Clash Royale Update (06.17.16)

Okay now time for some Clash Royale updates! I mentioned before that I manage seven accounts in Clash Royale. I get bored every weekend and have resorted to creating a new account every weekend or so. Now I manage seven. Quite a challenge but I am somehow able to work it out.

The second account, Chef Mikey, has been progressing really, really well. It’s all thanks to a Magical Chest that I received a couple of days back. I opened it as soon as I woke up, around 7pm. I was not expecting it at all, but I got another legendary card, the Sparky!

On top of this, I was able to get a Mirror card in the same Magical Chest. So I upgraded that for 400 gold and plugged in the Sparky. I also invested previously in Elixir Collectors and mine is at level 5 currently.

This is what my deck currently looks like:

I have been experimenting with my new deck and it has been a blast. It took some tweaks here and there and I’ve finally figured out how to best use the deck. Having fun with casting double Elixir Collectors which paves the way to at times cast Dual Sparkies! I’ve also managed to snag a couple of victories today by casting Dual Giants and then unloading Rage once they get near the King’s tower.

Today’s highlight would be finally reaching Royal Arena using this account, joining the Ashen-X account. I guess I am ready to call it a day or a night. Until the next update, Clumsy Idiot out!

Rising from the Ashes

So it’s been more than two years since I’ve updated this blog. I guess it’s about time to try and start the ball rolling again, to rise from the ashes. A lot has happened in the past two years that I’ve last posted here. A lot has changed but some things do remain the same. Lots of new experiences and lots of lessons as well. What’s important is that you learn and you get better and you move forward. As what Ragnar Lothbrok said to his sons in the History Channel series Vikings, “Don’t look back, you’re not headed that way!”. Easier said than done though but once you get past the part of getting stuck and you trudge forward, then there will be progress after progress, though sometimes they are baby steps and at times you take two steps backward before you can move one step forward.

The Golden State Warriors will win the Championship for the second time in a row by next week. What a historic season indeed. I find it pointless to compare them to the 72-10 Chicago Bulls. Different eras, different styles. Debate as much as you want and imagine as much as you want but you won’t see how each would fare against the other. I am putting my money on the Bulls though. There is no doubt that Michael Jordan would average 40 or more in this era. Then again we can never tell how they would fare in trying to stop the ball movement of the Warriors and how they will slow down the Splash brothers. It would be fun though to see how Scottie Pippen would guard Steph Curry or Klay Thompson. Also, it would be fun to see the mentor vs the student when Steve Kerr goes against his mentor, Phil Jax. But yeah, all wishful thinking. Being down 1-3 against the Thunder, that made the defending Champs tougher and this series is nothing compared to going up against Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. I thought that pair would go all the way. This season is indeed Magical for the Golden State Warriors. I wonder who would end up being the Finals MVP this time. We shall soon find out.

On the UFC side of things, I can’t wait for the rematch between Jon Bones Jones and Daniel Cormier. One nice fight coming up though before UFC 200 would be the fight between Wonderboy and Rory McDonald. That’s what’s coming up next. I would like to see Wonderboy win as it I’m curious to see how he would fare against Robbie Lawler.Then again, I wouldn’t mind seeing Rory have a second crack at the champ. But yeah, I want Wonderboy to be Champion this year. We’ll see how that pans out as well real soon.

Regarding games, Monster Hunter Generations is coming out next month. The Wolfpack, which is my hunting guild at work, is already excited and we’re counting down the days. Before that title drops though, Clash Royale has been keeping me busy. I started playing at the beginning of April, a couple of weeks before my birthday. Then I discovered that you can make multiple accounts. Since then, when I get bored and impatient waiting for the Chests to unlock, I made one account after another. Now I have seven. Crazy huh? I guess I discovered that I fare much, much better when I am challenged and maintaining 7 accounts is no joke. It would be curious to see how I can juggle this game when Monster Hunter Generations comes out next month. We shall soon find out in a little over a month.

It was my first time to get a Legendary card last week. I got a Miner for my main account, Ashen-X. It really is best when you get things unexpectedly. It seems that the desire sensor that plagued so many in the Monster Hunter franchise is prevalent in this game as well. It’s all good though, sometimes there’s quick progress, sometimes there’s little progress and sometimes there’s no progress at all. But you just have to endure and keep on charging ahead.

