25 Truths About the Entire Fight Card of UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson in Japan

UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar has made his mark ever since defeating BJ Penn for the belt, and he hasn't even hit his prime yet.

He shut out BJ Penn in Boston, came back from nearly being finished in the first round to reach a split-draw with the only man to have beaten him in Gray Maynard and then came back from nearly being finished in "Round 9" with Maynard to finish his biggest adversary in the fourth round.

Now he gets to put his belt and his iron jaw on the line against the iron neck of former WEC lightweight champion and well-rounded submission specialist Benson Henderson in a fight that could be the fight of 2012 in any and every way possible.

The first UFC lightweight title fight of 2012 headlines a stacked night of fights in Saitama, Japan, the home of 25 of the 66 PRIDE FC events to have taken place in Japan, and also features an unprecedented seven fights on the main card alone.

Featured underneath the main event on pay-per-view is a likely title eliminator in the Featherweight division between Hatsu Hioki and Bart Palszewski, as well as a Middleweight clash of Yushin Okami and Tim Boetsch, the highly-anticipated Lightweight tilt between Anthony "Showtime" Pettis and Joe Lauzon, a Heavyweight homecoming for K-1 and PRIDE veteran "Super Samoan" Mark Hunt opposite Cheick Kongo, the Welterweight debut of Yoshihiro Akiyama against former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields and the return of Quinton "Rampage" Jackson to the Saitama Super Arena against Ryan Bader.

Before we reach this Saturday's action-packed card, which also features the likes of Takanori Gomi and Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto, here are 25 truths you need to know about UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson.

The Bad Boy Is Out, but the Krazy Bee Is In

On the surface, Issei Tamura is a replacement for Leonard "Bad Boy" Garcia and a presumably easy fight for Tiequan Zhang.

In the deeper view of the fight, however, Tamura presents more potential than some might think, and he's no easy fight.

He's the type of powerful and diverse wrestler that Zhang has had problems with in the past, and while his left hand has been seen as "probing." his right hand is seen as his money punch, so for as many problems as Zhang might present Tamura, Tamura presents his own set of dilemmas for Zhang to contend with.

Zhang should hope to see a strong opponent with solid takedown defense as well as a dominating top game from the debuting prospect, in addition to the right hand which packs some of Tamura's most significant power.

"The Mongolian Wolf" Tiequan Zhang Is China's Sole Representative at UFC 144

"The Mongolian Wolf" Tiequan Zhang, a native of Beijing, China, is the only guy on the UFC 144 card that won't be representing the U.S. or a European country in facing a Japanese fighter on fight night.

Take that for whatever it's worth, but know that in all likelihood, his fight with Issei Tamura is going to be tougher than one might expect, and that is a statement that applies both ways.

For Tamura, he's dealing with a real submission specialist who has forced 12 tapouts in his entire career and proves as a satisfactory first test for the debuting Krazy Bee import, who has lost two majority decisions in his career but has never been submitted or knocked out.

Zhang's no Rumina Sato when it comes to submissions, but he's one of the only fighters with the ability to finish just about anyone in the cage, and he will definitely provide a rough welcome for Tamura in the Japanese prospect's first go-round in the Octagon.

How rough will it be for Tamura?

Let Zhang show you how rough it will be on Saturday night.

Just so That There's No Confusion, Takeya Mizugaki Can Drop Chris Cariaso...Hard

Takeya Mizugaki has a much more impressive resume than you think.

In his career under the bright lights (WEC and UFC combined), he's been choked unconscious by Urijah Faber, he's been taken to the judges by Brian Bowles in the UFC, as well as Scott Jorgensen in the WEC, and he's the only man to this date to have pushed Miguel Torres for all five rounds in what is seen as one of the greatest Bantamweight MMA bouts of all time.

Just so we're clear, though, you guys know he can drop people, right?

Cole Escovedo?

He got dropped, finished in Round 2 and went on to lose to Alex Caceres at UFC on Fox 1.

Masahiro Oishi?

He was finished at 57 seconds of the second round before Mizugaki fought Torres.

Daichi Fujiwara?

