UFC 144 Fight Card: Final Betting Odds and Predictions

The UFC will attempt to revive MMA in Japan this Saturday, when the organization will visit to Saitama Super Arena for UFC 144, which will be headlined by a lightweight title fight between champion Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson.

Since the downfall of Pride, the popularity of MMA in Japan has quickly declined. Enthusiasts are now hoping that the UFC's first trip to Japan under the Zuffa ownership will prove enough to reignite a flame and bring the sport back to prominence in the country.

With a fight card full of elite athletes and popular Japanese fighters, the world's premier MMA organization is determined to entertain fans in its return to Japan. Let's take a look at how each of the matchups could play out in one of the deepest fight cards in recent memory.

Tiequan Zhang vs. Issei Tamura

Betting Odds

Tiequan Zhang -300

Issei Tamura +230

Breakdown

In UFC 144's only fight to stream on Facebook, Tiequan Zhang and UFC newcomer Issei Tamura will both be looking to break out of slump in which they have lost two of their past three fights.

While Zhang has already gained experience inside the Octagon by competing under the UFC banner on two occasions, Tamura will be dealing with the pressure of making his UFC debut in his home country of Japan.

Training alongside Norifumi Yamamoto, Tamura's strength is his wrestling, which could lead him into trouble against an opponent who has picked up 12 of his 15 wins by submission.

However, Tamura has never been finished in his eight professional fights and has only seen one of his fights end before going to the scorecards. That being said, Tamura has not been matched up against UFC-level competition during his time with the Japanese Shooto organization.

Though Zhang could just as easily beat himself, as he did in his last fight by repeatedly attempting guillotine chokes that left him on his back, expect the Chinese fighter to secure one of his patented chokes in the early parts of his fight with Tamura.

Zhang defeats Tamura by submission (guillotine choke) in the first round.

Takeya Mizugaki vs. Chris Cariaso

Betting Odds

Takeya Mizugaki -200

Chris Cariaso +160

Breakdown

For the first time since the bantamweight joined the WEC, Takeya Mizugaki will return to his homeland of Japan, where he last was able to secure consecutive victories, something he will hope to accomplish against Chris Cariaso at UFC 144.

Though Mizugaki has alternated wins and losses over the past three years, his defeats have come against elite bantamweights in Urijah Faber, Brian Bowles, Scott Jorgensen and Miguel Torres.

While Cariaso has only been defeated by rising contenders Renan Barao and Michael McDonald since joining the UFC, his future could be in the organization's newly-created flyweight division.

"If they ever do have 125," Cariaso told Bleacher Report prior to his past fight against Vaughan Lee, "I think I'm definitely going to find my home there."

At the present moment, though, Cariaso will be looking to leave the bantamweight division with a bang by defeating a former WEC title contender in Mizugaki.

While he can overcome his size disadvantage when standing by using his speed and technical striking, Cariaso could be in trouble if his larger opponent looks to take this fight to the ground, which is precisely what Mizugaki will likely attempt to do.

Against a fighter who has only been submitted by Faber in his 23 career fights, Cariaso wouldn't pose much of a threat off of his back and would likely have trouble working his way out from under Mizugaki.

Though Mizugaki has a solid stand-up game of his own, the smart thing for him to do in this fight would be to take Cariaso down and grind out a decision victory.

Mizugaki defeats Cariaso by unanimous decision.

Riki Fukuda vs. Steve Cantwell

Betting Odds

Riki Fukuda -300

Steve Cantwell +230

Breakdown

With four straight losses, former WEC light heavyweight champion Steve Cantwell is being given more of a chance than most to keep his UFC career alive, but he will certainly need a win over Riki Fukuda at UFC 144 to do that.

Meanwhile, Fukuda saw a seven-fight winning streak come to an end in controversial decision loss to Nick Ring in his most recent appearance. Almost one year later, competing in his home country, Fukuda will be looking to set the stage for another long unbeaten streak.

In his past few fights, Cantwell has been dominated on his feet and on the ground. Other than showing his toughness by reaching the scorecards in his four consecutive defeats, there have been few positives for Cantwell to take away from his fights since joining the UFC roster.

Fukuda, on the other hand, looked very well rounded in his bout with Ring at UFC 127, so expect the Japanese fighter to control Cantwell no matter where this fight goes.