One thing I’ve learned this year is that you need to have something to look forward to. Be it an event, a new experience, new places to go or just simple things like trying to cook a new dish, doing something you’ve never done before or doing something that you used to love doing. In my case, that would be playing basketball and yeah, writing. I used to write and then seek comments, yearning for validation, for approval. But I’ve read something that lit a fire under me again. Do things not to impress, but to express. So yeah, we conquer by continuing. No matter how long you’ve stopped, all you need to do is to take steps again, although the first step is usually the hardest. But believe me, once you gain momentum, you’ll be so happy that you started going forward again. So yeah, don’t look back, you’re not headed that way! Kadima! Keep on moving forward!

UFC 178 Preview: Jones vs Cormier

I don’t like Daniel Cormier, let me get that out right away. Hate is a strong word but yeah I hate Daniel Cormier, let’s put it that way. I don’t feel like he deserves the title shot he is getting right now. What makes more sense for me would be having the surging Anthony “Rumble” Johnson get a crack at Light Heavyweight Champ Jon Jones. Nevertheless, he’s getting the title shot that he has been begging for since he moved down to Light Heavyweight.

Their recent scuffle only adds fuel to the fire. This definitely means war! Check out the video below. This is the best video that I have found so far online:

Jon Jones is not perfect. He is not well-loved by UFC fans. I have compared him before with Lebron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers (which was very accurate at that time he bolted for the Miami Heat four years ago) but a more apt comparison would be Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. The way they are willing to do anything to win. They will try anything to take out their opponents’ heart. Whatever it takes to come out on top. The way both likes to have an edge, an upper-hand over their opponents.

I would best describe Jon Jones with one word: enigmatic. From his hilarious Instagram videos that he often deletes. He likes the attention and feeds off of it. He feeds off the hate. You can say whatever you want about him outside the octagon but inside of it, he has no peers. Anderson Silva might have been a great argument a couple of years back but he’s got a long road back to the top of the mountain.

Many would say that this brawl was a stunt. That rings true in some ways. But these two genuinely hate each other. Those are real punches thrown. Here’s what I have noticed though, Jon Jones has already won the mental game. He postured up to DC and DC pushed him away, a sign of weakness. He can break you mentally. He showed Cormier who the real Alpha Male is between the two of them. How this translates into their fight will not be known until their fight, which is 53 days away as of this writing.

This scene somehow reminds me of the Brawl in the Palace between the Pistons and the Pacers. The way Ben Wallace shoved the guy formerly known as Ron Artest. Jones might be punished similar to what happened to Artest but this certainly will boost the PPV sales. This might be tons better than Jones vs Evans. As a fight fan, I can’t wait to see how this goes down. A lot can happen in 53 days though there are a lot of events in between now and this fight. One thing is for sure, I can’t wait for this fight! We will see who is the true Alpha male of the Light Heavyweight division come Sept. 27! Save the date!

UFC 172: Jones vs Texiera Preview

Jon Jones wants to be the Greatest of All Time. He is on the right path. But paths to greatness are never meant to be smooth. There will be always be hurdles, a bump on the road, a pothole here and there and Jones definitely had one the last time we saw him inside the Octagon.

Jon Jones had his toughest fight to date in his last match against Alexander Gustafsson and many were not impressed. As good as Jon Jones is, he has a lot of people hating him. I was not impressed as well. I watched that fight the first time and thought for sure Gus did enough to have his hands raised. I watched it a second and a third time and to me it was clearly that Bones won, but it was extremely close. If it were not for a spinning elbow that connected with less than 40 seconds left in the fourth round of that title fight, Glover Texiera would be facing Alexander Gustafsson instead of Jon Jones.

A photo of the aftermath posted by The Mauler in a hospital after the fight further showed that Jones was lucky to escape with the belt.

Tomorrow, Jon Jones will face Glover Texiera in his seventh title defense. Say what you want about Bones, but with Anderson Silva on the shelf with a broken leg, Jon Jones is the current pound-for-pound best fighter in the UFC. A good argument here would be Cain Velasquez, but he has not gone through so many former champions as Jones has, plus he is on the shelf until November, recovering from shoulder surgery.