He got knocked out in 2:38 of Round 1 in the third fight of Mizugaki's career after drawing with Masakatsu Ueda.

Takamaro Watari also never left the first round thanks to a TKO loss in Round 1 to Mizugaki, and Teruyuki Matsumoto (see video) never left the first half-minute against Mizugaki.

Now, Chris Cariaso's different, because his first pro loss was a TKO loss to Mark Oshiro (12-4 at the time of this piece), and Cariaso's only other losses were a loss by submission to Renan Barao and a split-decision loss to Michael McDonald, so "Kamikaze" cannot say he hasn't been tested.

However, Cariaso's getting a big step up in competition, and if there's one thing Mizugaki will try to test on Cariaso, it's his chin.

Not implying that Cariaso cannot survive, but before you get it twisted and start to think that nine decision wins say Mizugaki can't hit, let us be the one to tell you that Mizugaki can hit, and he will tag Cariaso pretty darn well before this one is out.

That 2-1 Kid You Forgot About? Yeah, That's Chris Cariaso

For a dude that's 2-1 in the UFC, Chris Cariaso (12-3) is slept on.

Seriously, the kid's only recent losses were to Michael McDonald and Renan Barao, and yet he's racked up a good reputation for being a compact Bantamweight with a strong technical striking game in the process.

Also, it says something about him when he goes to a split decision with McDonald, who is seen as one of MMA's hottest prospects.

Now, we've already established that Mizugaki can drop him, but can Mizugaki handle a fighter like Cariaso that brings a package of speed, footwork and awareness in both defense and submissions?

For his sake, Mizugaki better hope so, because if not, Cariaso's going to do everything in his power to make this homecoming a rough trip home for Mizugaki.

Don't believe it?

Keep sleeping on him, and he just might wake you up to show you something this weekend.

Riki Fukuda, Unofficially 1-0 in the UFC, Is Looking for His 'Second' UFC Win

If you ask some of the people that watched UFC 127, Riki Fukuda did something that very few Japanese MMA fighters can say they've done.

What did he do, exactly?

Even though UFC 127 was in Australia, Fukuda stepped inside the Octagon and suffered defeat in a fight he clearly did not lose.

At the very least, Fukuda won on some cards, 29-28, but you'd be hard-pressed to find the person that argues for a Ring sweep, let alone any form of a Ring win.

Still, just as some feel Evan Dunham didn't truly lose until he ran into Melvin Guillard, and in the same way that some (myself included) argue that Michihiro Omigawa beat Darren Elkins (and lost to Marlon Sandro in Sengoku), some still say Fukuda beat Ring.

Subsequently,many believe that it will be the momentum of a win and not the pressure of a first-time Octagon defeat that Fukuda will bring home with him against Steve Cantwell, who is actually the less experienced, the younger of the two (shockingly, "The Robot" is just 25), and the one with probably more to lose.

The fact that Fukuda knows what to do with his takedowns and the fact that Fukuda is a difficult person to catch without an elite level of wrestling skill or a sweet leg kick aren't working in Cantwell's favor either, so if there's one prediction that we should make for this fight, this is one time when we might be serious in predicting "pain and punishment" en route to what might be a clear Fukuda win.

Officially, it'd be Fukuda's first UFC win, but we all know he beat Ring, so let's just say he'll be looking for his second UFC win, shall we?

Steve Cantwell Is 25 Years Old and in a Must-Win Situation

Steve Cantwell is a former WEC light heavyweight champion, yet he's 7-5 in his pro career and he's 25 years old.

That's all well and cool, but flash back to the night of December 10, 2008 for a minute.

Remember that date?

Cantwell walked into Fayetteville, North Carolina that night with a 6-1 pro record and his WEC reputation, and he made the most of it with a technical submission win over one Razak Al-Hassan.

Why does that matter in 2012?

Well, it may elude some minds, but the win over Al-Hassan stands as the last win of Cantwell's career.

Since then, Cantwell has lost his last four, and yet he's not only still under UFC contract, but he's facing Riki Fukuda, who has the type of offense needed to cause serious harm to Cantwell for any number of rounds.

