UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar (13-1-1) may have learned more about himself in his draw with Gray Maynard (10-0-1) than in all of his other fights combined.
If he didn’t learn as much, he learned the most important thing in knowing just how much he can push himself to make an unbelievable come from behind performance after suffering a 10-8 first round. It arguably could have been scored a 10-7 after Edgar was dropped three times by the power punches of Maynard.
Both fighters admit they are sick of thinking about the other one, and it’s not hard to see why. Edgar’s only career loss is against Maynard, and he was close to avenging that in the last fight. The draw can be considered a victory for Edgar because he still kept his title.
Maynard comes into the fight being 1-0-1 against his opponent but doesn’t feel like he ever scored a victory over Edgar, mainly because he doesn’t hold the championship belt.
A victory for Edgar can erase any memory of his first two fights with Maynard, and he can move on to challenge the rest of the stacked lightweight roster knowing he is better than ever before and having beaten every one of his opponents.
Edgar may be the only UFC fighter who has only faced two fighters through four title fights. Two fights with B.J. Penn and two with Maynard mean he has had to prove himself more than once that he is one of the UFC’s best champions.
UFC 136 will also host a featherweight title fight between UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and No. 1 contender Kenny Florian. Aldo comes into the bout off his victory over Mark Hominick while Florian was last seen defeating Diego Nunes in his 145 pound debut.
Other main card bouts include Joe Lauzon vs. Melvin Guillard, Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann and Nam Phan vs. Leonard Garcia.
The event will kick off its preliminary card on Facebook at 6 p.m. ET and will feature four bouts, including Mike Massenzio vs. Steve Cantwell.
The Spike TV portion of UFC 136 will be broadcast at 8 p.m. ET. It will feature two bouts, including Demian Maia vs. Jorge Santiago and Anthony Pettis vs. Jeremy Stephens.
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