UFC 136 is in the books, and just as expected, Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard lived up to the hype. Their third bout nearly played out like a repeat of their second Maynard had Edgar hurt badly in the first round again. Edgar not only fought his way ba…
UFC 136 is in the books, and just as expected, Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard lived up to the hype.
Their third bout nearly played out like a repeat of their second Maynard had Edgar hurt badly in the first round again.
Edgar not only fought his way back in the fight, but won it by tko in the fourth round.
Following the win, UFC president Dana White claimed Edgar was the No. 2 pound for pound fighter in MMA.
Although may will debate Edgar’s ranking, there’s no denying that he is well on his way of becoming the greatest lightweight in MMA history.
UFC 136 has just come to a close, punctuated by Frankie Edgar successfully defending his UFC Lightweight Championship against Gray Maynard.Not only did Edgar win the fight, but he finished it in impressive fashion, knocking Maynard out in the fourth ro…
UFC 136 has just come to a close, punctuated by Frankie Edgar successfully defending his UFC Lightweight Championship against Gray Maynard.
Not only did Edgar win the fight, but he finished it in impressive fashion, knocking Maynard out in the fourth round.
Edgar has now defended his championship three consecutive times, but only against two opponents: BJ Penn—who is also the man Edgar won the belt from—and Gray Maynard.
When facing both these opponents, many people counted Edgar out and, in both cases, he proved his doubters wrong.
So, did Frankie Edgar look more impressive in defeating BJ Penn or Gray Maynard?
Let’s break it down.
When Edgar fought Penn for the first time, he was a HUGE underdog.
Penn had superman status at that point and nobody thought that anyone would be able to dethrone him anytime soon.
It meant a lot when Edgar managed to edge out that first decision against Penn and even more when he won the second fight in dominant fashion.
The second win, in particular, was huge because it solidified Edgar as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.
Edgar’s win over Maynard was also a giant accomplishment for the champ because Maynard is the only man ever to defeat Edgar and now he has avenged that loss.
Both the victories are important for Edgar in different ways, but I believe beating Maynard was his most impressive performance.
Against Penn, Edgar was always in control and didn’t have anything to overcome.
In defeating Maynard, he was forced to display the heart of a champion, surviving the early onslaught.
Then you weigh in the facts that Edgar was avenging his only career loss and that he finished the fight in devastating fashion and it seems pretty clear cut.
Edgar’s second win over Penn was awesome, but he’s improved since then and his victory over Maynard tonight was definitely the UFC lightweight champions most impressive win to date.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacherreport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/AndrewBarr8
Following the action of UFC 136 from Houston’s Toyota Center, UFC President Dana White announced the night’s bonuses at the post-fight press conference. The bonuses were worth $75,000 for each fighter. Taking home “Knockout of the Night” honors w…
Following the action of UFC 136 from Houston’s Toyota Center, UFC President Dana White announced the night’s bonuses at the post-fight press conference. The bonuses were worth $75,000 for each fighter.
Taking home “Knockout of the Night” honors was champion Frankie Edgar, who finished challenger Gray Maynard in the fourth round of their headlining title tilt. Edgar was forced to survive yet another first round barrage, but rebounded and finished Maynard with strikes. The loss was the first of Maynard’s career.
The “Submission of the Night” bonus went to lightweight Joe Lauzon. The Boston-based submission ace made short work of noted striker Melvin Guillard. Lauzon needed only 47 seconds to secure a fight-ending rear-naked choke and derail Guillard’s title hopes, possibly moving into the title picture himself with the win.
“Fight of the Night” was reserved for the fast-paced featherweight war between Nam Phan and Leonard Garcia. The rematch of their December 2010 fight lived up to the hype, as the two fighters gave their all in the bout. Phan came out on top with a unanimous decision win, avenging the prior loss.
Rob Tatum is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at TheMMACorner.com. For anything related to MMA, you can follow Rob on Twitter @RobTatumMMA.
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 UF…
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?
HOUSTON — Usually, the last of a trilogy ends up as a letdown. Whether it is a movie franchise that has gone on too long or fighters that compete past their prime, it doesn’t often require three cracks at something to make it memorable.