A lot of people still doubt his greatness but there’s no stopping Jon Jones. As obsessed as he is about getting better, I believe we will see the best Jon “Bones” Jones when he meets Texiera tomorrow. You may want to check out the video below if you are really excited for this fight, it is definitely worth your while.

Another video you may want to check out. I think it’s pretty cool. I love Sports Science videos!

And if you are in the mood to read, be sure to check out this article from Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter. A very interesting read if you want to know Jon Jones more:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2039226-the-obsessions-of-jon-jones

The Clumsy Idiot’s Prediction: Jones in 4th or 5th round via stoppage.

On a side note, the co-main event features top contender Phil Davis vs the returning Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. That’s a pretty interesting fight. I am picking Rumble for that fight.Another fight that I think would be good is the one between Joseph Benavidez vs Tim Elliott. That promises a lot of fireworks. Not the grandest of cards but not a slouch either. Can’t wait for tomorrow!

 

 

The Clumsy Idiot’s Guide: The Movies to see in 2014 (Part 2)

I have compiled a list of 25  Movies to see for this year. Movie freaks or those who just want to view Movie Trailers, enjoy! This is part 2 of 5.

6.) Captain America: Winter Soldier

The trend of this year being the year of sequels and reboots continues with Captain America: Winter Soldier. Chris Evans reprises his role as Captain America and is joined by the Black Widow played again by Scarlett Johansson.

The movie revolves around the Winter Soldier, who happens to be Steve Rogers’ bestfriend Bucky, brainwashed into a ruthless assassin. The movie will also introduce another Marvel character, The Falcon, played by Anthony Mackie.

Release date: April 4

7.) Transcedence

I am willing to bet that this will end Johnny’s streak of horrible movies the past few years and erase all the gripes about Dark Shadows and most recently, the Lone Ranger. Any movie produced by Christopher Nolan is worth checking out, even with first time Director Wally Pfister manning the helm and written by fellow newcomer Jack Paglen.

The plot is very ambitious and original. The film also stars Morgan Freeman, Rebecca Hall (Iron Man 3) and Paul Bettany (A Knight’s Tale, Wimbledon. He also voiced J.A.R.V.I.S in the Iron Man trilogy)

Release date: April 18

8.) The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The decision to reboot this franchise made me very happy and the casting of Andrew Garfield as the new web crawler was spot-on. The first movie grossed $752 million worldwide, making it the highest grossing reboot of ll-time. There are two more sequels to be released after this one.

Marc Webb (500 days of Summer) did a wonderful job considering 500 days of Summer was his directorial debut. The sequel is said to further delve into Peter’s life as an orphan, someone who searches for his identity and aims to further showcase how hard his life is as both Spider-Man and Peter Parker

Release date: April 30

9.) Godzilla

I had high hopes for the first Godzilla film, even watched it in the theaters with a couple of friends. I found it quite okay. The rest of the world didn’t seem to agree. Hence, no sequel.

This year, being the year of reboots, Godzilla is given another chance. This after 4 years struggling to be given another chance. The script changed hands several times, and finally Frank Darabont (writer-director of The Shawshank Redemption and The Walking Dead) finished the film script.

After Breaking Bad ended and left a huge void, I am excited to see Bryan Cranston on the big screen. It also stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick Ass), Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche and Ken Watanabe.

Release date: May 15

10.) X-Men: Days of Future Past

The Past meets the Present in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Heroes from the original X-Men film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from X-Men: First Class in a battle that must change the past in order to save their future.

This is the second film in a trilogy for the X-Men reboot. If you have seen the mid-credits scene from the Wolverine, it was tied to the plot for this movie. If you have not seen that, I suggest you do so and then watch the trailer for this film. Not much information on the story but I hope that the reboot continues the same path as the first movie, X-Men: First Class. Keep your fingers crossed.

Release date: May 23, 2014

The Clumsy Idiot’s Guide: The Movies to see in 2014 (Part 1)

I have compiled 25  Movies to see for this year. Movie freaks or those who just want to view Movie Trailers, I hope you  enjoy this!

