Resident SB Nation/MMAFighting photographer extraordinaire, Esther Lin, was once again on the scene in Japan to shoot several of the notable fighters who will compete on the UFC 144: "Edgar vs. Henderson" pay-per-view (PPV) main card at Thursday's final pre-fight press conference.

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields (above) is just one of several dynamic match-ups that carry title implications or at the very least -- a higher spot in the pecking order. That includes the light heavyweight fight of Quinton Jackson vs. Ryan Bader.

Will "Darth" be powerbombed -- or Imperial march his way to victory?

Naturally, the two men who will compete for the lightweight title in the main event of the evening, Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson, were also on the scene to promote their 155-pound clash, as well as face off for one last time prior to fight night (Sat., Feb. 25, 2012) in the "Land of the Rising Sun."

Check out more great pics from the UFC 144 pre-fight press conference (courtesy of MMAFighting) after the jump.

Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson:

Quinton Jackson vs. Ryan Bader:

The media frenzy:

To see what went down at the UFC 144 pre-fight press conference, you can watch the video right here.