UFC 144 marked the organization’s long-awaited return to Japan, and it didn’t disappoint.

The main event featured a very competitive bout for the lightweight championship where Ben Henderson defeated Frankie Edgar by unanimous decision to claim the 155-pound strap.

Henderson, who looked noticeably bigger than Edgar, was able to dictate the fight with his leg and body kicks while also using his size and strength to stay off his back for frequent periods of time.

While each of the five rounds was razor thin, the overall impact of the fight clearly took more of a toll on Edgar, who was battered an bruised, than Henderson, who looked fresh throughout.

In the co-main event, Ryan Bader earned the biggest win of his career, picking up a hard-fought decision win over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Bader showed some good striking and head movement to earn the nod on the feet and then managed to score three takedowns against Jackson, who has been notoriously hard to take down. Jackson, who missed weight by six pounds, looked sluggish as the fight prolonged. Bader had clearly won the fight when the final horn sounded.

The main card started off with a bang as lightweight Anthony Pettis knocked out Joe Lauzon with a vicious head kick. Pettis dominated the fight, taking little to no damage while working nice jab combinations and kicks. Pettis ended the fight with a head kick to Lauzon and then a few punches on the ground for good measure. The KO was much-needed for Pettis, who failed to have a signature win since joining the UFC. He is now right up there as a top-5 contender in the 155-pound division.

Another big highlight on the card was an incredible comeback TKO win for middleweight Tim Boetsch, who stopped Yushin Okami in the third round. Okami dominated the first two rounds with sharp striking and nearly finished Boetsch on two occasions. However, in the third round, Boetsch had the mindset of kill or be killed, and he was the one that did the killing. He attacked from the opening second of the round and used a series of uppetcuts in the clinch to fold Okami up like an accordion and earn the win, by far the biggest of his career.

For complete UFC 144 results, check out the jump.

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Nate Lawson of HeavyMMA.com writes that UFC 123 will feature 11 bouts on its fight card.

“UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida” is complete with the addition of nine bouts to the now 11-fight card.

The promotion announced the remainder of the card earlier today.

The event, which is set for Auburn Hills, Michigan, on November 20, features a light heavyweight tilt between former champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Lyoto Machida, along with a welterweight contest between Matt Hughes and B.J. Penn.

Making up the remainder of the five-fight main card, Joe Lauzon and George Sotiropoulos face off in a battle of two of the sport’s top grapplers, while light heavyweight prospect Phil Davis faces off against Tim Boetsch. The final main card contest announced today will feature Maiquel Falcao and Gerald Harris.

In addition to the pay-per-view broadcast, the promotion has also announced a preliminary special on Spike TV, which will feature a middleweight bout between Mark Munoz and Aaron Simpson and a welterweight fight between Matt Brown and Brian Foster.

For the undercard portion of the event, UFC veterans Karo Parisyan and Dennis Hallman and top-level wrestlers Tyson Griffin and Nik Lentz face off, while Darren Elkins vs. Edson Barboza and T.J. O’Brien vs. Paul Kelly round out the remainder of the card.

Check out additional information and coverage for the “UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida“.

Check out more MMA headlines.

Here’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

– In a press conference held Friday, UFC boss Dana White announced the returns of Tito Ortiz and Vitor Belfort, and promised to be close on another deal that will “change the UFC forever.”

– Unfortunately, getting Russian legend Fedor Emelianenko into the UFC remains a pipe-dream — and it will remain that way as long as Fedor has morons like Jerry Millen in his camp.

– Josh Barnett insists that he’s innocent of his latest steroid charge. His urine, however, is telling a different story.

– Speaking of ‘roids, we ran down every single steroid bust in MMA history, from Tim Sylvia’s ill-fated attempt to lose his gut to Kevin Randleman’s infamous “dead human or live animal” incident.

– Strikeforce’s August 15th show continues to undergo major changes, with Renato Sobral vs. Gegard Mousasi brought over from Affliction’s canceled “Trilogy” card, Jay Hieron coming in to replace Joe Riggs, and Mitsuhiro Ishida replacing injured lightweight champ Josh Thomson. Luckily, Gina Carano is still looking quite healthy.

– Also in the wake of Affliction’s collapse, the UFC swooped in to rescue Ben Rothwell, Paul Daley, and Joe Lauzon’s little brother.

– Kenny Florian talked to us about his gameplan for BJ Penn, and set the record straight on that text message he may or may not have sent Penn that may or may not have accused Georges St. Pierre of greasing.

Here’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

– UFC 94 produced a record eight fights that went to decision, a one-sided thrashing in the main event, and a greasing scandal that could taint the accomplishments of welterweight king Georges St. Pierre. If you missed it, check out this video of St. Pierre/Penn fight, and this collection of photos from the event.

– Strikeforce picked over the carcass of Pro Elite, and will be broadcasting live MMA events featuring former EliteXC fighters on Showtime beginning in April.

– The WEC has added a 125-pound flyweight division to their roster. (Or as we like to call it, the “Kid Brother Division.”) Will a women’s division be next?

– Former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski is leaving MMA for boxing.

– What recession? Three of the UFC’s four best-selling pay-per-view events of all time have taken place in the last three months.

– The moronic MySpace ramblings of former Ultimate Fighter castmember Jon “War Machine” Koppenhaver have gotten him fired from yet another fight promotion.

– UFC Fight Night 17, featuring Joe Lauzon vs. Jeremy Stephens and Mac Danzig vs. Josh Neer, airs tomorrow night on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET. Check out our interviews with the headliners here and here, read up on the fighters who will be making their UFC debuts, and don’t forget to head over to CagePotato.com during or after the event to check out our thrilling liveblog.