Benson Henderson's first defense of the UFC lightweight title is official.
UFC president Dana White today confirmed Henderson and former champ Frankie Edgar will meet at UFC 150 on Aug. 11. MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com) first reported the likely date this past month.
White made the official announcement during tonight's new edition of "UFC Tonight" on FUEL TV.
Denver's Pepsi Center hosts the event, which includes a pay-per-view main card and prelims on FX and Facebook.
Edgar (14-2-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC), of course, surrendered the belt to Henderson (16-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at February's UFC 144 event via unanimous decision.
UFC president Dana White initially encouraged Edgar to drop to 145 pounds and challenge UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo for the title. However, Edgar remained intent on fighting again for the lightweight belt, and a bit of fan lobbying and fighter encouragement eventually led White to change his mind and award a rematch to "The Answer."
Edgar, of course, is no stranger to rematches. Henderson marks the third straight opponent whom he's faced in back-to-back fights after tussling with Gray Maynard and B.J. Penn.
Meanwhile, former WEC champ Henderson looks to remain perfect under the UFC banner. Anthony Pettis defeated "Smooth" in the final WEC event, but Henderson had picked up wins over Mark Bocek, Jim Miller and Clay Guida to earn his title shot before taking the decision win over Edgar.
Pettis initially was expected to get the next shot at Henderson after earning a knockout win over Joe Lauzon at UFC 144. Instead, he now waits on a new opponent.
Source: Benson Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar II official for UFC 150 in Denver