He’s Back!Chael Sonnen made a huge impact last night at UFC 136. After defeating All American Brian Stann with an arm triangle, Sonnen sent out an open challenge to UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Sonnen told MMAweekly that he is the “t…
He’s Back!
Chael Sonnen made a huge impact last night at UFC 136.
After defeating All American Brian Stann with an arm triangle, Sonnen sent out an open challenge to UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
Sonnen told MMAweekly that he is the “true champion, linear champion, people’s champion, and the best damn middleweight there’s ever been!”
In their first fight Sonnen dominated Silva for nearly the entire fight until he got caught in a triangle/armbar.
To this day Sonnen has claimed he beat up Silva and is the “true champion”.
Sonnen also believes that Silva will try to duck the fight.
“I understand what his skill set is, I understand that he’s got what I want.” Sonnen said. “I’m not crazy. I get it that he’s a good skilled guy. At the same time he’s a chicken, he’s a coward and he won’t fight me.”
If the UFC middleweight title is not enough, Sonnen raised the stakes after his match with Stann.
If Sonnen wins his rematch with Silva, Silva has to leave the middleweight division. If Silva wins though, Sonnen will leave the UFC forever.
Neither a match up nor the terms for the match have been announced as of yet. But it’s pretty much going to happen.
Sonnen is the only man to even come close to defeating Silva inside the Octagon. Had Sonnen not have gotten caught in a triangle choke, he could have very well had won against Silva.
Only time will tell if the rematch or the bet actually takes place. It will be a must see match up if it indeed does take place.
Frankie Edgar has finally wrapped up his exciting rivalry with Gray Maynard.He stood up to “The Bully” on Saturday night at UFC 136 in stunning fashion, picking up the fourth round TKO stoppage over his longtime rival.With the Edgar and Maynard trilogy…
Frankie Edgar has finally wrapped up his exciting rivalry with Gray Maynard.
He stood up to “The Bully” on Saturday night at UFC 136 in stunning fashion, picking up the fourth round TKO stoppage over his longtime rival.
With the Edgar and Maynard trilogy in the books, there is one question on the mind of fans and every UFC lightweight.
What’s next?
UFC President Dana White has listed Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez as a potential contender for the UFC title.
In a post-fight interview at UFC on Versus 6, White stated that the UFC is looking to bring Melendez over “ASAP.” Could a champion versus champion bout be on tap in the lightweight division?
“I’m down with anything man, I’ll fight anybody. I think [a bout with Gilbert] definitely makes a lot of sense. Ben [Henderson] and Clay [Guida] make a lot of sense too. I’ll fight whoever they want me to,” Maynard said at the post-fight press conference for UFC 136.
Melendez is slated to defend his title against Jorge Masvidal on Strikeforce’s December 17 card, but there is always a possibility he signs with the UFC and vacates his belt.
While Melendez should be at the top of the list for a shot, top lightweight contenders Henderson and Guida are also in line. The two are scheduled to do battle on the UFC’s first show on Fox, which is set to go down on November 12.
White has yet to commit to any particular contender as the surefire No. 1 contender to Edgar’s UFC title.
HOUSTON — The doubters are falling by the wayside, and the believers continue flocking the Frankie Edgar war wagon.
After Saturday night’s rousing comeback win over Gray Maynard at UFC 136, Edgar received superlatives from all onlookers, but received no greater praise than that coming from UFC president Dana White, who voiced a belief that Edgar has vaulted past welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre as the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, trailing only Anderson Silva.
“if you really look at what pound-for-pound means, you cannot deny that Frankie Edgar is No. 2,” White said. “The guy weighs 145 pounds and he’s beating guys at 155 pounds. He beat a guy who had him out of it. A guy who many believed had his number. He knocked him out tonight. I’m telling you man, I’ve never seen any s— like that in my life.”
White said he jumped out of his chair at Edgar’s comeback, which saw him rally from a horrific start, during which he was nearly KO’d.
“It’s an honor,” Edgar said. “Anytime you’re boss thinks you’re doing work and excelling in the same light as those guys, it’s a big honor. But the reality is, it’s opinion based. That’s his opinion. Your opinion might be different. But for me, I still got to go in there and fight.”
