NOT SINCE THE days of the PRIDE organisation has Japan seen such a large and exciting MMA event take place on their shores.
The UFC returns to the spiritual home of martial arts for the first time since 2000, when Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell delighted the Japanese crowds at UFC 29.
This time around, the fans have a bumper main card of seven fights to enjoy, with each fight providing a unique story and a different reason to watch.
Frankie Edgar keen to keep his belt
Ben Henderson has been tasked with breaking the will of the man with the biggest heart in the UFC as he looks to depose Frankie Edgar as the lightweight champion in the main event of the evening.
The former WEC lightweight champ has worked his way to a UFC title shot with three unanimous decision victories over Jim Miller, Mark Bocek and Clay Guida.
Frankie Edgar has been forced to hold onto the title the hard way as he had to see off Gray Maynard and BJ Penn twice to get to where he is now.
This has all the makings of a five-round barnburner as both men have great conditioning and very fast-paced styles.
Edgar soaked up all Gray Maynard had to offer and managed to survive, and the possibility of Henderson knocking him out seems remote.
This means the key to this battle lies in the wrestling department. This should make Henderson the favourite, but as we have seen in his two fights with Maynard, Edgar has improved in this area and should be able to neutralize Henderson’s wrestling.
If “Smooth” fails to keep hold of, or take down “The Answer”, it could be a long night for him as Edgar is far stronger on the feet and should win the fight if it stays standing.
Japan’s adopted son returns
Although the lightweight championship bout holds top billing, this is the fight most Japanese fans will be most looking forward to.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson was a superstar in Japan during his PRIDE days; his rivalry with Wanderlei Silva and fight against Chuck Liddell made him a legend in that country.
He takes on Ryan Bader this weekend as he looks to get over his comprehensive defeat at the hands of Jon Jones last time out and he has promised to put on an exciting show for his devoted followers.
He will have his work cut out against Bader who put back to back defeats behind him with a quick KO of Jason Brilz last time out.
Questions were asked of Bader’s chin after he was rocked by the not normally hard-hitting Tito Ortiz, and Jackson’s heavy hands will prove too strong for him here.
“Rampage” has all the motivation and with the crowd behind him, he should gain the victory. But will we see the power-bomb again?
Best of the rest
There are plenty of other great fights that fill the card and realistically it is like having seven main events on one card. Cheick Kongo faces off against Mark Hunt while Anthony Pettis and Joe Lauzon kick things off in explosive fashion.
Jake Shields has the unenviable task of taking on hometown favourite Yoshihiro Akiyama in a bout that has all the hallmarks of a “Fight of the Night” affair.
Both men are looking to get back to winning ways after suffering heavy defeats last time round and while “Sexyama” is effectively fighting for his UFC career, he won’t have it easy against Shields.
Expect a conservative battle of wits, as Shields slowly exposes Akiyama’s weaknesses on his way to a hard-fought but safe decision victory.