If Cantwell loses this one, he better hope that he's the UFC's first transplant to Strikeforce, but with five losses in a row, it's going to be a little bit difficult to get Dana White to let him stay under Zuffa contract at all.

On Paper, Vaughan Lee Could Not Have Asked for an Better Fight

Vaughan Lee is not on his way out of the UFC, but he does need to beat Kid Yamamoto, and Lee couldn't have asked the UFC for a better fight.

Really speaking, Yamamoto is the one with more to lose here, as Yamamoto has lost his last two inside the Octagon.

Lee, in contrast, lost a split-decision to Chris Cariaso at UFC 138, and will look to get back in the win column against a legend that many feel is fading at this stage in his career.

On paper, the only fight that could be better for Lee might be a bout with the UFC bantamweight champion himself, but before Lee ever gets close to either Dominick Cruz or Urijah Faber, he still has the task of a very game opponent ahead of him come Saturday night.

The minute he overlooks Yamamoto, he's done for.

Kid Yamamoto's Back Is Against the Wall, and That Sucks If You're Vaughn Lee

Why does it suck for Vaughn Lee if Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto is the one that needs the win at UFC 144?

Truth is, this is probably Lee's fight to win, right?

Wrong...so very, very wrong.

Yamamoto is on his own home turf, in front of his own people, and he knows that if Lee wins this one, his time in the UFC is over.

Yamamoto knows he needs to re-ignite the fire that lit up underneath him from September 2002 until May 2009, and he knows he needs to deliver on a return to form when the UFC takes its turn to showcase their brand of MMA in Saitama.

Lee is a promising young fighter with a bright future ahead of him, but Yamamoto is back and better than he's ever looked as a fighter, and with his back against the proverbial cage wall, he'll prove that fact at Lee's expense in Saitama come Saturday night.

Some Might Argue That Bart Palaszewski Is Being Fed, Not Fed To, Hatsu Hoki

Bart "Bartimus" Palaszewski is the type of guy that promoters put on cards when fans ask for a great fight.

If you saw his fights in the IFL or the WEC, you know all about the action that Palaszewski delivers, and knowing all about the action that he delivers, you can't help but ask...is Hatsu Hioki the one being fed to Palazewski?

It's insane to think that one of the top three featherweights in the world is being fed to a guy who only has defeated an overweight Tyson Griffin recently, and if anything, Palaszewski is being fed to Hioki as a seemingly easy road to Jose Aldo vs. Hatsu Hioki, right?

Well, that's how it seems, but maybe it isn't so much a matter of Palaszewski being fed to Hioki or Hioki being fed to Palaszewski.

Maybe some people are just questioning Hioki because George Roop proved to be tougher than expected, and thus they think maybe Palaszewski's being fed Hioki in a fight where one would think Hioki's being fed Palaszewski.

That would lead us to yet another truth to be told in relation to this fight...

Hatsu Hioki Beats Jose Aldo? Not If He Struggles to Beat Bart Palaszewski...

Hatsu Hioki came in as a highly-touted featherweight but caught a little bit of flak when he earned a split-decision win over George Roop at UFC 137.

Despite winning what was, in all fairness, a close bout against a very tough opponent, Hioki has to revert to his old form if he wants to keep the talks of a competitive fight with Jose Aldo alive.

Right now, the popular line of thinking is that maybe we should look towards the winner of Dustin Poirier's UFC on FUEL TV 3 bout with Chan Sung Jung in order to decide on who Aldo's next foe should be, but rest assured, Hioki's no different from the man who was believed to be the one Japanese fighter that could break the "JMMA curse."

Hioki is still the same man who was thought to be the only man capable of exposing some sort of flaw in Aldo's ground game, but if he cannot beat Palaszewski, or if he struggles to defeat Palaszewski at home, what will that say about his chances against Aldo?

The Fireball Kid Must Re-Ignite the Fire

This one goes without saying.

Takanori Gomi will go down as one of MMA's greatest lightweights, and he's one of the many former PRIDE fighters that will never be forgotten, no matter how many people try to forget about it.

However, there's only so long that fans can go with talking about how he's the first man to have knocked out Tyson Griffin.