Unfortunately for Cantwell, hanging tough for a fifth decision loss in a row won't be enough to prevent the end of his run with the world's premier MMA organization. 

Fukuda defeats Cantwell by unanimous decision.

Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Vaughan Lee

Betting Odds

Norifumi Yamamoto -325

Vaughan Lee +250

Breakdown

Once considered one of the better fighters in the sport, Norifumi Yamamoto has lost four of his past five fights and is still looking for his first win under the UFC banner. Should he lose to Vaughan Lee at UFC 144, the 34-year-old may never get another chance.

Against Lee, Yamamoto will be competing against an opponent who probably won't be looking to take the bout to the ground, which is good for the wrestler who has had problems fighting off of his back in his first two UFC appearances.

For once, it will be Yamamoto who will have the chance to showcase his wrestling ability. Though Lee does have a number of submission wins under his belt, Yamamoto has never been forced to tap and won't hesitate to work his ground-and-pound from the Englishman's guard.

Expect Yamamoto to work for a finish from the start of the fight. Lee may survive a round or two, but eventually Yamamoto is going to break his opponent down and force a stoppage with punches from the top position.

Yamamoto defeats Lee by technical knockout (punches) in the second round.

Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka

Betting Odds

Takanori Gomi -225

Eiji Mitsuoka +175

Breakdown

Originally scheduled to fight George Sotiropoulos, Takanori Gomi will now attempt to end his two-fight losing streak against fellow Japanese fighter Eiji Mitsuoka, who will be making his UFC debut on Saturday.

Aside from Gomi's Knockout of the Night performance against Tyson Griffin, the former Pride champion has been underwhelming since he first stepped foot inside the Octagon.

Though he is the favorite heading into this fight, a troubling stylistic matchup against Mitsuoka could lead to Gomi's third straight defeat and release from the UFC.

Especially in recent years, Gomi's success has heavily depended on his knockout power. However, MItsuoka has only suffered one knockout loss in 27 career fights, and that stoppage was due to a cut. Additionally, 75 percent of Gomi's losses have come via submission, while Mitsuoka has forced 11 opponents to tap.

Though Mitsuoka might not be a familiar name to most fans, the fighter with wins over Gleison Tibau and Joachim Hansen could be primed for an upset over Gomi at UFC 144.

Mitsuoka defeats Gomi by submission (rear naked choke) in the first round.

Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon

Betting Odds

Anthony Pettis -250

Joe Lauzon +195

Breakdown

Former WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis' road to reclaim a UFC title shot he was once promised runs through Japan and upset specialist Joe Lauzon.

Coming off of one of the biggest upsets of 2011, a submission win over Melvin Guillard, Lauzon is also looking to throw his name into the mix for a 155-pound title shot.

Pettis' takedown defense has been the lone hole in his game since joining the UFC, but Lauzon probably doesn't have the wrestling to take advantage of that.

Though Lauzon has been counted out and proven people wrong before, this matchup should allow Pettis to unleash his dynamic offense for the first time inside the Octagon.

Pettis defeats Lauzon by unanimous decision.

Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski

Betting Odds

Hatsu Hioki -185

Bart Palaszewski +150

Breakdown

Considered one of the top featherweights in the world, Hatsu Hioki had a rough start to his UFC career, as he narrowly defeated George Roop in a decision. Now, the Japanese fighter will hope to remind fans why he is one of the best at 145 with a win over Bart Palaszewski in his home country.

With wins in five of his past six fights, Palaszewski entered the mix for a featherweight title shot in his most recent fight by knocking out Tyson Griffin.

Though he is a jiu-jitsu black belt, Palaszewski presents the biggest threat to Hioki on his feet. Therefore, Hioki will likely try to take this fight to the ground and test his black belt against Palaszewski's.

Having never been knocked out or submitted, Hioki should be able to survive long enough on his feet to take the fight to the ground to walk away with another narrow decision win.

Hioki defeats Palaszewski by unanimous decision. 

Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch

Betting Odds

Yushin Okami -450

Tim Boetsch +300

Breakdown

Tim Boetsch has looked like a completely different fighter since dropping from light heavyweight to middleweight, but a very tough test now stands in front of him, as "The Barbarian" is set to meet Yushin Okami in the Japanese fighter's home country.

