Henderson vs Edgar II: 5 Reasons You Can't Miss This Fight

UFC 150 will feature a lightweight championship bout contested between Ben Henderson and Frankie Edgar. 

The fight is a rematch and will see Edgar attempting to reclaim his title from the upstart Henderson, who edged out the former champ for lightweight supremacy earlier this year.

Neither one of Henderson or Edgar is a stranger to title fights, nor to each other, and the buildup surrounding the contest has had that distinct feeling of intensity and excitement. 

If you haven't picked up on it just yet, allow me to whet your appetite by recounting the top five reasons you can't miss this fight.

This Is the Ultimate Rebound Situation for Frankie Edgar

Edgar has becoming something of a real-life Rocky Balboa, beating long odds, defying critics and snatching victories from the jaws of defeat. Edgar's reputation has been fueled by his upset wins over B.J. Penn, as well as his pair of comebacks against Gray Maynard—first to draw, then to win.

At UFC 150, however, Edgar will face a new kind of adversity.

This time, he won't be taking on an opponent thought to be invincible, nor is he guaranteed to start out the fight by suffering a near-knockout.

Instead, what Edgar will face is an opponent who not only beat him, but took away his title, and did so recently. 

It will certainly be interesting to see how Edgar responds to this new type of adversity. Will he come back from the brink one more time or finally fail to shock fans and confound critics?

The Evolution of Ben Henderson Continues

Making it tough for Edgar to use UFC 150 to further build his growing legacy is Henderson's ever-evolving skill set.

Always a strong wrestler, Henderson developed a dangerous submission game early in his career and rode it to a WEC title. "Smooth" has continued to round out his game more recently by developing a formidable striking repertoire, and he seems to add weapons to his arsenal each and every time he steps into the Octagon.

It is always an intriguing thing to see an individual grow as an athlete, and the leaps and bounds Henderson has made of late make him a special case.

The direction Henderson's career has taken to this point suggests that the fighter we see at UFC 150 will be the best version of him that we have seen to date. And when you stop and consider just how good Henderson already is, that should be reason enough to not miss his upcoming fight.

Both Henderson and Edgar Are Entertaining Fighters

Aside from the multitude of storylines that make the context of this contest interesting, the fight itself is not likely to lack for action.

Both Henderson and Edgar like to keep a quick pace in the Octagon and neither one is afraid to mix it up with the other. 

The first time the two fighters met, the contest had a distinct striking flavor that will likely factor heavily into the second battle, though there is a strong possibility that some high-level grappling will be on display as well.

So even if you aren't hooked by the intrigue surrounding the contest, don't sleep on this one. It should be good. Very good.

The Stare-Down

The correlation between intensity at weigh-ins and intensity inside the Octagon is not always a positive one, but if looks could kill, neither Henderson nor Edgar would be alive to fight on Saturday night.

There is little doubt that both fighters want this win badly and each guy is likely to leave everything he has inside the cage. There isn't exactly a lot of bad blood between Henderson and Edgar, but there seems to be a growing rivalry that should produce a good show this Saturday night.

And if the stare-down the fighters shared during Friday's weigh-ins is any indication at all, the fight itself should be quite dramatic.

It's a UFC Lightweight Title Fight

If Edgar's bout with adversity, Henderson's continued progress towards greatness, assurances that the fight will be a good one and an increasingly intense rivalry developing between the two fighters are not enough to catch your interest, then at least this last point should be.

UFC 150 will feature two of the most successful and entertaining fighters of one of the most exciting weight classes of the most exciting promotion of one of the world's most exciting sports. Not to mention there is a title on the line.

That alone should be enough.