1.) The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

I was not interested in this film until I saw the trailer. It appeals to anyone who have spent ample time day dreaming and under achieving. It is based on Jason Thurber’s short story and is the second film adaptation. Ben Stiller plays the lead character. A big departure from his usual roles. Just watching the trailer makes me want to see this movie. It has the feel of movies like Forrest Gump, The Life of Pi and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. At least that’s what I think. We will see.

Release date: Jan. 22

2.) Robocop

The Amazing Spiderman proved that there is hope for reboots. The moment I saw the trailer, I had high hopes for it. For this Robocop reboot, my reaction was a mix of nostalgia and uncertainty.

Robocop was one of the coolest movies of my childhood and I can vividly remember how the ED-209 (Enforcement Droid 209) clumsily fell down the stairs!It was both amazing and hilarious at the same time.

Joel Kinnaman stars as Alex Murphy in this reboot and is backed by an oustanding supporting cast of Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson.

The trailer looks very promising and even gives vibes of the original. My gut tells me that this might do well.

Release date: Feb. 14

3.) Non-Stop

Any movie trailer that has a Liam Neeson voice over will always get my attention. While the plot isn’t that original (Is there an original plot at all nowadays? Even fairy tales are getting rebooted left and right), Liam Neeson films rarely disappoint, so I’m looking forward to this one.

Release date: Feb. 28

4.) 300: Rise of an Empire

This is the sequel to the 2006 film, 300. The first movie ran for 117 minutes and this one is a tad shorter at 102 minutes. I am not sure if it will be long enough to tell a good story and to meet the hype and expectations of a highly-anticipted sequel that comes 8 years after the first movie was released.

I am also not sure if this sequel will overcome the expectations of fans of the original, especially fans of Leonidas.

Release date: March 6

5.) Noah

This is the first of three movies coming out this year based on Bible characters/Biblical events. It boasts of a very stellar cast with Russell Crowe playing the lead character and also stars Jennifer Connelly as Noah’s wife. This marks their second time being cast as husbnd and wife after A Beautiful Mind. The film also stars Anthony Hopkins and Emma Watson.

The role of Noah was offered to Christian Bale and Michael Fassbender but both declined due to scheduling conflicts. Emma Watson’s role was first offered to Dakota Fanning but did not push through as she also had scheduling conflicts.

What’s really curious about this film is that no real animals were used in production. All the visual effects in the film was done by Industrial Light and Magic and it is reported that it’s the most complex rendering they have ever attempted. Just basing it on the trailer, it looks very promising.

Release date: March 26

UFC 168 Review: The End of an Era

 

I revisited this blog a couple of days ago and I realized that I have not written for so long. What better time to write again following this year’s last UFC card, especially in light of how today’s main event ended.

My picks were Barnett, Rousey and Silva. I only got one out of three. Josh Barnett was the biggest disappointment. I was expecting him to clinch and rough up Browne and finish him with strikes or on the ground, as he is really crafty in both striking and in grappling. After a hard knee by Browne forced Barnett to go for a takedown, he got finished the same way Browne finished Gabriel Gonzaga, with uber vicious elbow strikes to the head.

The Women’s Bantamweight championship match was the most entertaining match of the night. I watched a lot of Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate as coaches in the latest TUF incarnation so I had huge expectations for this fight. It was a back and forth battle and both fighters fought well. In the end, what was evident was that Ronda Rousey is one bad girl! Her Judo throws were something to behold and the fact that she improved her standup shows that she is a real student of the fight game.

Now let’s get down to the main event. A lot of people, including me, were not convinced that Chris Weidman really won in the first go-around with the G.O.A.T. It looked more like Anderson Silva gave the fight away. With Anderson Silva’s track record, it would be safe to assume that he would bounce back. What would unfold would be one of the most gruesome injuries that I have seen in the UFC.

After almost getting knocked out again in the first round, the Spider looked to rebound in the second round. But how the fight ended reminded me of Shaun Livingston’s injury with the Clippers several years back and of Kevin Ware of Louisville’s injury this year.