Before knocking Griffin out, he lost his UFC debut convincingly to Kenny Florian, and since the win over Griffin, Gomi has gone 0-2 in 2011, with losses to Clay Guida and Nate Diaz.

Regardless of what Eiji Mitsuoka presents, Takanori doesn't have two options here.

Either he defeats Mitsuoka in Saitama, or his UFC run is done.

Eiji Mitsuoka Is Not Your Average Replacement Opponent

Eiji Mitsuoka is a bit more credible than your average propaganda suggests.

He handed Gleison Tibau his first pro loss by TKO due to a corner stoppage in the second round, submitted the likes of Rodrigo Damm, Brian Cobb and Samy Schiavo, and he took a majority decision win over Joachim Hansen.

Not only that, but aside from the Tibau win, Mitsuoka has won twice by some form of TKO, submitted eight men in addition to the three mentioned for a total of 11 submission wins and he's won three decision wins in addition to the majority decision win over Hansen for a total of four decision wins.

Gomi's the type of fighter that Mitsuoka has never before had the task of trying to finish, but just the same, Gomi's never had to employ his knockout power on a wily veteran like Mitsuoka.

There's always a first time for everything, though, right?

Joe Lauzon Wanted Anthony "Showtime" Pettis, and Now He's Got Him

Joe Lauzon actually got called out by Anthony Pettis and accepted it, so take that for what it's worth.

Nothing wrong with getting called out and accepting, since Melvin Guillard called Lauzon out before they signed on for UFC 136.

Pettis has done some stuff right in beating Jeremy Stephens and he recognizes that Lauzon is on his own way up the ranks, so with guys rising and falling at their own rate, why would Lauzon back down?

We know what Lauzon can do, we know what Pettis can do and we know their paths will have to cross eventually, so this bout itself is not questionable.

The better man will win, and that's all there is to it.

Anthony "Showtime" Pettis Wanted Joe Lauzon, and Now He's Got Him

Anthony Pettis wanted to fight Joe Lauzon, as we touched on in the previous slide.

Can you blame Pettis, though?

Sure, the division isn't any less loaded than it was in 2011, even if we have an undisputed lightweight champion in Frankie Edgar, but sooner or later, Pettis and Lauzon were going to fight.

On paper, the fight has excitement written all over it, and no matter how long it lasts or how it goes, people will look at this fight as a Fight of the Night contender at the end of the day.

Besides, even if Joe Silva didn't come up with it, some fan would've, and do you really think the UFC is going to ignore their fans when it comes to a great fight?

Yep. Neither did I.

Tim Boetsch Is 2-0 at 185, and May Officially Be the Division's Resident Spoiler

Tim Boetsch probably could not ask to be in a better situation in his career.

He's 2-0 as a middleweight, he's handled Kendall Grove and Nick Ring in his past two UFC bouts and he's drawing an equally big Middleweight in Yushin Okami in Japan.

How does that make him the division's resident spoiler at this point in his career?

Well, it's like this:

Kendall Grove needed a win to save his spot at 185, and Boetsch managed to spoil that by having a good weight cut and a well-exercised plan put together to stop Grove.

Nick Ring was a prospect on the way up, and despite a questionable decision win over Riki Fukuda, his momentum train was running smoothly, but then he ran into Boetsch.

Now Okami is coming off of a loss to Anderson Silva, and he'll be looking to beat Boetsch on his home turf.

If Boetsch has his way, he'll come out and spoil Okami's homecoming as well.

Not that we're complaining, but Boetsch is in a good spot right now, and he'll look to keep it that way this Saturday.

Yushin Okami Is STILL the Most Successful Japanese Fighter in the UFC Right Now

The truth is that Yushin Okami and his 10-3 UFC record are about as good as it's been getting for Japanese MMA in the U.S.

He's defeated the likes of Mark Munoz and Nate Marquardt in the Octagon, and he took on the pound-for-pound king of the sport, Anderson Silva.

He lost to Silva, but he's still found a great deal of success inside the Octagon throughout his time in the UFC, and in the process, he's derailed a few good folks.

Can he do it to Tim Boetsch?

