Henderson & Edgar Want To Win At UFC 150
Posted on 13 Jun 2012
by MMAScoops.com Staff

Both lightweight champion Benson Henderson (16-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) and Frankie Edgar (14-2-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC) said they both want to win at UFC 150, regardless of rematches or titles.

The two will fight on August 11 in Denver, Colorado at the Pepsi Center. It will be Edgar's third straight rematch. Henderson won the belt from him in February at UFC 144 in Japan.

Edgar said: "Title on the line or no title on the line, I want to win my fight. It adds a little more motivation (to have a shot to get the belt back), but I'm still going to have the same drive in training and when I step in the octagon."

He had to lobby to get the match, as Dana White initially wanted him to drop to featherweight and challenge Jose Aldo. The lightweight division has been mostly consecutive remathces lately, with Edgar-B.J. Penn and Edgar-Gray Maynard in title fights. He said since he gave Penn and Maynard rematches, he should have one too.

He added: "I was pumped to get it. I felt I've done enough in my career and felt I had deserved it. I believe we're going to put on another exciting fight. I'm looking forward to training for the next two months. I've become accustomed to (the rematches). We're going to make the adjustments the next couple months. But Ben's going to make his adjustments, too."

Henderson he's not worried anymore about the questions surrounding the WEC lightweight fighters when they joined the UFC. He's currently 4-0 in his first year.

He said: "When it's all said and done, you have to win your next fight. You have any problems, anything comes around – just win your next fight. People are saying bad stuff about you and yadda yadda yadda – just win your next fight. They're saying, 'You can't do this, you can't do that' – just win your next fight. The answer to everything, as far as MMA goes? Just win your next fight. Period."

The next shot will likely go to Nate Diaz, as White wants the lightweight division to move forward. He said that another rematch between Henderson and Edgar won't happen unless there is a draw.

White said: "Frankie Edgar is a special individual. When this whole thing was going down (after he lost to Henderson), it was very public I wanted him to move down. I literally was in New York, he came out and met with me and he said, 'Give me this fight. Give me this fight.' I had to give him this fight. … The rematches that have gone on with Frankie Edgar shows he's really tough and durable. I believe he should be at 145 pounds. He doesn't agree with me. But if you look at the list of guys he's beat, he's amazing – and man, would he shine at 145 pounds. But what am I gonna say?"

This is Edgar's first time as a challenger since UFC 112 when he challenged Penn for the belt and won. He then gave him a rematch at UFC 118 and won that too. After a draw with Maynard at UFC 125, he knocked him out at UFC 136 in the rematch. This will be Henderson's first title defense since WEC 53 in December 2010. He lost his WEC lightweight title to Anthony Pettis in a five-round unanimous decision. He had two successful defenses against Jamie Varner and Donald Cerrone before that.