But the final fight of the Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard trilogy was so riveting it blew past any expectations. Again, Maynard had Edgar in a world of trouble early, and again Edgar refused to be put away, surviving on guts for an entire round. And then, summoning the unreal courage of a scripted action hero, he came back and vanquished the man that had been the thorn in his side, blasting Maynard into a fourth-round TKO finish at UFC 136.
It was an epic finish to a fight series that saw each man win one time as well as fight to a draw.
“Think about all the fights we’ve seen in the last 10 years,” UFC president Dana White said. “How many fights you have seen where you see where a guy goes out gets hurt that bad in the first round? I tell you, that’s movie s—. That stuff doesn’t really happen in real life. There’s two guys I’ve seen do it: Arturo Gatti and Frankie edgar. That’s it. What he did last time and this time … he’s an amazing human being, an amazing athlete, and he has a heart the size of his room.”
How Rocky-like was his performance? In the post-fight press conference, a Brazilian reporter raised his hand to ask a question, played the Rocky theme from his phone and asked Edgar for his comment.
He needed every bit of that fighting spirit to retain his gold. Maynard tattooed Edgar early in the first, dropping him several times. It began much like their last fight in that regard. But in their January bout, Maynard went all in for the kill, didn’t get it, and fought through exhaustion the rest of the way as they went to a draw. This time, Maynard stalked Edgar around the cage and picked his shots more judiciously. The result was the same: Edgar in trouble but finding a way to escape.
Even though Maynard out-struck Edgar 36-11 in round one, the champ lived to fight another round.
Afterward, a dejected Maynard said he didn’t regret his approach.
“I did hit him with a knee, a right, a hook,” he said. “What else? If there was a bat there I probably would have hit him with that, too. I couldn’t find one.”
For Edgar (14-1-1), it was sheer basic instinct keeping him alive, much as it did the first time around.
“Sometimes you get hit like that, you’re in survival mode,” he said. “I don’t think you have a plan. I got fight in me. That’s what it is. You’re going to hit me and rock me, I’m going to keep coming no matter what. The big thing for me is I keep listening to my corner. They helped me make the adjustments i needed to make so I could come back and win this fight.”
%VIRTUAL-Gallery-136100%
The big adjustment he made was in his movement. Maynard caught him with several uppercuts early, and Edgar made a concerted effort to adjust his positioning to keep him from being lined up down the middle.
That immediately paid dividends as his footwork and activity immediately started taking over the fight. According to Compustrike, Edgar out-struck Maynard 20-5 in the second round and 22-11 in the third.
But it was the fourth when Edgar ended the trilogy in style. Though never known as a huge puncher, Edgar blasted Maynard with an uppercut which clearly wobbled him. Edgar went for broke, firing off right hands as Maynard fell to the mat. A couple more shots on the grounded challenger, and it was over.
Edgar went wild in the cage after scoring his first finish since tapping out Matt Veach in December 2009.
Maynard said later that it was the first time he’d ever been rocked like that, including in training.
“It’s a weight lifted off my shoulders,” Edgar said. “After every fight, you think about it for so long. It’s a weight lifted off my shoulder that much more when I’ve been thinking about him for the last 10 months, and he also had the previous win over me.”
For Edgar, those previous results no longer matter. Gray Maynard had nine rounds to win the belt from him. He rocked him multiple times. He had Edgar down and out. And he couldn’t finish. Edgar always came back.
It was amazing to witness, even if you were the guy on the other side of history.
“He’s just a tough kid,” Maynard said, shaking his head. “I don’t know if he has a button that puts him out.”
HOUSTON — Usually, the last of a trilogy ends up as a letdown. Whether it is a movie franchise that has gone on too long or fighters that compete past their prime, it doesn’t often require three cracks at something to make it memorable.
But the final fight of the Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard trilogy was so riveting it blew past any expectations. Again, Maynard had Edgar in a world of trouble early, and again Edgar refused to be put away, surviving on guts for an entire round. And then, summoning the unreal courage of a scripted action hero, he came back and vanquished the man that had been the thorn in his side, blasting Maynard into a fourth-round TKO finish at UFC 136.
It was an epic finish to a fight series that saw each man win one time as well as fight to a draw.
