... I think I match up very well. I've got to stick to the game plan, but I'm very excited for that. Frankie and I are going to put on a great show."

Henderson improved to 15-2 with a unanimous decision victory, topping Clay Guida with a mix of striking and ground work. It was his third straight win since coming to the UFC, following wins over Jim Miller and Mark Bocek.

Edgar is coming off a UFC 136 performance that will probably be considered as a Fight of the Year and Comeback Win of the Year nominee. Edgar was nearly knocked out in the first round of his fight with Gray Maynard and rebounded for a fourth-round TKO victory. Edgar is 14-1-1 overall.

White said the fight is expected to be the main event of the show, which will mark the first time the UFC brings its octagon to Japan under Zuffa ownership.

Kemal, misschien een idee om hier gelijk het UFC 144 topic van te maken?
Ik kan echter zelf niet meer de startpost aanpassen. :(

slechte matchup voor Sexyama , Shields via dec.

http://cdn2.cagepotato.com/wp-conten...AMASHIELDS.jpg
(Will one of these two men find themselves unemployed with a loss against the other?)

The UFC has added a second bout to its return to Japan on February 26 for UFC 144.
According to UFC president Dana White, joining a main event lightweight championship bout between Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson on the card will be a welterweight showdown between former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields and Japanese fan favorite Yoshihiro Akiyama, who will be make his 170-lb debut that night.

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Repost. :P
Yoshihiro Akiyama Drops to Welterweight, Faces Jake Shields at UFC 144

dan heb ik niks gezegd.. slotje dan maar ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by XanaduNL

Kemal, misschien een idee om hier gelijk het UFC 144 topic van te maken?
Ik kan echter zelf niet meer de startpost aanpassen. :(

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zojuist gedaan! ;)

Ben Henderson is een BAAS, als dit geen partij wordt waar de stukken vanaf vliegen dan weet ik het niet meer .

Boh Akiyama krijgt geen break kwa matchmaking.. maar goed wordt ook eens tijd dat hij zich gaat bewijzen. Shields op Decision of late sub.

Op je 36e ineens in gewicht droppen lijkt me niet echt verstandig...

Hij heeft al een oefen 'drop' gedaan om het zo maar te noemen. Dat ging hem goed af. Nu nog zien of je na 3 rondes nog steeds zo fit bent.
Akiyama heeft wel een redelijke stand up. Hij zou dit zomaar kunnen oplossen in de stand up. Effe snelle ko alla Ellenberger.

Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon Set for UFC 144 In Japan

A lightweight meeting pitting Anthony Pettis and Joe Lauzon has been agreed to for UFC 144 in Japan, MMA Fighting has learned.

The UFC confirmed the matchup to MMA Fighting's Ben Fowlkes on Tuesday.

The matchup had previously been rumored, with a possible date in Las Vegas. Instead, it will go international.

The fight should prove to be a high-octane battle between two of the division's most offensive-minded fighters.

Lauzon is riding a two-fight win streak, most recently upsetting the surging Melvin Guillard with a first-round submission win at UFC 136. That improved his record to 21-6.

Pettis recently rebounded from a loss that snapped a four-fight win streak by defeating Jeremy Stephens by decision, also at UFC 136. With the win, he's now 12-2.

The duo essentially booked the match on their own. Shortly after UFC 136, Pettis said he would welcome a match with Lauzon, and Lauzon accepted, setting the future date.

UFC 144 will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on February 26, 2012. It will mark the promotion's first time in the Land of the Rising Sun under the Zuffa banner. The main event will also be a lightweight match, with champion Frank Edgar defending the belt against newly named No. 1 contender Ben Henderson.

Announced bouts
The following fights have been confirmed by UFC.com, but not yet added to the Official Fight Card.

• Lightweight Championship bout: Frankie Edgar (c) vs. Benson Henderson
• Middleweight bout: Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch
• Welterweight bout: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields
• Lightweight bout: Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kemal

Announced bouts
The following fights have been confirmed by UFC.com, but not yet added to the Official Fight Card.

• Lightweight Championship bout: Frankie Edgar (c) vs. Benson Henderson
• Middleweight bout: Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch
• Welterweight bout: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields
• Lightweight bout: Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon

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thanks !!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by superfreak

Akiyama heeft wel een redelijke stand up. Hij zou dit zomaar kunnen oplossen in de stand up. Effe snelle ko alla Ellenberger.

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Denk ik ook, Shields is pas echt gevaarlijk op de grond en hij gaat Akiyama echt niet om krijgen.

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/79...b2e7o3_500.jpg

New tattoo van Pettis

gadverdamma

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kemal

Announced bouts
The following fights have been confirmed by UFC.com, but not yet added to the Official Fight Card.

• Lightweight Championship bout: Frankie Edgar (c) vs. Benson Henderson
• Middleweight bout: Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch
• Welterweight bout: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields
• Lightweight bout: Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon

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leuke card

dikke pot

Edgar vs Benson gaat een mooie pot worden, beide gave vechters. De LW divisie is erg leuk om naar te kijken, heel veel contenders die een goede challenge zijn