Tag: Gray Maynard

UFC 136: Live Streaming Info, PPV Listing, Full Fight Card

UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III is primed to be another terrific UFC event, highlighted by Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard in a lightweight championship bout.This marks the second straight time that Edgar will defend his title against Maynard. They last …

UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III is primed to be another terrific UFC event, highlighted by Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard in a lightweight championship bout.

This marks the second straight time that Edgar will defend his title against Maynard. They last fought in January at UFC 125 and the bout ended in a draw.

Both fighters will be hoping things end differently this time, as each fighter has the opportunity to prove themselves as the top lightweight fighter in the world.

The other marquee bout features Kenny Florian and Jose Aldo. The current champion, Aldo, will put his featherweight title on the line against Kenny Florian, who was twice defeated in previous attempts at the lightweight crown.

Where: Toyota Center (Houston, Texas)

When: October 8th at 6:45 p.m. EST

Watch: Facebook under-card at 6:45 p.m. EST, preliminary fights at 8 p.m. EST on Spike TV, Main Card fights at 9 p.m. EST on PPV, online PPV ($44.99) at UFC.tv, Youtube, mobile android market

Fight Card:

Main Card

Lightweight Championship bout: Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard
Featherweight Championship bout: Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian
Middleweight bout: Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann
Lightweight bout: Joe Lauzon vs. Melvin Guillard
Featherweight bout: Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan

Preliminary Card (Spike TV)

Middleweight bout: Demian Maia vs. Jorge Santiago
Lightweight bout: Anthony Pettis vs. Jeremy Stephens 

Preliminary Card (Facebook)

Heavyweight bout: Joey Beltran vs. Stipe Miocic
Featherweight bout: Zhang Tie Quan vs. Darren Elkins
Middleweight bout: Aaron Simpson vs. Eric Schafer
Middleweight bout: Steve Cantwell vs. Mike Massenzio

Frankie Edgar’s Keys to Victory:

Edgar can’t allow himself to get down early again. In his last bout against Maynard, he found himself struggling through the first round. He was knocked down several times and can’t afford to have that happen again.

He was able to claw back and salvage a draw, but if he wants to win, he needs to come out strong.

Edgar needs to be more sound defensively in this bout. He has yet to defeat Maynard in their two previous bouts and will need to stay moving around the ring. He must have better hand placement if he is going to have a chance.

Gray Maynard’s Keys to Victory:

Maynard has a larger frame and is a bit stronger than Edgar. He needs to use his size and strength to his advantage in this bout.

He was able to do that when he struck early in their last bout, but he let Edgar crawl back into the fight.

Getting off to another fast start is important for Maynard, who will want to knock Edgar down early and often in this bout.

What They’re Saying:

In a conversation with USA Today, Edgar spoke about how his preparation has changed for this fight:

You just get better at it. This is my fourth title fight and I’m learning from my last one. I do think it gets more intense. Every training camp, it seems like it’s getting more intense and a little bit harder.

But it’s also a little bit smarter too. You’re trying not to beat up your body too much in the same way, without giving up too much hard work.

Main Card Fight to Watch That’s Not the Main Event: Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian

Aldo is the clear favorite to win this fight, but Florian is a persistent fighter. He just doesn’t want to go away.

He knocked off Diego Nunes in just his second featherweight bout back (UFC 131) and now has the chance to contend for a title in this bout.

This will certainly be an interesting fight, particularly in how long this bout lasts as both fighters are known to end fights early. Florian has only gone to a decision five times in twenty career bouts, while Aldo has ended seven of his last nine bouts in a knockout.

Preliminary Fight to Watch: Anthony Pettis vs. Jeremy Stephens

If you like kickboxing battles, you will like this fight.

Both fighters love to fight on their feet; both are known for their kickboxing style. While Pettis is a more technical fighter, Stephens has experience on his side and will lay everything on the line in this fight.