“Think about all the fights we’ve seen in the last 10 years,” UFC president Dana White said. “How many fights you have seen where you see where a guy goes out gets hurt that bad in the first round? I tell you, that’s movie s—. That stuff doesn’t really happen in real life. There’s two guys I’ve seen do it: Arturo Gatti and Frankie edgar. That’s it. What he did last time and this time … he’s an amazing human being, an amazing athlete, and he has a heart the size of his room.”
How Rocky-like was his performance? In the post-fight press conference, a Brazilian reporter raised his hand to ask a question, played the Rocky theme from his phone and asked Edgar for his comment.
He needed every bit of that fighting spirit to retain his gold. Maynard tattooed Edgar early in the first, dropping him several times. It began much like their last fight in that regard. But in their January bout, Maynard went all in for the kill, didn’t get it, and fought through exhaustion the rest of the way as they went to a draw. This time, Maynard stalked Edgar around the cage and picked his shots more judiciously. The result was the same: Edgar in trouble but finding a way to escape.
Even though Maynard out-struck Edgar 36-11 in round one, the champ lived to fight another round.
Afterward, a dejected Maynard said he didn’t regret his approach.
“I did hit him with a knee, a right, a hook,” he said. “What else? If there was a bat there I probably would have hit him with that, too. I couldn’t find one.”
For Edgar (14-1-1), it was sheer basic instinct keeping him alive, much as it did the first time around.
“Sometimes you get hit like that, you’re in survival mode,” he said. “I don’t think you have a plan. I got fight in me. That’s what it is. You’re going to hit me and rock me, I’m going to keep coming no matter what. The big thing for me is I keep listening to my corner. They helped me make the adjustments i needed to make so I could come back and win this fight.”
%VIRTUAL-Gallery-136100%
The big adjustment he made was in his movement. Maynard caught him with several uppercuts early, and Edgar made a concerted effort to adjust his positioning to keep him from being lined up down the middle.
That immediately paid dividends as his footwork and activity immediately started taking over the fight. According to Compustrike, Edgar out-struck Maynard 20-5 in the second round and 22-11 in the third.
But it was the fourth when Edgar ended the trilogy in style. Though never known as a huge puncher, Edgar blasted Maynard with an uppercut which clearly wobbled him. Edgar went for broke, firing off right hands as Maynard fell to the mat. A couple more shots on the grounded challenger, and it was over.
Edgar went wild in the cage after scoring his first finish since tapping out Matt Veach in December 2009.
Maynard said later that it was the first time he’d ever been rocked like that, including in training.
“It’s a weight lifted off my shoulders,” Edgar said. “After every fight, you think about it for so long. It’s a weight lifted off my shoulder that much more when I’ve been thinking about him for the last 10 months, and he also had the previous win over me.”
For Edgar, those previous results no longer matter. Gray Maynard had nine rounds to win the belt from him. He rocked him multiple times. He had Edgar down and out. And he couldn’t finish. Edgar always came back.
It was amazing to witness, even if you were the guy on the other side of history.
“He’s just a tough kid,” Maynard said, shaking his head. “I don’t know if he has a button that puts him out.”
(“I’m so sick of your friggin’ face.” “No, I’m so sick of *your* friggin’ face.”)
Well, we’re finally going to sort out this lightweight championship mess. Thanks for joining us for the ride. Bear with us as we try a slightly different format to appease the complaints we’ve had about spoilers and such. If you want to read about certain fight, click “next page.”
Preliminary results after the jump.
(“I’m so sick of your friggin’ face.” “No, I’m so sick of *your* friggin’ face.”)
Well, we’re finally going to sort out this lightweight championship mess. Thanks for joining us for the ride. Bear with us as we try a slightly different format to appease the complaints we’ve had about spoilers and such. If you want to read about certain fight, click ”next page.”
Preliminary results after the jump.
Preliminary Bouts (On Spike TV):
Demian Maia def. Jorge Santiago by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Anthony Pettis def. Jeremy Stephens by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
HOUSTON — Usually, the last of a trilogy ends up as a letdown. Whether it is a movie franchise that has gone on too long or fighters that compete past their prime, it doesn’t often require three cracks at something to make it memorable.