UFC 150 Preview – Frankie Edgar Vs. Benson Henderson II

Aug 10 2012

I was a huge proponent of the idea that Frankie Edgar should get an immediate rematch after losing his title against Benson Henderson. Heck, I thought he eked out the first fight. Edgar is a lunch-pail kind of former champ who doesn’t tout his own near greatness outside of the cage. He just fights his ass off inside of it. But part of why he’s under-appreciated is because he doesn’t tout himself. People will remember great fights, but they remember more the impression that a great fighter leaves and most of that is charisma-based. Benson Henderson has a lot of that charism that Edgar lacks. Who would be the better champion to push the lightweight division higher and higher? It’s the most competitive division in the UFC, yet, without a BJ Penn to bring the eye balls, the division hasn’t been a huge draw. Can Benson Henderson change that?

The two biggest fights on UFC 150 are lightweight fights and those are the ones we’ll talk about. One is a fight between friends. Donald Cerrone and Melvin Guillard should have a fun striking-based fight and they’d like to challenge Edgar/Henderson for that best fight bonus. Stevie J from Angry Marks along with the FGB crew share their predictions.

Melvin Guillard vs. Donald Cerrone

GG says: Cerrone by 3rd round submission

Both guys want to trade and give the fans a great performance. Neither guy has to win to keep his job. But when it gets down to the third round, I expect both guys to work hard to finish the fight. Guillard is susceptible to being choked out. His last three defeats are all from either rear-naked chokes or guillotine chokes. I think Cerrone sets him up in the third round and Guillard will tap out again.

Duan says: Cerrone by 1st round submission

We haven’t seen it so much lately, but for a guy who favours striking first, Cerrone has a near stunning ability to catch a guy cold in a submission. Guillard has always had major issues surviving opponents who attack for holds aggressively. His overanxious style makes him the perfect victim. I see this ending no other way than first round tapout.

Cactus Jim says: Cerrone by 2nd round submission

There’s not much that can be said beyond what my co-bloggers have already pointed out. Both guys can punch. Both guys can take a punch. Both have great cardio and both come to fight. If there is one discrepancy in the skills of each of these fighters, it’s that Guillard has proven susceptible to submission, chokes in particular. Cerrone has a demonstrated proficiency in this area with a number of wins coming in this manner. If Greg Jackson isn’t an idiot, and he’s not, he has built a game plan for Donald that involves exploiting this hole in Guillard’s game. Like a slimmer Adrian Adonis, Cerrone will put Guillard to sleep, but I’m guessing he doesn’t get the pleasure of slapping him out of his slumber after his hand is raised.

Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson

Alan says: Henderson by decision

There are many things in MMA which are clear as day and can’t be denied. For example – Frank Mir is going to gas, Ronda Rousey is going to win by armbar and Nate Diaz likes to talk trash during fights. Another one of these examples is that Benson Henderson is going to look even better than he did last time you saw him. Henderson is one of the premier athletes in the whole game. He has the legs of an NFL running back, the agility of a luchador, the speed of a cat and the strength of The Crusher, and every time he fights he seems to have this whole package put together ever tighter that the last time he competed. This guy is getting scary good. He beat Frankie Edgar in the first fight. It was close, but not close enough where Frankie Edgar’s claims of being the real winner should be met with anything but eye rolls (except on GG’s score card, ha!). Henderson was the dominant fighter, and I think he’s going to be an even better fighter in the rematch. Frankie is great, no doubt. However I don’t think his game is advancing at the level Benson’s is. He’s quite frankly, probably at the peak of his abilities and I don’t think that’s a level that’s going to be enough to win him this fight. Henderson also has an advantage in that he trains at high altitude which will be critical as this bout takes place in Denver. I see Benson bullying a gutsy Frankie to a very clear 5 round decision win.

Big D says: Henderson by decision

Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson have always been two of the most exciting guys to watch. I love Frankie’s in and out style that he used to beat Penn as well as that secretive explosive power, which he used to plow down Gray Maynard. Ben is a beast and extremely well rounded and has been the one guy, other than Faber and Aldo, who has made a huge splash in the UFC since the WEC merger. The last time they fought, it was really anyone’s match-up but this time, I think we’ll see a smarter, tougher, and rougher Benson Henderson. I predict a decision victory for Henderson after a tough, well-balanced fight.

Stevie J says: Henderson by decision

I want to say at the start that I have the utmost respect for Frankie Edgar and after watching him beat BJ Penn twice (once in a very close fight and once decisively) I feel he’s the real deal. Unfortunately I think Benson Henderson is a bad match for him stylistically and I don’t see him winning this rematch. Ben’s biggest advantage may be that he’s the human Gumby and can bend in any direction without being submitted, but an even bigger advantage is that his striking has improved in every fight I’ve seen him in going back to WEC, and it’s usually when people waste time trying to submit him that he punishes them on the escape. Edgar may not make that mistake in this fight, but he will be outstruck, outworked, and will ultimately go down in a five round decision.

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