It was the worst way to go out but I believe that we have seen the last of Anderson Silva inside the Octagon. He has a lot of mileage and has been dominant for so long. He will still go down as the Greatest fighter of All time and I think he does not have anything more to prove in the UFC. As a fan of the UFC, this reminds me of the time when I saw Michael Jordan come back and play for the Wizards. He should have ended his career out on top. The same goes for Mr. Silva. Time to hang it up champ. I started watching the UFC because of you. The changing of the guard for the Middleweight division is now upon us. The end of an era for the Greatest Fighter of All Time.

Musings of a Converted Laker Fan

I used to hate the Lakers. Hate is understating it. I do have much more disdain towards the Spurs, having rooted for the Suns since Steve Nash went back to the desert. I will never ever forget the heartache of seeing  Metta World Peace (then named Ron Artest) making the putback off a Kobe airball in game of 6 of their Western Conference Finals and propelling the Lakers to the Finals and Kobe got his fifth ring.

I used to hate Kobe Bryant.  I was rooting for Allen Iverson back when they faced each other in the 2001 NBA Finals. Though that’s a thing of the past since he visited an orphanage in Manila and I got to see a different side of Kobe, a side I have since liked.

I am sucker for rooting for the Underdog. But this time I have no choice but to root for a powerhouse. Call me a converted Laker fan. Where Steve Nash goes, I follow.

Now with Dwight Howard finally going to the Lakers, they are now the Top Dog in the Western Conference, at least on paper. But the big thing here is that anyone who has played with Steve Nash has always had a career year. Just ask Boris Diaw, Jared Dudley, to name a few. The most critical part of the trade is that of Pau Gasol no longer being included in the trade. I would rather have Pau Gasol over Al Harrington any day. Add to the mix Antawn Jamison coming off the bench. Somewhere I can see Grant Hill shaking his head. With this trade, he certainly wishes he chose the other team in LA.

Big key though is how much is Kobe willing to sacrifice. How much is he willing to shoot less and make more plays now that he has this lineup around him. Kobe Bryant would do everything just to get back on the mountaintop again. Another key is the Lakers changing to the Princeton offense. They hired former Sixers and Wizards coach Eddie Jordan to facilitate the Princeton offense. I think that Andrew Bynum would have fared better but I will give Dwight Howard some leeway here. There’s a big difference with playing with Steve Nash than playing with Jameer Nelson and a big difference with playing with a Kobe Bryant and playing with a Jason Richardson. Given Steve Nash’s history with making other players around him better, chances of Dwight Howard having a disappointing season are slim.

Right now Miami is at the top of the mountain. But with this trade, they surely would have the Lakers in their minds all season. Let’s get one for Steve and one more for Kobe! This is one of the happiest days of my life as a Steve Nash fan and as a basketball fan in general. Now all Laker fans say Amen.

UFC 145 Preview: Jones vs Evans

On April 22, Jon Jones and Rashad Evans will finally face each other in UFC 145 as Jones looks to defend his title for the third time against another former Light Heavyweight champion. The UFC has been promoting this fight heavily since it has been almost two months (UFC 144 in Saitama, Japan) since the last UFC event.

The UFC has even released a couple of ads for the event:

 

The first episode of UFC Primetime: Jones vs Evans is definitely a must-see for any UFC fan:

The UFC is clearly promoting Jones as the new face of the UFC. Rashad Evans looks to throw a wrench to the Jon Jones bandwagon and get his belt back. He wants to show that he’s got Jon Jones’ number.  Jealousy, bitterness and betrayal. Two men who used to be former teammates. One showed the other the ropes in the sport and treated the other like a brother and a protege. Mix all of this together and we have ourselves a pretty intriguing main event.

In the first episode, Rashad said that Jon is a fake, that he is fraudulent. Jon then goes on to say that there are many sides to him. The show first focuses on his side as a father and then shows his side as a younger brother. His older brother Arthur not only accompanies him to his fights, he trains with Jon for every fight.  It also showed his side as a competitor, trying to best his brother in everything.

The second episode starts showing us a side of Rashad Evans as a brother and as a member of his new team, the Blackzilians. It shows his relationship with his coach Mike Van Arsdale, who suffers an injury and would need surgery.

