Issue 085
February 2012
85.9%
Combined winning percentage of the three men Dan Henderson beat in 2011. Hendo stopped Rafael Cavalcante followed by the great Fedor Emelianenko in Strikeforce, then he returned to the UFC and beat Mauricio Rua in what many fans are calling the fight of the century at UFC 139.
41
Age of Dan Henderson when he beat up ‘Shogun’ for three-and-a-half rounds and then hung on while Rua mounted a tremendous comeback. Since turning 40 years old Henderson is now 4-0. Maybe Randy Couture isn’t the only ageless wonder?
81%
UFC win number 12 for middleweight Michael Bisping came during the TUF 14 Finale at the expense of Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller. The two men trash-talked back and forth during the show, but when it came time to fight it was Bisping shaking off a slow start to destroy an exhausted Miller to the tune of 81* power strikes landed to Mayhem’s eight.
60%
Michael Bisping’s purse accounted for 60% of the TUF 14 Finale payroll. The polarizing Brit walked away with a cool $425,000 of the $708,000 payout at the event, which mostly consisted of TUF 14 cast members.
64
Maybe the most talked about number from UFC on Fox was 64, as in the number of seconds the main event lasted. It probably wasn’t the best outcome to encourage ratings but it was exciting and, still, a lot of people watched it.
23
Total number of strikes landed between heavyweights Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos in the main event of UFC on Fox 1. The champ, Velasquez, was only able to land six times while Dos Santos connected 17 times. The one everyone remembers is the overhand right that sent Velasquez to the canvas and put the belt around JDS’ waist.
3
Three wins in a row for Ben Henderson since making his UFC debut. The lightweight’s most recent victim was Clay Guida at UFC on Fox 1 in an exciting back-and-forth scrap.
8.8m
Peaked number of viewers in the United States for UFC on Fox 1. This number makes it the most watched MMA event in North American history.
THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF FRANKIE EDGAR
Described by Dana White as “a little machine,” the undersized Frankie ‘The Answer’ Edgar has shocked fans and bookmakers on more than one occasion with his relentless performances. His incredible skills and underdog persona have earned him the love and support of the MMA community, and his last two battles with Gray Maynard were two of the greatest fights in recent memory. At 14-1-1 we trail Edgar’s many highs and few lows.
Makes his professional MMA debut at Ring of Combat 9 against Mark Getto. He arrives on the pro circuit in style as he TKO’s his opponent in the final minute of the first round.
Edgar extends his win streak to three with another impressive outing, this time against Steve Macabe in New Jersey, submitting him with a guillotine choke.
Takes on future UFC lightweight contender Jim Miller, handing the BJJ black belt the first loss of his professional career, taking him the distance and earning a unanimous decision victory.
Makes his UFC debut at UFC 67: All or Nothing, having yet to taste defeat. Wins all three of his fights that year, including a notable first round TKO of Canadian grappler Mark Bocek.
Suffers his first loss when he faces Gray Maynard at Ultimate Fight Night 13 in Colorado. Gray uses his superior size and strength to out-wrestle Frankie, getting the decision over the boy from Jersey.
Bounces back with a win against Hermes Franca and earns his first ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus, pocketing an extra $25,000 in the process.
’09 is a good year for Edgar as he defeats former UFC champ Sean Sherk and wins his second ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus with a submission victory over Matt Veach, a fight which also gets him a shot at the lightweight title.
Upsets UFC lightweight champion and top five pound for pound fighter BJ Penn in a title bout that many felt Edgar was undeserving of. ‘The Answer’s exhaustive work rate put a pace on Penn that won him the favor of the judges, claiming the gold via decision.
Rematches BJ for the 155lb championship at UFC 118 in Boston. Despite winning their first encounter, Edgar is still largely viewed as the underdog coming into the fight. Despite his critics, Frankie outclasses Penn both on the feet and on the ground, retaining his title.
Defends his title for the second time against the only man ever to beat him, Gray Maynard. Frankie is almost knocked out several times in the first round but pulls it back to a draw. The fight is named the 2011 ‘Fight of the Year’ at the Fighters Only World MMA Awards.
Edgar vs Maynard 3. In a battle which is eerily reminiscent of their second meeting, Edgar is once again almost stopped in the first, but survives to KO Maynard in the fourth, retaining his title and handing ‘The Bully’ the first loss of his professional career.
Edgar will headline UFC 144 in his fourth title defense against former WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson. The event will be the first UFC show to take place in Japan since December 2000.