A very large 185-pound fighter, Okami isn't going to be rag-dolled like Boetsch's past two opponents. Instead, having frequently trained with the likes of Chael Sonnen, it might be Okami who outwrestles Boetsch at UFC 144.

Since Okami has only been finished twice in 32 fights, one of those occasions coming against middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Boetsch may need to defeat Okami in a decision. Though, since Boetsch has been known to fade late in his fights, that may be a tough task against such a tough opponent.

Look for Okami to take this fight to the ground, where he will beat Boetsch up for three rounds and bounce back from his loss to Silva with a decision victory.

Okami defeats Boetsch by unanimous decision.

Jake Shields vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama

Betting Odds

Jake Shields -300

Yoshihiro Akiyama +230

Breakdown

After putting together a 15-fight winning streak, Jake Shields has dropped his past two fights and will be looking to get his career back on track with a win at UFC 144. Similarly, Yoshihiro Akiyama has lost three straight fights after going unbeaten for more than five years.

In what will be a pivotal fight for both competitors, expect Akiyama's weight cut to play a fact in a fight that should reach the third round. Akiyama has gassed in the third round at middleweight, so his first fight at welterweight could further hinder his conditioning.

After two closely contested rounds, look for Shields to take advantage of a tired Akiyama in the final frame, when he will take Akiyama down, lock up a submission and return to the win column.

Shields defeats Akiyama by submission (rear naked choke) in the third round.

Cheick Kongo vs. Mark Hunt

Betting Odds

Cheick Kongo -300

Mark Hunt +230

Breakdown

A fight between two heavyweight kickboxers looking for a third straight win could quickly hit the canvas on Saturday, as the more well-rounded Cheick Kongo will want to avoid the risk of standing with Mark Hunt at UFC 144.

After losing six straight fights, Hunt has recently rebounded with back-to-back wins over Chris Tuchscherer and Ben Rothwell. However, Hunt will be dealing with a much more diverse opponent in Kongo.

Where Tuchscherer and Rothwell posed little threat to Hunt when standing, Kongo will force the New Zealand native to worry about defending against attacks from multiple angles. Eventually, Kongo will look to mix in a takedown attempt to take advantage of Hunt's sub-par ground game.

Once Kongo has Hunt on his back, the end of the fight will not be far away. Though most of Hunt's losses have come via submission, Kongo will probably look to end the fight with his powerful ground and pound.

Kongo defeats Hunt by technical knockout (punches) in the first round.

Quinton Jackson vs. Ryan Bader

Betting Odds

Quinton Jackson -280

Ryan Bader +220

Breakdown

While some thought a loss to Jon Jones in a title fight might have meant the end of Quinton Jackson's career, "Rampage" was motivated by the UFC's return to Japan for UFC 144, where he will meet Ryan Bader. 

Though younger and possessing more power in his hands, Bader possesses a lot of the same threats to Jackson that Matt Hamill did, a fighter Jackson easily defeated by defending takedowns and pushing forward on his feet.

Bader wrestled at Arizona State University, but he has yet to show that his wrestling translates well in a fight against an opponent of Jackson's caliber. Instead, Bader has relied heavily on his hands, a formula that he will likely have to vary from against Jackson, who has a solid chin and dangerous punching power of his own.

This matchup isn't an easy one to call, but Jackson's return to Japan and his ability to defend takedowns against most light heavyweights not named Jon Jones or Rashad Evans points to a decision win or exciting knockout for the former Pride star.

Jackson defeats Bader by unanimous decision.

Frankie Edgar vs. Benson Henderson

Betting Odds

Frankie Edgar -130

Benson Henderson EVEN

Breakdown

After being counted out for four straight title fights, Frankie Edgar is finally considered the favorite heading into his UFC 144 bout with Benson Henderson.

That being said, Edgar still will be facing a tough opponent who, unlike B.J. Penn and Gray Maynard, could be able to match his pace and conditioning.

Iron-chinned and nearly impossible to submit, Henderson is going to go to war with Edgar for five rounds. Since Penn was unable to outbox Edgar and Maynard was unable to outwrestle Edgar, Henderson might not have a ton of success in this fight, but he is going to go out on his sword.

Five exciting and hard-fought rounds will result in Edgar's hand being raised once again, resulting in another spark in speculation that the champion could move down to 145 pounds for a superfight with featherweight titleholder Jose Aldo.

Edgar defeats Henderson by unanimous decision.