The UFC returns to the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado for an amazing night of fights as Ben “Smooth” Henderson and Frankie “The Answer” Edgar rematch for the UFC Lightweight Title and former teammates Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard.

Picking up from where they left off during their first meeting during UFC 144 in Japan, current UFC Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson will look to prove that his win was not a fluke and defend his title against former champion Frankie Edgar.

Henderson won the previous fight via unanimous decision after outstriking the former champion and using his size and length advantage to keep Edgar at bay. Edgar had the advantage when it came to takedowns however, but was not able to capitalize and do significant damage.

A standout in the WEC, Ben Henderson captured the promotion’s lightweight title back in 2010. Due to the UFC-WEC merge, Henderson found himself among the top talent in the UFC’s lightweight shark tank and immediately made a case for his position as a contender. Henderson ran through his first three fights inside the Octagon including a win over contender Jim Miller and a title eliminator win against Clay Guida, earning him a shot at then champion Frankie Edgar.

A UFC veteran since 2007, Frankie Edgar made waves as a lightweight contender, going 6-1 before earning a title shot against MMA legend BJ Penn, who was then the UFC’s 155lb champ. Edgar used his speed and accurate striking to earn a controversial unanimous decision win over Penn, prompting an immediate rematch. In their second meeting, Edgar dominated Penn and proved that he deserved to hold the title. Edgar would go on to face Gray Maynard in yet another two fight series, the first going to a draw and the second ending with Edgar knocking Maynard out and retaining the title.

Can Ben Henderson retain his title or will Frankie Edgar reclaim what used to be his?

Donald Cerrone and Melvin Guillard Face off in Lightweight Bout

The co-main event features another exciting lightweight bout between two perennial contenders as Donald Cerrone takes on former Jackson-Winklejohn teammate Melvin Guillard.

Donald Cerrone broke into the UFC and immediately made noise, choking out Paul Kelly in the second round. He would go on to win three more fights including finishes of Charles Oliveira and Dennis Siver. In his fifth fight in 2011, Cerrone met TUF Season Five winner Nate Diaz. Diaz outstruck Cerrone en route to a unanimous decision win, marking Cerrone’s first loss in the UFC. Cowboy would bounce back, putting on a striking clinic against tough lightweight Jeremy Stephens.

Melvin Guillard was a competitor in the second season of The Ultimate Fighter and has been fighting inside the Octagon since 2005. Known for his speed and explosive knockout power, Guillard was in the mix for a shot at the lightweight title back in mid-2011 after winning five straight, three of which were early knockouts. The heavily favored Guillard faced off against Joe Lauzon in October of 2011, a fight that would have likely made him a candidate for a shot at the champion. Lauzon however, pulled off the upset and choked Guillard out in just 47 seconds. Since then, Guillard moved out of the Jackson-Winklejohn camp in New Mexico and started training at the Blackzillians Camp in Florida with the likes of Rashad Evans, Jorge Santiago, Anthony Johnson and Alistair Overeem.

Can Cerrone top his former teammate or will Guillard come out with the win?

Jake Shields Returns to Middleweight to Face Ed Herman

After going 2-2 in the UFC as a welterweight, former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields moves back up to 180lbs and meets a surging Ed “Short Fuse” Herman.

Considered as one of the best welterweights and middleweights in the world, Jake Shields was undefeated from 2005 to early 2011 and had names such as Carlos Condit, Yushin Okami, Paul Daley, Jason Miller, and Dan Henderson under his belt. After defending his Strikeforce title against Dan Henderson back in 2010, Shield vacated the title and made the jump to the UFC and defeated Martin Kampmann to earn a shot against welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. Shields lost a five round decision to St-Pierre and would go on to suffer a 53 second TKO loss to Jake Ellenberger in his following fight. Shields would bounce back against Yoshihiro Akiyama, outstriking the judoka to earn a unanimous decision win.

A finalist in the third season of The Ultimate Fighter, Ed Herman has been fighting in the Octagon since 2006. Herman went 4-2 in the UFC until a leg injury he suffered in a bout against Aaron Simpson kept him on the shelf for more than two years. In his 2011 return, Herman made short work of Tim Creduer, knocking him out in just 48 seconds. Since then, Herman has won two more fights, both by submission, pushing his win streak to three.

Can Jake Shields make a successful return to middleweight or will Ed Herman pick up his fourth straight win?

Okami vs. Roberts and Lawrence vs. Holloway Open Main Card

In another middleweight bout, former title contender Yushin “Thunder” Okami takes on 12-2 Buddy Roberts.

Another UFC veteran, Yushin Okami has been fighting inside the Octagon since 2006. After going 6-0 inside the Octagon, Okami found himself in a title eliminator against former champion Rich Franklin. After losing to Franklin, Okami went to 6-1, with his only loss coming at the hands of Chael Sonnen. With big wins over Mark Muñoz and Nate Marquardt, Okami earned a title shot against middleweight king Anderson Silva. Silva would knock Okami out in the second round. Looking to find his way back to another title shot, Okami faced off against Tim Boetsch. Okami dominated Boetsch for two rounds and was seemingly on his way to a victory until Boetsch caught Okami in a clinch and unleashed a fury of uppercuts, knocking Okami out in the third round.

Only making his second UFC appearance, Jackson-Winklejohn product Buddy Roberts looks to make it 2-0 inside the octagon. The Texas native compiled and impressive 11-2 professional record before coming into the UFC and defeating Caio Magalhaes by unanimous decision back in June.

Can Yushin Okami get back on track or will Buddy Roberts make a statement in his second UFC appearance?

In the main card opener, featherweight strikers Justin “The American Kid” Lawrence and Max “Blessed” Holloway meet inside the Octagon.

A member of the famed Blackhouse team in Los Angeles, Justin Lawrence made a name for himself during the 15^th season of The Ultimate Fighter. After knocking out Cristiano Marcello in the first round, many believed that Lawrence had a good chance of winning the competition. Unfortunately for Lawrence, eventual winner Michael Chiesa would defeat him in the quarter-finals. Lawrence would still make a big statement at the finale where he knocked out fellow TUF 15 contestant John Cofer via a head kick KO 19 seconds into the third round.

Much like Justin Lawrence who has a 4-0 MMA record, Max Holloway is another fighter early into his MMA career. At 20 years old, Holloway has a 5-1 record and will be making his third Octagon appearance. In his debut, Holloway fell to contender Dustin Porier via a mounted Triangle-Armbar submission. In his next bout, Holloway would use his diverse striking arsenal to defeat Pat Schilling via unanimous decision.

Can Justin Lawrence improve to 5-0 or will Max Holloway pick up his second UFC win?

UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar II Full Fight Card

MAIN CARD

LW Title: Benson Henderson (c) vs Frankie Edgar

LW: Donald Cerrone vs Melvin Guillard

MW:  Jake Shields vs Ed Herman

MW:  Yushin Okami vs Buddy Roberts

FW:  Justin Lawrence vs Max Holloway

Preliminary Card  

FW: Dennis Bermudez vs Tommy Hayden

MW: Jared Hamman vs Michael Kuiper

BW: Ken Stone vs Erik Perez

BW: Dustin Pague vs Chico Camus

FW: Nik Lentz vs Eiji Mitsuoka

Catch UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar II this sunday, August 12, 10:30 am only on Balls Sky Cable channel 34!