If things start poorly for Pettis, he may try to get Stephens on the ground, as that is where the latter suffers.

Main Event Prediction:

Edgar isn’t getting any younger and needs to knock off Maynard to prove that he is the best lightweight fighter in the world.

Another draw won’t stop the doubters, as Maynard knocked off Edgar in their first bout. Edgar clearly has the most to prove with this fight.  He will come in ready to go.

He will leave everything on the line; his drive and motivation will be just enough to get him a victory.

Edgar wins by split decision.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Video: Frankie Edgar’s First MMA Bout

Frankie Edgar’s overall fight game has come a long way since his MMA debut six years ago against a dude who looked a lot like DJ Pauly D.

The UFC lightweight champion competed for the first time on July 10, 2005 when he defeated Eric Uresk via first-round TKO at Underground Combat League’s UCE: Revelations Chapter 2 event held at the Jerome Boxing Club in The Bronx, NY. The show was unsanctioned as MMA was illegal in the State at the time (as it is today), so the fight does not appear on “The Answer’s” official MMA record. Edgar would win his next eight pro bouts until his undefeated streak was brought to a halt by Gray Maynard at UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon on April 2, 2008. He will have his second opportunity to avenge his only loss Saturday when he squares off with Maynard for the third time at UFC 136.

Frankie Edgar’s overall fight game has come a long way since his MMA debut six years ago against a dude who looked a lot like DJ Pauly D.

The UFC lightweight champion competed for the first time on July 10, 2005 when he defeated Eric Uresk via first-round TKO at Underground Combat League’s UCE: Revelations Chapter 2 event held at the Jerome Boxing Club in The Bronx, NY. The show was unsanctioned as MMA was illegal in the State at the time (as it is today), so the fight does not appear on “The Answer’s” official MMA record. Edgar would win his next eight pro bouts until his undefeated streak was brought to a halt by Gray Maynard at UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon on April 2, 2008. He will have his second opportunity to avenge his only loss Saturday when he squares off with Maynard for the third time at UFC 136.

Uresk’s career has not been as fruitful as Edgar’s. A decorated wrestler from New York, he compiled a less than stellar 5-4 record in nine fights. He moved to Las Vegas in 2009 and after a brief stint with Marc Laimon’s Cobra Kai, he settled in with Xtreme Couture where he still trains today. He is 3-1 under the XC banner, mostly fighting for regional promotions.

Reminder: Check Out the UFC 136 Pre-Fight Press Conference Live Right Here at 12:00 pm ET

Just a friendly reminder that we will be streaming today’s UFC 136 press conference live starting at 12:00 pm ET.

The event will feature main card fighters Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Brian Stann and Chael Sonnen.

If nothing else, it’s worth tuning into to see what yarns Chael will spin.

Check out the player after the jump.

Just a friendly reminder that we will be streaming today’s UFC 136 press conference live starting at 12:00 pm ET.

The event will feature main card fighters Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Brian Stann and Chael Sonnen.

If nothing else, it’s worth tuning into to see what yarns Chael will spin.

Check out the player after the jump.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/UFC)

Reminder: Check Out the UFC 136 Pre-Fight Press Conference Live Right Here at 12:00 pm ET

Just a friendly reminder that we will be streaming today’s UFC 136 press conference live starting at 12:00 pm ET.

The event will feature main card fighters Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Brian Stann and Chael Sonnen.

If nothing else, it’s worth tuning into to see what yarns Chael will spin.

Check out the player after the jump.

Just a friendly reminder that we will be streaming today’s UFC 136 press conference live starting at 12:00 pm ET.

The event will feature main card fighters Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Brian Stann and Chael Sonnen.

If nothing else, it’s worth tuning into to see what yarns Chael will spin.

Check out the player after the jump.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/UFC)

UFC 136: Predictions for Knockout, Submission and Fight of the Night

The anticipation is growing for this weekend’s UFC event, which goes down in Houston, TX, at the Toyota Center.It will feature the third matchup between UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard. Edgar is 0-1-1 against his challenger, but…

The anticipation is growing for this weekend’s UFC event, which goes down in Houston, TX, at the Toyota Center.

