UFC 144: Memorable Photos from the Event

The UFC finally returned to Japan for UFC 144, and they made sure that the Japanese crowd got what they paid for.

With a stacked main card that featured seven fights that were full of action and in some cases title implications, every fight on the card delivered in some way and it ended up being one of the most memorable cards in MMA history.

There was a five-round war between Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar, Rampage Jackson’s emotional return to Japan, Tim Boetsch pulling off one of the most incredible comebacks in the promotion’s history and Anthony Pettis sending Joe Lauzon home with a brutal head kick knockout, making this card one of the most unpredictable and exciting in the storied history of the UFC.

Anthony Pettis Destroys Joe Lauzon, Likely Earns a Rematch with Benson Henderson

Joe Lauzon is always most dangerous in the first round, and a lot of fans expected to see Anthony Pettis try to weather the early storm and come out strong against Lauzon in the later rounds, but Pettis wasted no time in making his claim for a UFC title shot.

Lauzon dropped his hands at the worst possible moment and ate a huge head kick, knocking him senseless and leading to Pettis landing some unnecessary ground and pound before earning the knockout win.

Pettis is now likely next in line for a UFC title shot, and if he performs anything like he did tonight, Benson Henderson is in for a long night when he rematches “Showtime.”

Hatsu Hioki Makes His Claim for a Title Shot by Taking out Bart Palaszewski

When he made his UFC debut last October at UFC 137, a lot of fans were looking for Hatsu Hioki to make a good first impression against George Roop and show that he was a legitimate threat for Jose Aldo.

While Hioki was slightly disappointing against Roop, he did enough to earn a decision win and was still on track to earning a title shot if he was able to come out and put on a good performance against Palaszweski.

Hioki came out on fire in front of his fellow countrymen, using an effective standup game to pick apart his opponent on the feet before getting the fight to the mat and showing off his incredible ground game in the second half of the round.

The dominant first round was followed by a two rounds that were much closer on the judges scorecards, but Hioki did enough to win and could get a shot against Aldo if the UFC decides he’s ready.

Tim Boestch Knocks out Yushin Okami in an Unbelievable Comeback

You can count me among the people who thought Tim Boetsch getting a fight against Yushin Okami after two rather forgettable decision wins was laughable matchmaking, but Boetsch showed tremendous heart and resiliency for the first two rounds of the fight and ended up recording one of the best come-from-behind wins in UFC history.

After a first round that saw Okami dominate on the feet and a second that saw the Japanese fighter prove his skill on the mat, it looked like Tim Boetsch was best off just trying to survive in the third round and hope to walk away from the bout with a decision loss.

Instead, Boetsch went for broke like so few fighters do and he ended up hurting Okami early in the round with punches and didn't let up until the referee was pulling him off of Okami's body.

The win was a huge game-changer in the middleweight division. Boetsch now has to be considered amongst the elite in the 185-lb weight class.  

Jake Shields Survives Against a Game Yoshihiro Akiyama

A lot of fans were excited to see Yoshihiro Akiyama’s debut in the welterweight division, as most thought that he should have been fighting at 170 for the entirety of his UFC career.

Akiyama showed some incredible takedown defense against Shields, who has won the majority of his MMA fights by taking his opponent to the mat and working his ju-jitsu in order to score a submission.

Sexyama was in desperate need of a win, as he had dropped his last three fights inside the Octagon, but his takedown defense didn’t quite get the job done as he lost the battle on the feet.

Shields did just enough on the feet to score a unanimous decision win, and he likely saved his spot on the UFC roster with the hard fought win over Akiyama.

Mark Hunt Smashes Cheick Kongs, Proves He Belongs in the UFC

Mark Hunt is for real in the UFC’s heavyweight division.

He’s been counted out during his entire UFC career, and he was pretty much left for dead against Cheick Kongo.

Hunt proved he was a legitimate threat to anyone in the division after smashing Cheick Kongo in under three minutes, and he showed his power by landing a hard left hand that put Kongo on dream street and quickly went for the kill.

The win actually propelled Hunt into the upper echelon of the weight class, and another win or two could lead to Hunt getting a UFC title shot, something that seemed impossible when he basically forced the promotion to give him a fight back at UFC 119.

Rampage Jackson Enters the Octagon to the Pride Theme Song

After Rampage entered the Octagon to the old Pride theme song before his bout against Lyoto Machida at UFC 123, there was a lot of speculation that he would do the same now that the UFC was letting him fight in Japan.

The Japanese crowd was electric once the iconic sound of the drums filled the arena, and for long-time fans it was enough to give you those almost forgotten goosebumps that we had associated with big Pride events.

Rampage Jackson Slams Ryan Bader to the Mat, Brings Back Pride Memories

With the return to Japan overshadowing even the lightweight title bout prior to the event, all eyes were on Rampage Jackson, who had made it clear that he was looking to put on a show for the Japanese fans that he had grown to love during his time with Pride.

Rampage became famous due to his tendency to pick up his opponents and rag-doll them around the ring during the beginning of his Pride career, and a lot of fans were hoping to see some of that resurrected in his bout with Ryan Bader.

Well, they got their wish in the second round, as Rampage got a hold of Bader against the fence and promptly picked him up and body slammed him to the mat and sent the crowd into a frenzy.

The slam was pretty much the only highlight for Rampage during the fight, but it was memorable enough to be the thing fans will remember about the bout.

Benson Henderson Defeats Frankie Edgar in a Close Lightweight Title Fight

When Benson Henderson had his arm raised after a brutal 25-minute bout with Frankie Edgar, it signaled not only a new era in the lightweight division, but the end of one of the most memorable title runs of all time.

Edgar had defied the odds over and over again during his UFC title reign, coming in as an underdog against BJ Penn and Gray Maynard numerous times, but this time the bloodied and battered Edgar would leave the cage without his beloved belt.

It looks like Edgar is going to have to earn a rematch the hard way and won’t be able to get himself an immediate rematch, leaving Henderson likely to face another winner from UFC 144, Anthony Pettis.

With Edgar seemingly out of the title picture, and possibly out of the division, UFC 144 effectively turned the 155-lb weight class on its head.