UFC 144 Results: Did Frankie Edgar Lose Because of His Appearance?

After five action-packed rounds, the final bell closed the doors to one of the greatest fights in the history of the UFC.

Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar battled it out with No. 1 contender Benson Henderson, only to lose his prized possession of UFC gold.

Henderson was declared then newest lightweight champion as the judge's scorecards favored his performance (49-46, 49-46 and 48-47).

However, after an extremely close decision, many fans across the globe were left wondering what the deciding factor of the decision truly was.

Edgar endured a torturing amount of damage to the face, as he saw his left eye swollen badly.

But, from past experiences, Edgar has demonstrated an easier ability to bleed, as its become a trademark to his game.

In fact, it's difficult to reminisce on a bout when Edgar didn't have blood flying from his nose or an eye swollen.

His opponent, Henderson, displayed no such damage.

Could the visual damage to Edgar's face be the result of his stripped title?

When all was said and done, Henderson led the way as he out-struck Edgar in significant blows 87-68.

However, in the grand scheme of things, the tough-minded Edgar was able to edge his opponent in total strikes 124-114.

In addition, Edgar was able to land seven takedowns to Henderson's two.

With the entire world on the edge of their seats, could the deciding factor of the championship bout have been a direct result of Edgar's physical appearance?

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