UFC 136 Edgar vs Maynard 3, Aldo vs Florian
Lightweight champion
Frankie Edgar defends his title (again) against
Gray Maynard. They fought twice before, the first bout before Frankie was the UFC champion in which Maynard won the decision. They had their second bout last year as Frankie defended his title for the first time. That was a brutal battle with Maynard almost KOing Frankie in the first round and Frankie gutting it out and coming back strong over the next 4 rounds to take the fight to a draw.
Now this third bout is to settle the score. Maynard is very hungry and upset that he let Edgar get out of the first round of their last bout. Frankie is the tough and speedy fighter who outworked BJ Penn two times in a row to take (and defend) the belt. Frankie won't ever give up, but he is also the smaller fighter who many think should be competing in the bantamweight class below at 145 lbs. Edgar intends to prove that he has what it takes to stop Maynard and defend his belt.
Kenny Florian, who lost to Gray Maynard in his last fight at lightweight, is a very capable fighter who recently dropped to the 145 pound bantamweight class and made a very strong showing in defeating up-and-coming fighter Diego Nunes. This time, Florian is wasting no time at bantamweight by going for the title against bantamweight superstar
Jose Aldo, who is often considered the Anderson Silva of the bantamweights.
Chael Sonnen, who came the closest to beating Anderson Silva after dominating Silva for 4.5 rounds only to be caught in a triangle choke in the remaining seconds of their fight, is taking on fast-rising star,
Brian Stann. Stann, an ex-US Marine, is known for his exciting KO win over Chris Leben. Sonnen, known for being the best smack talker in the business, has only expressed his deep respect and admiration for Stann leading up to this bout, but made it clear that he plans to get through Stann to get another shot at Silva.
Joe Lauzon is going up against
Melvin Guillard in a lightweight fight that may lead to a contender position. Lauzon, known for being an aggressive and well-rounded fighter, has had inconsistent performances that kept him out of the title picture. Guillard has recently had one of the best career turnarounds in UFC history, Guillard was 1 loss away from being cut from the organization when he transitioned to the
"champion breeding" Greg Jackson camp (Jon Jones, GSP, Carlos Condit) and has racked up a string of dominating wins which has pointed him straight toward the lightweight title.
Ultimate Fighter bantamweight standout,
Nam Phan, gets a rematch against
Leonard Garcia after having a controversial loss in their last bout. That decision was controversial enough that UFC President Dana White awarded Nam Phan the win bonus for that fight, despite the judges' ruling. Both fighters are known for being durable and hard hitting. Nam Phan is surely intending to not leave it in the hands of the judges this time, so you can expect a battle.
Also fighting on the card is notable striker Anthony Pettis, known for the
kick heard around the world where he jumped off the cage and kicked Ben Henderson in the head.
Main card
Lightweight Championship bout: (United States) Frankie Edgar (champ) vs. (United States) Gray Maynard
Featherweight Championship bout: (Brazil) José Aldo (champ) vs. (United States) Kenny Florian
Middleweight bout: (United States) Chael Sonnen vs. (United States) Brian Stann
Lightweight bout: (United States) Joe Lauzon vs. (United States) Melvin Guillard
Featherweight bout: (United States) Leonard Garcia vs. (United States) Nam Phan
Preliminary card (Spike TV)
Middleweight bout: (Brazil) Demian Maia vs. (Brazil) Jorge Santiago
Lightweight bout: (United States) Anthony Pettis vs. (United States) Jeremy Stephens
Preliminary card (Facebook)
Heavyweight bout: (United States) Joey Beltran vs. (United States) Stipe Miocic
Featherweight bout: (China) Zhang Tie Quan vs. (United States) Darren Elkins
Middleweight bout: (United States) Aaron Simpson vs. (United States) Eric Schafer
Middleweight bout: (United States) Steve Cantwell vs. (United States) Mike Massenzio