It then shifts back to the Jones brothers and we see how hard Jon Jones trains. The highlight of this episode is one very touchy subject:  the death of Jon Jones’ older sister, Carmen, who died in December 2000 at the age of 17.  Jon first talked about this in an interview in UFC In the Moment: Jon Jones . Here we see that the pain is still there. Jon Jones is not exempted from this. He pauses again and is at a loss for words. A loss of a loved one  is something that will stay with you for the rest of your life.

At that time, I couldn’t really relate to Jon as I have never really experience losing someone that I was really close to. But last November, my stepfather passed away. He was one of the bigger influences in my life and was my biggest supporter. He was my best friend. We used to watch these events together and analyze the fights. He would even predict the score cards of each fight and almost all the time he was spot-on. He likes Jon Jones and was a lot worried when Jones was to meet Machida last December, a fight that he was not able to see.

It was a treat, seeing a personal side of both fighters. It gets me more excited to see this fight. Who will come out on top? Does Rashad Evans has Jon Jones’ number? I don’t think so.

First thing that Rashad needs to deal with is Jon’s reach. Rampage had a very hard time dealing with Jon’s reach and was kept at bay with his improved kicks. Yes Rashad has dealt with Jon’s reach during their sparring sessions but you don’t go full blast in sparring sessions. The stakes are higher in a real fight.

It has been over a year since Evans left Team Jackson. A lot can happen in a year, just ask Jeremy Lin. In less than one year, Jones has strung together an impressive streak with wins over former champions Shogun Rua, Rampage Jackson and Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida.

He not only won each fight but he finished all of his opponents. The experiences of facing these opponents has not only added to Jones’ experience, it has elevated his confidence level.

This is not the same Jon Jones that Rashad Evans trained with a year ago. We can also add the fact that Jones looks better and better with each fight. After this fight, I see everybody jumping on the Jon Jones bandwagon. Let us not also forget the most important fact: the only guy to defeat Rashad Evans was the last guy that Jon Jones defeated back in December, Lyoto Machida.

The only chance Rashad has of winning this fight is if he gets to take Jones down and deal some damage. Otherwise, it will be a long night for Mr. Evans.

UFC 144 Review: Edgar vs Henderson

“The most boring UFC Champion”, that’s what one of my friends call Frankie Edgar. I happen to agree with him. Among all those who hold a UFC belt, Frankie Edgar is the one I liked the least. You can say the same for UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominic Cruz.

A true fighter finishes fights. Georges St.Pierre has lost quite a few fans because he started trying to win rounds instead of finishing his fights. Other than his last title defense againt Gray Maynard, Edgar has not finished his fights. He does not have knockout power, he has no ground and pound and his submission skills are mediocre. He does have good cardio and has good accuracy with his punches and leg kicks thought they do very little damage. The end result is most of his fights always goes to a decision. Most people say he fights a weight class lower (He walks around at 155 and does not cut any weight) and I agree. Unlike Edgar, Benson Henderson has never been accused of trying to win rounds. He always tries his best to take his opponents out and finish fights.

Former WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson is one of the biggest lightweights around. He cuts a lot of weight, similar to Edgar’s previous foe, Gray Maynard. He is one of the most well-rounded fighters and has no holes in his game. His striking is his biggest weapon, he has very good submission defense. Since moving on to the UFC from the WEC, Henderson has been on a tear, taking down top contenders Jim Miller and Clay Guida. Despite his huge weight cuts, his cardio is top-notch. He seems to be the better match-up with Edgar than with Maynard.

A big part of Henderson’s game are his kicks. He is a blackbelt in Tae Kwon Do. Seeing them in the cage together, they do look like a weight-class apart. It reminded me of the time when Jon Jones faced Shogun Rua last March for the UFC Light Heavyweight title.

First Round: Henderson threw a lot of leg kicks with Edgar catching a few of them. The leg kicks do land and does damage before being caught by Edgar. Joe Rogan says that this is a popular move in Muay Thai and something that Edgar has definitely practiced with his Muay Thai coach Phil Nurse, who happens to be the same Muay Thai coach for Jon Jones. This seems to be a big part the champion’s strategy as he repeatedly does this throughtout the entire fight. Henderson also lands several knees to the body and at the end of round one a big welt can be seen on the left eye of Frankie Edgar.

