LOS ANGELES – Maybe fighting on Facebook isn't the worst thing in the world.
While many MMA fans and pundits have expressed their frustration that a key UFC on FOX lightweight matchup between Clay Guida (29-11 MMA, 9-5 UFC) and Ben Henderson (14-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has been relegated to the evening's Facebook-streamed undercard, it appears UFC brass is still dangling a rather large carrot in front of the winner.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from multiple sources close to the promotion that the winner of the Guida vs. Henderson matchup is expected to receive an immediate title shot against current lightweight champ Frankie Edgar (14-1-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC).
Guida and Henderson meet in the co-feature of Saturday night's UFC on FOX 1 event, which sees heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez defend his belt against Junior Dos Santos in Anaheim, Calif. The main event airs on FOX.
While an exact date for the fight with Edgar would certainly depend on the condition of the Guida vs. Henderson winner, multiple sources suggested the UFC's planned February event in Japan is the preferred destination. The organization, which hasn't promoted a show in the country since UFC 29 in late 2000, heads to Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on Feb. 26, 2012.
To accommodate the traditional live North American broadcasting on Saturday night, Feb. 25, the event is expected to take place Sunday morning at 10 a.m. local time. Officials haven't determined broadcast plans or event naming for the show, and no broadcast plans have been announced for North America.
Edgar, of course, fought most recently at this past month's UFC 136 event, where he defeated top contender Gray Maynard via fourth-round TKO. The clash capped off an epic trilogy between the two, which ended in a dead heat at 1-1-1. However, with Edgar earning the lone stoppage in the series, many fans and pundits have put aside the need for a fourth meeting between the two rivals.
Source: UFC on FOX's Guida vs. Henderson winner expected to face champ Edgar in Japan