Dana White: Benson Henderson-Frankie Edgar Rematch in Works for Summer
Frankie Edgar’s wish has apparently been granted.
The former UFC lightweight champion tweeted Tuesday that he will receive a rematch with newly christened titlist Benson Henderson, and UFC President Dana White confirmed the news shortly thereafter.
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Henderson defeated Edgar to capture the lightweight title at UFC 144 on Feb. 26, earning a contentious unanimous decision over the New Jersey native in a hard-fought, five-round main event. Neither a date nor a location has been set for the rematch.
Until this afternoon, it was unknown who would serve as Henderson’s first challenger in the ultra-competitive UFC lightweight division. Henderson’s former World Extreme Cagefighting foil, Anthony Pettis, had his name thrown around, as did Nate Diaz and Jim Miller, who will square off in the UFC on Fox 3 main event on May 5. However, it now appears that Edgar sits firmly in the driver’s seat.
Known for his exceptional heart and toughness as well as his sharp boxing and wrestling skills, Edgar has won six of his last eight fights. The former champion originally won the title via unanimous decision over B.J. Penn in 2010 and bested “The Prodigy” a second time four months later to cement his claim to the belt. Edgar then drew with Gray Maynard in Sherdog.com’s 2011 “Fight of the Year” at UFC 125 before knocking out Maynard at UFC 136 the following October.
A former WEC lightweight champion, Henderson, 28, has lost just once since 2007, relinquishing his championship to Pettis at the WEC’s final show in December 2010. Since joining the UFC ranks, “Smooth” has won four consecutive bouts, outpointing Mark Bocek, Miller and Clay Guida before taking Edgar’s title last month in the UFC’s return to Japan.
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