• UFC 150

Henderson beats Edgar to retain title

Benson Henderson raises his arms after victory © Getty Images

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Ben Henderson has held onto the lightweight title at UFC 150 with a controversial split decision victory over Frankie Edgar.

Henderson won the title from Edgar at UFC 144 in Japan and claimed another win over his foe in Denver to keep the belt. In their previous meeting, Henderson won by unanimous decision, but on this occasion the points were split 48-47 to Henderson on two cards and 49-46 to Edgar on the third.

Edgar began brightly enough, catching Henderson with a choke in the second round. But Henderson wriggled free before retaliating with a series of vicious kicks.

Indeed, Henderson's work with his feet was largely to thank for his triumph and he continually connected with kicks to Edgar's body. Henderson also opened up a cut near Edgar's right eye with a heavy elbow.

The decision drew a chorus of disapproval from the fans inside Pepsi Center, with many believing Edgar had gained the edge, particularly in the second and third rounds.

Earlier in the evening, Donald Cerrone earned a knockout win over Melvin Guillard. Cerrone stunned Guillard with a kick to the head before landing a crushing right hook to the chin to send Guillard sprawling.

Jake Shields won a unanimous decision against Ed Herman in their middleweight fight. The bout was hardly an entertaining one, though, with Shields regularly holding Herman down for extended periods as the crowd booed.

Ex-middleweight title contender Yushin Okami snapped his two-fight losing streak, beating Buddy Roberts in a second-round stoppage win. Okami dominated in both rounds before the fight was stopped at 3:05.

Max Holloway also picked up a second-round stoppage victory over Justin Lawrence. The fight ended at 4:49 following two stinging body shots from the 20-year-old.

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