UFC on FOX: 5 Reasons Why Ben Henderson Will Beat Frankie Edgar

Frankie Edgar is a great champion.  He's beat a future hall-of-famer, twice.  He's out-bullied the Bully, Gray Maynard.  He's a champion in a division that he probably shouldn't be fighting in because of his natural body size.  He's one of the top pound for pound fighters in the world. He's a warrior with the heart of lion. 

With that said, he may be looking at his championship belt for the last time as he (barring injury) is slated to face Ben "Smooth" Henderson at UFC 144 in Japan for the lightweight title. 

Looking at the skill sets of both fighters it appears that this one will be a definitely candidate for fight of the year, but let's see how Ben Henderson can add a UFC title to the WEC title he had previously...

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Henderson Is Naturally Bigger and Stronger

It's been stated time and time again that Frankie Edgar is fighting in a division that may be a bit heavier than what he is naturally suited for.  That will pose a problem in fighting Ben Henderson. 

Ben Henderson is one of the larger lightweights in the division.  He's showed that his size can be a problem for smaller fighters in the fight against Clay Guida.  Guida couldn't dominate on the ground and a large part of that was the strength advantage Henderson had over him.  The same advantage will be evident in the fight against Frankie Edgar.

With his size advantage, Henderson will be able to neutralize the speed of Frankie Edgar and use Randy Couture type tactics to beat Frankie up on the cage and in the clinch. 

Henderson Has Cardio for Days

Frankie Edgar showed in his last two fights against Gray Maynard that he get's stronger as the fight goes on.  This was a huge advantage in his fights against both Gray Maynard and BJ Penn.  He won't be able to use this to his advantage in his fight against Ben Henderson.

Henderson is one of those fighters who could fight 10 rounds if he wanted to. He's never looked gassed or weary in any of his fights in the WEC or the UFC so Frankie has to look elsewhere for advantages.

Smooth's Jiu-Jistu

Even though he's not yet a black belt in jiu-jistu, Ben Henderson has shown that he is great knack for using the discipline well in his fights. 

Henderson has one of the best guillotine chokes in the business and he has the ability to contort his body to get out of chokes that look extremely deep.

Just ask Jamie Varner and Donald Cerrone, it's very tough to get out of his chokes and he can end the fight at any time.

Good Takedown Defense

Henderson has shown pretty solid takedown defense in his last few fights.  With Smooth being the larger fighter, it doesn't appear that he will have problem defending the takedowns of Frankie Edgar. 

Edgar will probably want to keep the fight standing and use his better technical striking and boxing ability, but if things don't work the way he wants, he may refer to his wrestling base and look for takedowns.  In the event that he does, he may get stuffed in that area too.

Henderson Has Heart Too

Frankie Edgar has the heart of a champion and he showed that in both of his battles with Gray Maynard.  When it looked like his night was completely over, he summoned strength from inside to push Maynard back into the lightweight contender confusion as he stood on top, battered but not broken. 

While Henderson hasn't exhibited heroics to that standard, he has been in wars that have tested his intestinal fortitude.  In his 2009 fight of the year against Donald Cerrone, Henderson showed his fighting spirit by battling through numerous submission attempts from a highly skilled "Cowboy" Cerrone and came out on top.

Both men have a "never say die" spirit, and that along with the high stakes, are the reasons why this may be the fight of the year.

Be sure to stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things UFC on FOX. B/R is your home for post-fight analysis of the Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos fight card. Also, be sure to check out our fight card hub page for news and opinion on the entire UFC on FOX fight card.