Second Round: Round two starts pretty much the same as round one. Henderson lands powerful leg kicks and knees to the body with the Edgar catching a bunch of them but he fails to land counters. Edgar does take Henderson down with a couple of minutes left and attempts a guillotine choke. He switches position and tries to take the challenger’s back. Henderson counters with a standing kimura and Edgar lets go. Henderson will employ this tactic for the rest of the fight. With a minute left, Edgar takes Henderson down again and they trade elbows. Henderson tries to go for an armbar and Edgar tries to stack him up and employ some ground and pound. The challenger then lands the most devastating upkick that I have ever seen. This staggers the champion and the challenger ends the round with a flurry of elbow strikes to the body. On to the third round!

Third Round: The upkick that Henderson landed has broken Edgar’s nose and his left eye is almost swollen shut. It is not looking good for the champion. The size difference is very evident when they trade and land strikes. Whatever Edgar lands has very little effect on the challenger. Henderson continues to land leg kicks and knees to the body and even gets a takedown in the middle of the round. He lands a couple of shots but they do get back up. Before the round ends, Edgar takes Henderson down but lands nothing. Edgar looks damaged and tired while Henderson looks the exact opposite, unmarked and untouched. We now enter the championsip rounds!

Fourth Round: Henderson continues to employ the double right jab and a leg kick. With two minutes gone, Henderson lands a knee with Edgar going for the takedown. Henderson goes for his favorite submission move, the guillotine choke. The champion stayed calm and composed and is able to escape and winds up on top. Edgar tries to go for Henderson’s back and again Henderson counters with a standing kimura and again Edgar is forced to let go. Henderson keeps on landing the leg kicks and Edgar keeps on catching them but does nothing afterwards. It looks impressive but Henderson makes sure he pays for continuing to employ this tactic. This round goes again to Henderson for landing more significant strikes and for the guillotine choke attempt. Now heading to the fifth and final round!

Fifth Round: As the round is about to start, Henderson’s corner asks him if he has five good minutes and he responds by saying he has 15 more and he was exaggerating. Edgar’s corner, on the other hand, tells him to stop catching the kicks. He did continue catching the kicks. It figures as it would be very hard to stop doing something that you have trained to do and judging by the accuracy of Edgar in catching the kicks, it’s pretty safe to say that he did spend a lot of time training to catch the kicks. I do question employing this tactic as it does not score you points unless you land counters after catching the kick. Edgar does land a couple of hard shots in this round. He tries to take the challenger’s back and again Henderson counters with the standing Kimura and Edgar is forced to let go. Less than two minutes left in the round, Edgar staggers Henderson but Henderson just shakes it off. Edgar looked before wobbly and tired as the round is about to finish. Henderson winds up on top with a couple of seconds left in the fight and lands a few more powerful shots as the horn sounds.

After five rounds, the judges scored it 49-46, 48-47, 49-46 for Henderson. Benson Henderson is the new UFC Lightweight champion!

Frankie Edgar said in the post-fight interview that he thought he did enough to win it. Dana White echoed the same sentiments in the post-fight news conference. Having seen this fight for five times now, I cannot recall a time when Edgar really put any threat to Henderson. Henderson, on the other hand, landed the more powerful kicks and knees, he also landed that powerful upkick at the end of the second round and his guillotine choke in the fourth round were the highlights of this fight and it showed off is well-rounded game. Judging from the pics below it’s not that hard to see clearly who won the fight. Henderson’s face was pristine after 25 minutes while Edgar had a busted nose, his left eye badly damaged.

Who Henderson faces next has been the big question since this fight. Dana White seems geared to giving Edgar a rematch but he has also said that he will give a title shot to the winner of the Nate Diaz-Jim Miller fight in May. I personally would like to see Anthony Pettis face Edgar and the winner of the Diaz-Miller fight face Henderson in his first defense. As for Frankie Edgar, a move down to featherweight seems like the best move for him.

The Lightweight division is indeed the deepest and toughest division in the UFC right now. Henderson is more than capable of reigning for a long time but it surely will be no walk in the park.