Boetsch undoubtedly would like to spoil the homecoming of Okami, but what if Okami spoils an impressive-so-far run at middleweight for the man known as "The Barbarian"?

Time to Say Goodbye for Real This Time? Yoshihiro Akiyama Says "Not Yet"

Yoshihiro Akiyama dropped down to welterweight because many in the UFC brass felt that it was more of his natural weight class after a pretty admirable run at middleweight.

The only problem, though, is that Akiyama will get cut from the UFC if he cannot beat Jake Shields, which is a feat in itself.

Akiyama is one of nine fighters on home soil for this UFC 144 card, and some feel that Shields is on a different level from Akiyama.

If "Sexyama" wants to stay in the UFC, he'll have to prove quite a few skeptics wrong inside the Octagon, but with what he has shown thus far in his career, Akiyama is not done yet.

Good for him, but it could be bad news for Shields inside the cage.

Jake Shields Has Not Been Impressive Since Fighting Dan Henderson

Jake Shields just has not looked all that great since beating Dan Henderson.

He arguably lost his debut to Martin Kampmann, then he lost to Georges St-Pierre in St-Pierre's homeland, and he got knocked out in his last fight against Jake Ellenberger.

His performance against Akiyama may not do him any favors regardless, but at least if he can get the Judoka down and control him effectively, nobody can say he didn't look great against Akiyama.

How good Shields looks, though, depends a little bit less on Akiyama, however, and it also depends just a little it more on where Shields is at mentally when he steps inside the cage.

Whether You Agree with It or Not, Cheick Kongo Is on a Roll

He came back against Pat Barry and defeated Matt Mitrione, and now it seems like we're finally getting the Cheick Kongo we've been waiting for.

The guy is not scared to go for takedowns, he's stood and traded with guys that actually were better strikers than him (Barry) as well as prospects with bright futures (Mitrione) and he's fought to close decisions with prospects as well (the Travis Browne draw).

Seems like the only thing he hasn't yet faced is a PRIDE veteran with a hard head, and that's going to be tough for Kongo if he can't at least back Mark Hunt up.

Remember, Kongo's beaten Mitrione and he's drawn with Browne, but whether right or wrong, some felt Kongo lost both the Mitrione fight and the Browne fight, so if he can't make at least two rounds look clear against Hunt, he might have caused us to ask more questions about his end potential at this stage in his career, and quite frankly, now is when he should be answering more questions about where he stands.

It's Been a Hell of a Road for Mark Hunt

Now, I know what you're thinking: What is a video of a Mark Hunt loss to Melvin Manhoef doing on a slide that is supposed to be optimistic?

Even though it might not look like it, Hunt can take a blow and keep coming, and if the Ben Rothwell fight didn't prove it, nothing will.

It takes a certain type of fighter to challenge Cheick Kongo, and obviously, the last person one might expect to challenge Kongo would be the 7-7 Hunt, who was undefeated before Josh Barnett made him tap (and Fedor...and Alistair Overeem), but only had scored a KO win over Chris Tuchscherer before facing Rothwell.

What a ride.

Going 6-7 before facing an IFL veteran and now facing a top Wolfslair product in Japan?

Sign me up for that trip.

Hunt may not win this one, and if he does, it might spark some serious debates, but in victory or defeat, Hunt will do his damnedest to force Kongo to earn the win, regardless of how it comes.

Ryan Bader Just Stepped Up in Competition

Ryan Bader went 1-2 in 2011, and while there's no shame in losing to Jon Jones, many started to question Bader when he lost to Tito Ortiz.

I guess we are all to dislike Tito so much that even Kenneth Allen becomes more credible than Tito, eh?

We write him off enough.

Anyway, Bader got the knockout win over Jason Brilz, but he's not getting a Cyrille Diabate or a debuting prospect.

He's getting Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, whom he was offered and accepted. 

Some like Bader's odds, but others feel Bader bit off more than he could chew.

Rampage can make good fighters seem like they should be buying a ticket, so Bader will definitely have his hands full.

Then again, Bader knew what he signed up for when he took the fight.