Still, White made mention several times of his belief that Edgar should move down to featherweight, where he would almost certainly receive an automatic title shot.
“Did you see the size difference between those two tonight?” White said. “I’ve been telling him for a long time he should fight at 145. I’m not his dad or trainer. That’s his decision. He’s a grown man and knows what he’s doing.”
When later asked to elaborate on his opinion, White said it wasn’t a question of performance but long-term health. White said he believed Edgar could have a longer career at a lower weight class because he would not be facing bigger, more powerful strikers.
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“I don’t think the guys who don’t fight out their weight class and fight a weight class above them and take damage can have longevity that other fighters have,” he said. “When you fight with guys your own size, you don’t take the punishment that you take when you fight bigger guys. The weight classes are there for a reason.”
He also said Edgar would set his own course.
Before this fight, Edgar said he was sick of talking about Maynard, but he’s got to be downright exhausted of this weight topic. He’s been in the UFC for over four years, fought 10 times as a lightweight, and only lost once. He’s the division’s champion, beat BJ Penn twice and just knocked out Gray Maynard, and it still comes up.
“Here I am. I’m the champion,” he said. “It’s definitely a nice option to be able to go down and possibly fight at 145 in the future, but I’m comfortable right now. I could talk some ideas over with Dana and Lorenzo [Fertitta] and see what they think, but I’m comfortable at 155. I’m the champion. I don’t see any reason to go anywhere.”
HOUSTON — The doubters are falling by the wayside, and the believers continue flocking the Frankie Edgar war wagon.
After Saturday night’s rousing comeback win over Gray Maynard at UFC 136, Edgar received superlatives from all onlookers, but received no greater praise than that coming from UFC president Dana White, who voiced a belief that Edgar has vaulted past welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre as the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, trailing only Anderson Silva.
“if you really look at what pound-for-pound means, you cannot deny that Frankie Edgar is No. 2,” White said. “The guy weighs 145 pounds and he’s beating guys at 155 pounds. He beat a guy who had him out of it. A guy who many believed had his number. He knocked him out tonight. I’m telling you man, I’ve never seen any s— like that in my life.”
White said he jumped out of his chair at Edgar’s comeback, which saw him rally from a horrific start, during which he was nearly KO’d.
“It’s an honor,” Edgar said. “Anytime you’re boss thinks you’re doing work and excelling in the same light as those guys, it’s a big honor. But the reality is, it’s opinion based. That’s his opinion. Your opinion might be different. But for me, I still got to go in there and fight.”
Still, White made mention several times of his belief that Edgar should move down to featherweight, where he would almost certainly receive an automatic title shot.
“Did you see the size difference between those two tonight?” White said. “I’ve been telling him for a long time he should fight at 145. I’m not his dad or trainer. That’s his decision. He’s a grown man and knows what he’s doing.”
When later asked to elaborate on his opinion, White said it wasn’t a question of performance but long-term health. White said he believed Edgar could have a longer career at a lower weight class because he would not be facing bigger, more powerful strikers.
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“I don’t think the guys who don’t fight out their weight class and fight a weight class above them and take damage can have longevity that other fighters have,” he said. “When you fight with guys your own size, you don’t take the punishment that you take when you fight bigger guys. The weight classes are there for a reason.”
He also said Edgar would set his own course.
Before this fight, Edgar said he was sick of talking about Maynard, but he’s got to be downright exhausted of this weight topic. He’s been in the UFC for over four years, fought 10 times as a lightweight, and only lost once. He’s the division’s champion, beat BJ Penn twice and just knocked out Gray Maynard, and it still comes up.
“Here I am. I’m the champion,” he said. “It’s definitely a nice option to be able to go down and possibly fight at 145 in the future, but I’m comfortable right now. I could talk some ideas over with Dana and Lorenzo [Fertitta] and see what they think, but I’m comfortable at 155. I’m the champion. I don’t see any reason to go anywhere.”
