Written by Scott Swerbinsky

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Live tonight at 10pm on the east coast UFC 144 takes place in Saitama, Japan. Due to the time difference the fights will be actually be happening  on Sunday morning at the Saitama Super Arena. 

Two fights on the card have me jumping for joy. I believe when it’s all said and done, Ben Henderson versus Frankie Edgar and also Joe Lauzon versus Anthony Pettis will be fight of the year candidates. All four of the fighters have extremely well rounded games, like to entertain fans with their exciting styles, and always come prepared. It just so happens that both fights will be in the 155 pound division, the deepest in the UFC.

Frankie Edgar will be putting the 155 pound title on the line when he steps in the octagon with Bend Henderson.  In the last two years, Edgar has only fought two opponents. Frankie beat Gray Maynard once and had a draw with him, and then defeated a washed up BJ Penn twice. Henderson will present a lot of problems for Edgar, ones he really hasn’t had to deal with in a long time.

Ben Henderson is a former WEC champion and to me the most well rounded fighter in the weight class. I don’t know if he has reached his ceiling as a mixed martial artist, but I think Edgar has. Looking at this fight, I don’t see where Frankie Edgar will have an advantage.  Experience possibly.

To Edgar’s credit, he beat BJ Penn twice when nobody thought he would. He was dominated by Gray Maynard in both fights early on and came back to get a draw and a stunning victory to retain his title.  Frankie has a ton of heart, no doubt about that, I just Henderson being too well rounded for him tonight.

For those who haven’t seen much of Ben Henderson, this fight should be a must see for you. He has one punch knockout power, phenomenal wrestling, slick submissions, and powerful kicks. Henderson is the definition of a mixed martial artist because he does everything so well. I expect him to have his hand raised and the UFC title wrapped around his waist when UFC 144 is over.

Joe Lauzon and Anthony Pettis are two of my favorite fighters to watch. Their gas tanks never run out, they come to finish fights, and both guys have no problem in any aspect of the fight game.

When this fight was announced, my reaction was “Holy sh** is that going to be a show.” On paper, this may be one of the most even fights the UFC could put together. Neither fighter has a glaring weakness and that’s what will make this one so special in my opinion.

The winner of this fight should be knocking on the door of a title shot. Pettis was in line to fight Frankie Edgar but that got put off because of the draw with Gray Maynard and the immediate rematch. Instead of waiting for Edgar, Pettis took a fight with Clay Guida and was held down for two rounds and lost a decision. He got back on track with a hard fought win over Jeremy Stephens.

Lauzon fights his best when the bright lights are on. Winning three out of his last five fights, this could possibly be the last run his makes at the title.  Still a young guy at 27, now is the time for “J-Lo” to make a claim to be the best at 155.

I’m not picking a winner for this one, I’m just going to sit back and enjoy. I suggest you do the same.

Full fight card:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

• Champ Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson (for lightweight title)
• Ryan Bader vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
• Cheick Kongo vs. Mark Hunt
• Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields
• Tim Boetsch vs. Yushin Okami
• Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski
• Joe Lauzon vs. Anthony Pettis

PRELIMINARY CARD (FX)

• Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka
• Vaughan Lee vs. Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto
• Steve Cantwell vs. Riki Fukuda
• Chris Cariaso vs. Takeya Mizugaki

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

• Issei Tamura vs. Tiequan Zhang

Top to bottom, this should be a great night of mixed martial arts action. Two fights obviously stick out to me but don’t be surprised if this card is one of the best we see in 2012.