For the first time since UFC 69, the UFC invades Houston, TX. With two title bouts and a possible middleweight title eliminator, UFC 136 is poised to blow the roof off of the Toyota Center. The last time the UFC held an event here was the night Matt Serra shocked the world and knocked Georges St. Pierre out and took the UFC Welterweight Championship back to Long Island, NY.
Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard will look to pick up where they left off this past New Year’s night when the two men battled for five hard rounds only to see the fight scored a draw at UFC 125. Edgar will look to defend his title for the third time against the only man to have ever defeated him.
In what will most likely be Kenny Florian’s last shot at winning a UFC title, the Boston native will take on Jose Aldo. This will be Florian’s third attempt at winning a championship, having lost to Sean Sherk and BJ Penn in attempts to capture the UFC Lightweight Championship. Aldo will look to defend the UFC Featherweight Title for the second time, having defeated Mark Hominick at UFC 129.
Chael Sonnen makes his return after a 14-month layoff due to a suspension, as he will face Brian Stann in a bout that could determine the next man to face Anderson Silva for a shot at the UFC Middleweight Championship. Sonnen and Silva met at UFC 117 back in August of 2010. Sonnen dominated the champion for four and a half rounds before getting submitted via triangle choke late in the fifth round. Stann has won three fights in a row since dropping down to middleweight.
This card is so stacked that the Spike TV bouts could be as exciting as any of the main card bouts. Anthony Pettis will face Jeremy Stephens and Demian Maia will take on Jorge Santiago. Joey Beltran, a fighter who has proven to be very entertaining, is relegated to the undercard.
Now that we have gone over the positives of this card, it is time to take a look at the negative aspects. We will now focus on the fighters who could find themselves without a job should they lose on Saturday night.
Whether it’s a losing streak or their inability to put on an exciting fight, there are always a few fighters who are on The Hot Seat.