It's Not a Rematch with Shogun, but It's a Homecoming for Rampage for Damn Sure

Quinton Jackson asked for Mauricio "Shogun" Rua on this Japan showcase, but while Dana liked that Quinton asked for the Japan showcase, "Rampage" still had to wait for Rua and Dan Henderson to go at it.

We all know what happened there.

Now, Ryan Bader has accepted this fight, which has left some people wondering what is going on in Bader's brain because of the fact that it's Ramapge and because of how much stock Rampage's name holds in Japan, as his name is as revered as some of Japan's greatest legends, from pro wrestlers Mitsuharu Misawa and Kenta Kobashi to MMA legends like Kazushi Sakuraba and Hidehiko Yoshida.

It's not the fight he asked Dana White for, but it's in the same place he wanted to fight in after the loss to Jon Jones, and how appropriate that this is also the place that launched his career off of the ground.

Welcome home, Rampage.

You've earning this trip back home, amigo.

Benson Henderson Is the Question That Only Frankie Edgar Can Answer, It Seems

Frankie Edgar has been the answer to many fighters' strengths, from Tyson Griffin to Jim Miller, from Sean Sherk to BJ Penn and even from the rematch with Penn to his 2011 with Gray Maynard.

Maynard may be the only man to defeat him, but Edgar was the first man to come out with a win over his archnemesis.

He takes shots from fighters that would normally knock out any fighter not named Clay Guida, and he just keeps on coming.

Not only that, but it says something about Edgar's evolution as a fighter when the only man to beat him cannot keep on top of him in the third of the three fights, especially when some might argue that he kept on top of him enough to beat him the second time out.

Still, Edgar's Wolverine-like recovery and amazing heart overcame his biggest adversary to date, and that's the reason why some feel he'll be more than able to solve the question of the seemingly-unbreakable Benson Henderson while keeping his lightweight title.

Don't be surprised if that's exactly what happens, because we know Edgar will feel comfortable wherever the fight goes, and the last time he found himself on the verge of defeat, he came back to earn a major comeback victory.

Even Henderson is not immune to the punishment Edgar can deal in the cage.

The Champion Has a Lion's Heart, but the Challenger Has an Iron Neck

Benson Henderson is a freak of f**king nature.

Jim Miller, Clay Guida, Donald Cerrone and Mark Bocek all tried to submit Benson "Smooth" Henderson, and while I don't recall Bocek getting close to locking anything up on "Bendo," none of the other three ever got the submission despite locking in their respective holds properly.

Seriously, Guida's guillotine, Cerrone's guillotine, Miller's flying arm triangle...well, I guess the term "flying arm triangle" indicates why Jim Miller wasn't submitting Henderson anyway, but the point is that Cerrone locked in his guillotine properly, as did Guida, and Henderson just shook it off like it was nothing at all.

That's not to suggest that Frankie Edgar shouldn't go for the submission if Henderson's neck is open, because we know Edgar will look for the win regardless of wherever the fight goes, and with the cardio of both men as well as their respective fighting styles, there's serious doubt about whether either man really wants to take the fight in a certain area.

However, if Edgar does get a hold of Henderson's neck, is he prepared for the possibility of getting a guillotine, which seems to be his bread-and-butter choke, and not finding the tap?

If not, Toms River, New Jersey's favorite son might conceivably head back to American soil with 12 pounds less in his luggage than what he arrived with.

The Most Stacked Fight Card of 2012 Take Place in the Birthplace of Martial Arts

Brazil is home to the most passionate fanbase in MMA, and it's been seen as the spiritual home of MMA, but Japan is seen widely as the real birthplace of martial arts.

You talk about the "Bushido" spirit; Japanese fighters have shown and defined the term "Bushido" throughout their time in the MMA scene, and with the many fighters on the card, how can any of these fights go on without a little bit of heart being shown inside the Octagon?

Every fighter exemplifies one trait or another of what a fighter or a mixed martial artist should be, and that's why they're going to The Land of The Rising Sun to do battle in front of the most reverent crowd in MMA.

Amped yet?

You should be, because if one card had everything it took to go down as one of the best cards of 2012, this one would be it. 

Want more UFC 144 coverage straight from the source of the "Truths" series? You know what to do.

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