Frankie Edgar came into UFC 136 on Saturday with a 13-1-1 mixed martial arts record, the only blemish on his record being a defeat to Gray Maynard.
Maynard, who defeated Edgar in April 2008, only to see the UFC lightweight champion rally to a draw in UFC 125 in their rematch, has always been the man for the job against the New Jersey native. But in the defining rematch, Part 3 of the trilogy, it was Maynard who came up short.
Edgar, who has shown he is never out of a fight as long as he’s conscious, once again got the better of Maynard in UFC 136 in the later rounds. This fight started similarly to UFC 125. Edgar got pounded by Maynard in the first round, getting knocked down a couple times and actually sustaining a broken nose.
But given his conditioning (prominently displayed against BJ Penn in their two matches) and his toughness, you got the feeling Edgar would find a way to get back in the fight. You got the feeling that (broken nose and all) Edgar would fight back.
And fight back he did. After quietly winning Rounds 2 and 3, Edgar stormed back in Round 4, executing stunning Maynard with a nice uppercut late in the round.
Before Maynard could regain his composure, Edgar went in for the kill with clean punches to the side of Maynard’s face, taking advantage of Maynard’s curious lack of defense. Referee Josh Rosenthal then put an end to Maynard’s misery, stopping the fight at 3:54 in the fourth round.
This was the third title defense for Edgar. He not only improved since last fight, he looked better in the later rounds, making sure the fight didn’t even go to decision this time around.
The question now becomes: who can beat Edgar now with Maynard out of the picture?
That question may not be answered for a while.
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