It will feature the third matchup between UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard. Edgar is 0-1-1 against his challenger, but their last fight ended in a draw and has left unfinished business between the two.

That won’t be the only title fight on the card.

In the co-main event, UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo puts his title on the line against former lightweight title challenger Kenny Florian. Aldo made his UFC debut in March where he defeated Mark Hominick. Florian is 0-2 in title attempts and will look to capture his first belt against one of MMA‘s pound-for-pound best.

The main card, which will be broadcast at 9 p.m. ET on pay-per-view, will also feature Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann, Joe Lauzon vs. Melvin Guillard and Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan.

These are my predictions for fight, knockout and submission of the night.

Fight of the Night: Anthony Pettis vs. Jeremy Stephens

Less than a year ago, former WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis (13-2) was in line for a shot at the UFC lightweight championship. If not for his loss to Clay Guida, he might have actually been in the main event on this card.

He takes on Jeremy Stephens (20-6), who was last seen beating up Danny Downes and knocking out Marcus Davis in his two 2011 bouts.

Both of these fighters bring intriguing challenges to the Octagon, and they are always in entertaining fights where they could be one punch or kick away from a victory.

Of Stephens’ seven UFC victories, four have been awarded fight bonuses.

Pettis was involved in one of 2010’s best fights versus Ben Henderson.

This fight will take place on the Spike TV portion of UFC 136, which will be broadcast at 8 p.m. on Spike TV.

Knockout of the Night: Jose Aldo

In his toughest title fight yet, UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo (19-1) will defend his title for the second time against Kenny Florian (15-5), who has fought everywhere from middleweight to lightweight and now featherweight.

Aldo has 12 knockout victories to his credit, including those over Manvel Gamburyan, Mike Brown, Jonathan Brookins and Cub Swanson.

After going to a decision in his last fight, Aldo will probably want to make up for it by going for the finish early in this fight.

Florian was able to make it past Diego Nunes in his last bout, but he was dropped during the bout and may have been stopped had it not been for the bell. Nunes is nowhere near Aldo when it comes to striking, but he is unorthodox with kicks, something Aldo is a master at utilizing.

It might not come from one shot, but Aldo should be able to break Florian down and get the knockout sometime during the five round distance.

Submission of the Night: Zhang Tiequan       

Zhang Tiequan is one of the best prospects to come out of China, and he brings a 15-1 record with 12 submission victories to the Octagon to take on Darren Elkins on the preliminary card this weekend. 

Tiequan holds submission victories over Pablo Garza and Jason Reinhardt and has finished all of his opponents. He is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and trains under Black Tiger Team and China Top Team.

Elkins is 12-2 with only one of his losses coming by submission, which was against Charles Oliveira. That fight came before his controversial victory in his featherweight debut against Michihiro Omigawa at UFC 131.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 136: Gray Maynard and the Top 5 Undefeated Fighters in the UFC

When lightweight contender Gray Maynard steps into the Octagon this Saturday to battle UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar for the third time, he will be fighting for more than a UFC title. At 11-0-1, Maynard brings an unblemished record to the…

When lightweight contender Gray Maynard steps into the Octagon this Saturday to battle UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar for the third time, he will be fighting for more than a UFC title. 

At 11-0-1, Maynard brings an unblemished record to the fight, and an undefeated fighter is always the toughest to beat. They sometimes have the most to lose for that reason.

Maynard is the one who handed Edgar his only career loss, and he will hope to extend his undefeated record at UFC 136.

Outside of the lightweight division, which is arguably the most stacked and hardest to get through without being beaten, there are plenty of other undefeated fighters hoping to keep it that way long after they challenge for a UFC championship. In some cases, they already are.

 

 

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