This Saturday, the UFC is putting on yet another double-header card that is stacked with great fighters from top to bottom.
But this is not just another night of fights. This card brings some interesting perspective to the UFC divisions, and after the night is over, the UFC rankings and standings will have changed.
With every fight card, there is always a shift in rankings, since one fighter moves closer to a title while the other doesn’t. UFC 136 is composed of many very significant fights that will seriously affect the course of their respective divisions.
To start with the obvious, there are two titles on the line. The UFC Lightweight Championship and the UFC Featherweight Championship will be up for grabs on the same night. Gray Maynard, once again, will be coming to definitively win over Frankie Edgar, and Kenny Florian will attempt to steal the belt away from Jose Aldo.
Frankie Edgar is the phenom that exploded onto the championship circuit with his two victories over former champion BJ Penn. The only man to have given him significant trouble was Gray Maynard. This is the third time they will meet and will be the final decision of who is the better fighter in the LW division.
If Maynard wins, it brings a whole new dynamic to the division to have Frankie back in the hunt. It also brings about an 11-0 record for the challenger. If Edgar retains the title, he hands Gray his first loss of his career and begins moving into the upper echelon of the best in the world.
Now with Melendez coming over in the near future, an LW superfight may be in the works. With Melendez against Maynard, however, the hype isn’t as great.
Jose Aldo has been put at around the No. 3 or 4 slots on the “pound-for-pound” lists for some time. He has defended his WEC in the past, and now the UFC belt once. He will try to add another win to his championship run. The fight makes for a better statement for Jose Aldo on the P4P lists if he rises victorious.
The co-main event is much more significant for Kenny Florian, however. Kenny has notoriously been considered a “gatekeeper” in his fights at lightweight and most certainly doesn’t want to become one in his new weight class.
With many other fighters at featherweight who are looking for their shot, a loss in yet another championship fight would be very difficult for Florian and his career.
If Florian wins, however, he pulls a huge upset and drops the young Brazilian from the top of the lists.
Arguably just as anticipated as any other fight on this card (maybe even more), Chael Sonnen will be facing off against Brian Stann. This is the return of Sonnen since his loss to champion Anderson Silva in August of 2010.
One of the most called for rematches of all time is between Silva and Sonnen. Due to their last fight, many feel Sonnen is the best 185 lbs. shot at dethroning the P4P king, but his welcome-back party is hosted by one dangerous Marine.
Brian Stann is in a very interesting situation, since if he wins against Sonnen, he himself becomes the forefront of title contention talks. If he loses, he will have to wait a while for the shot again. If Sonnen loses, he immediately loses his chance at his rematch against Silva. Many fans are cheering for Sonnen, not against Stann, because they want to see the rematch.
If Sonnen wins, the media will instantly call for Silva vs. Sonnen II.
On the rest of the card, you have great fighters like Melvin Guillard. Guillard is a fighter that has dominantly been making a statement for a title shot for some time now and is very deserving of it. If he wins against Joe Lauzon on Saturday, he undeniably makes his point.
With a future addition of Melendez and other LWs already in the division, he may sit on the backburner a little while longer, though. If he loses, he most certainly will be in that spot.
Nam Phan is on thin ice with this fight as well. He has lost two in a row so far, and if history has taught us anything, it’s that Phan will likely be gone by Monday if he loses. His opponent, Leonard Garcia, will be looking to show he definitively is the better of the two and avoid taking a second loss in a row.
With the undercards, Demian Maia will be fighting to retain his relevance in the Middleweight division, and Jorge Santiago will be looking to bounce back from his loss to Brian Stann. Both need a win to stay in good terms with their division.
Lastly, Anthony Pettis will be looking to re-establish his hype on Saturday. His loss to Clay Guida brought upon some tarnish to the shiny fame he had from his “Showtime” kick on Ben Henderson. His hype came quickly, prematurely to some, but wants to show that he isn’t a one-hit wonder. He will be looking to stop Jeremy Stephens’ two-fight winning streak and remake his image in the UFC.
After the night is over, the different divisions featured on the card will have changed drastically. Each fighter mentioned is in a position where a win is not just another win, but a crucial part of their career paths. There will certainly be a great deal of media following UFC 136 and has the potential to give the MMA universe two new champions and the biggest Middleweight rematch of all time.
Follow the @FightersCreed on Twitter!
Make your predictions below!
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com