Frankie Edgar (left) will have a rematch against Ben henderson (right) for the lightweight belt
The UFC announced this Tuesday night the first defense of its Ben henderson. The American, who won the lightweight title by defeating Frankie Edgar No. UFC 144, will grant an immediate rematch to the former champion. The news emerged on Twitter, when Edgar thanked Dana White, president of the UFC, and Lorenzo Fertitta, CEO of the organization, for the new opportunity to compete for the title.
“Thank you Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta. Edgar and Henderson 2. Here we go….”, said the former champion on the microblog. Soon after, it was the UFC president's turn to confirm the confrontation and announce when the duel would take place. “The rematch between Henderson and Edgar takes place this summer”, said the top hat, referring to the season, which in the United States takes place between the months of June and September.
Henderson, who was once the now-defunct WEC lightweight champion, took Edgar's belt by beating him by unanimous decision in the main fight of UFC 144, which took place in Saitama, Japan, on February 26.
In turn, Edgar will face a repeat opponent for the third time in a row, a rare occurrence in the UFC. On each occasion, the fight was worth the lightweight belt. The first opponent of this series was B.J. Penn, beaten by Edgar at UFC 112 and UFC 118. Then it was time for Gray Maynard, who drew with Edgar at UFC 125 and lost at UFC 136.
The confirmation of the rematch undermines, at least temporarily, Dana White's desire to see Frankie Edgar fighting among the feathers. Dana would have even offered a title shot immediate against José Aldo, but the former lightweight champion preferred to remain in his current category.
In collaboration with Alexandre Matos
Comments