UFC 144 pay-per-view broadcast to feature seven fights, still slotted for 10 p.m. ET start time

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is headed back to "The Land of the Rising Sun" for the first time in over a decade with its UFC 144: "Edgar vs. Henderson" event on Feb. 25, 2012, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

And they're doing it big for the occasion.

Instead of the usual five, the promotion will offer seven fights on the pay-per-view broadcast. The show, however, is still scheduled to kick off at its usual start time of 10 p.m. ET stateside (10 a.m. in Japan).

Be prepared to stay up late to catch the main event between Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson for the lightweight championship, folks, especially if you're on the East Coast.

For those of you willing to tough it out the whole way through, here are the seven fights you'll be treated to for dropping your hard-earned coin on this event:

155 lbs.: Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson
205 lbs.: Quinton Jackson vs. Ryan Bader
170 lbs.: Jake Shields vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
265 lbs.: Cheick Kongo vs. Mark Hunt
185 lbs.: Tim Boetsch vs. Yushin Okami
145 lbs.: Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski
155 lbs.: Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon

And there you have it, Maniacs. It's not UFC 100 but it's still one hell of a line-up.

Remember, MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 144, beginning with the PPV telecast on Feb. 25. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the under card action much earlier on fight night.

To get up to speed on all the news and notes for UFC 144 check out our extensive event archive right here.