Frankie Edgar just sent a huge message to lightweight fighters the world over, knocking out Gray Maynard in the fourth round of their UFC 136 title fight.With this victory, Edgar has tied the record for most consecutive defenses of the UFC Lightweight …
Frankie Edgar just sent a huge message to lightweight fighters the world over, knocking out Gray Maynard in the fourth round of their UFC 136 title fight.
With this victory, Edgar has tied the record for most consecutive defenses of the UFC Lightweight Championship with three. The record was previously held exclusively by BJ Penn.
Edgar is also unbeaten in his last seven fights and, during that streak, has earned victories over Hermes Franca, Sean Sherk, BJ Penn (twice), and now Gray Maynard.
Is all this success enough to make Edgar the greatest lightweight fighter of all-time?
Not quite.
Edgar is close to achieving that status, but the greatest lightweight ever is still BJ Penn.
Penn defended his belt the same amount of times as Edgar, but looked far more dominant while he held the championship, finishing all of his challengers—expect for Edgar, of course.
What Edgar is missing that he needs to become the best ever at 155lbs. is superman status.
Penn had that and Edgar, who has looked vulnerable in his past two fights, has not yet achieved it.
It would also help Edgar’s case for greatest of all-time if he began to finish fights on a more consistent basis; tonight was definitely a step in the right direction.
If Edgar defends his belt a couple more times, then he will definitely be the best lightweight ever, but for now he’s a close second to Penn.
The UFC’s lightweight division is absolutely stacked, so there will be no shortage of contender’s for Edgar to continue to prove himself against.
The lightweight division can finally breathe again, as the Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard saga finally came to a fitting conclusion on Saturday night at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas at UFC 136.After getting dropped several times in the first rou…
The lightweight division can finally breathe again, as the Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard saga finally came to a fitting conclusion on Saturday night at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas at UFC 136.
After getting dropped several times in the first round, Edgar brought about deja vu and rebounded in the following rounds.
Maynard completely abandoned his wrestling game and found himself getting lit up in the standup exchanges by the faster and more technical striker.
The climax came at 3:54 of the first round, when Edgar dropped Maynard with a massive right hand.
Fans in the arena were on their feet as they watched the champion follow up with unanswered ground strikes to put an end to the most exciting rivalry of 2011.
Meanwhile, UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo also kept his strap intact at UFC 136, taking a tough unanimous decision over a game Kenny Florian.
Florian had his moments on the feet, but Aldo’s explosiveness, underrated ground game and otherworldly striking proved too much for the multiple division title contender.
With the win, Aldo continues to prove that he’s one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, but was it enough to remain ahead of UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones?
After Frankie Edgar defeated Gray Maynard at UFC 136 on Saturday night, Dana White referred to him as the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. There is no doubt that Edgar’s performance against Maynard was amazing. Coming back from t…
After Frankie Edgar defeated Gray Maynard at UFC 136 on Saturday night, Dana White referred to him as the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
There is no doubt that Edgar’s performance against Maynard was amazing. Coming back from the brink the way he did showed incredible heart.
In addition to that, Edgar displayed great head movement, awesome striking and knockout power! But does that make him the greatest lightweight ever?
Not yet.
Don’t get me wrong, Edgar is a great fighter, but when we take a look at his career victories there aren’t as many wins over top-tier talent.
Edgar is absolutely on his way to becoming one of the greatest lightweights of all time, he just isn’t there yet.
The first time Edgar defeated B.J. Penn, no one could believe it. Then the two fought again and Edgar took a decisive decision victory away with him. Those two fights took up a considerable amount of Edgar’s time as the lightweight champ.
Then Edgar cam up against Maynard, the only man to have defeated him. The fight ended in a draw, and an immediate rematch was scheduled.
It’s no fault of Edgar, but he’s only defended his belt against two men. Granted he’s defended it four times, but one of them ended in a draw.
Within the next few years Edgar will further cement his status as not only the greatest lightweight ever, but one of the greatest fighters to have ever competed. But crowning him the greatest lightweight ever directly after his performance at UFC 136 is a bit premature.
HOUSTON — The doubters are falling by the wayside, and the believers continue flocking the 
Frankie Edgar just sent a huge message to lightweight fighters the world over, knocking out Gray Maynard in the fourth round of their