Edgar, Henderson All Clear for UFC 144 Title Showdown

Lightweight kingpin Frankie Edgar tipped the scales at 154 pounds for his scheduled five-round title defense against Ben Henderson (154) in the UFC 144 headliner on Saturday at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Of note at Friday’s official weigh-in, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson missed his contracted mark by five pounds, as he registered a weight of 211. The former UFC light heavyweight champion will be fined 20 percent of his purse but will face Ryan Bader (205) in the co-main event as scheduled.

Henderson has blossomed in his prime, having recorded 13 wins in his last 14 outings. The 28-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt trains under Royce Gracie protégé John Crouch at the MMA Lab in Glendale, Ariz. Henderson, who has not fought since he defeated Clay Guida by unanimous decision at UFC on Fox 1 in November, has secured 10 of his 15 professional victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. The former World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight champion was a two-time collegiate All-American wrestler at Dana College, an NAIA school in Nebraska.

UFC 144 “Edgar vs. Henderson” -- which airs live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT -- features five other matchups, as French heavyweight Cheick Kongo (229) collides with Mark Hunt (264), former EliteXC welterweight champion Jake Shields (170) faces Yoshihiro Akiyama (169), world-ranked middleweight Yushin Okami (185) toes the line against Tim Boetsch (186), former Sengoku featherweight titleholder Hatsu Hioki (145) meets Bart Palaszewski (146) and Roufusport representative Anthony Pettis (155) takes on “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 semifinalist Joe Lauzon (156).

Two hours prior, the FX network will carry four preliminary bouts: Takanori Gomi (155) vs. Eiji Mitsuoka (154), Riki Fukuda (185) vs. Steve Cantwell (185), Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto (136) vs. Vaughan Lee (135) and Takeya Mizugaki (135) vs. Chris Cariaso (136). The final undercard bout, a featherweight duel between Tiequan Zhang (146) and Issei Tamura (145), will stream live to the UFC’s Facebook page.

UFC 144 “Edgar vs. Henderson”
Saturday, Feb. 25
Saitama Super Arena
Saitama, Japan

UFC Lightweight Championship
Frankie Edgar (154) vs. Ben Henderson (154)

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (*211) vs. Ryan Bader (205)
Cheick Kongo (229) vs. Mark Hunt (264)
Jake Shields (170) vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (169)
Yushin Okami (185) vs. Tim Boetsch (186)
Hatsu Hioki (145) vs. Bart Palaszewski (146)
Anthony Pettis (155) vs. Joe Lauzon (156)
Takanori Gomi (155) vs. Eiji Mitsuoka (154)
Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto (136) vs. Vaughan Lee (135)
Riki Fukuda (185) vs. Steve Cantwell (185)
Takeya Mizugaki (135) vs. Chris Cariaso (136)
Tiequan Zhang (146) vs. Issei Tamura (145)

* Quinton Jackson (211) failed to make weight and will be fined 20 percent of his purse. His bout with Ryan Bader will go on as planned.