On Saturday night, Frankie Edgar made the second successful defense of his lightweight title when he defeated Gray Maynard via fourth round TKO.Maynard has now beaten two of the lightweight division’s best, in Penn and Edgar, but will he still be champ…
On Saturday night, Frankie Edgar made the second successful defense of his lightweight title when he defeated Gray Maynard via fourth round TKO.
Maynard has now beaten two of the lightweight division’s best, in Penn and Edgar, but will he still be champion over a year from now?
He has a long line of contenders who want a shot at his title, including Gilbert Melendez, Ben Henderson, Clay Guida, Joe Lauzon, Dennis Siver and Donald Cerrone.
If he is still champion in 2013, it will be safe to assume he has beaten two or three of the guys on that list.
Whether or not he can beat two or three of those guys is a different story entirely.
The lightweight division is arguably the most stacked division in the UFC, and it has taken a major hit for contenders as of late, which really says something.
With the heart that Edgar showed last night, he has all the potential in the world to still be the champion in 2013.
Many are saying that Edgar may already be the greatest lightweight champion in MMA history. If he is still the champ in 2013, then there will be no doubt that he is the greatest lightweight champion ever.
Tim McTiernan is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. For the latest news on everything MMA, follow me on twitter @tmt2393.
On Saturday night, not one, not two, but three fighters all choked when the spotlight was on them brightest.First, Melvin Guillard was over confident against Joe Lauzon, and he got submitted in a mere 47 seconds.Then, later on, Kenny Florian was unable…
On Saturday night, not one, not two, but three fighters all choked when the spotlight was on them brightest.
First, Melvin Guillard was over confident against Joe Lauzon, and he got submitted in a mere 47 seconds.
Then, later on, Kenny Florian was unable to win a UFC belt—again—as he lost a unanimous decision to Jose Aldo.
Then in the main event, Gray Maynard was on the precipice of finishing Frankie Edgar and wasn’t able to pull it off.
These three all choked when it mattered most, so read on to check out their story and two more who choke when the spotlight is brightest.
Chael Sonnen is back.In a dominant performance against Brian Stann at UFC 136, it looked as if someone forgot to tell Sonnen that he was supposed to be rusty after a 14 month layoff.Utilizing his superior grappling, Sonnen brought Stann to the ground w…
Chael Sonnen is back.
In a dominant performance against Brian Stann at UFC 136, it looked as if someone forgot to tell Sonnen that he was supposed to be rusty after a 14 month layoff.
Utilizing his superior grappling, Sonnen brought Stann to the ground with relative ease and transitioned past Stann’s guard seemingly at will. After controlling his way to a 10-9 first round, Sonnen worked Stann into a head and arm triangle choke, easily passed to side control, and forced Stann to tap at minute 3:51 of round two.
Though he’s typically seen as a hard-nosed grinder, having earned more than half of his victories by decision, Sonnen very much looked the part of finisher last night. He stayed active on top of Stann and tallied his fourth career submission win.
Though many fighters would allow their dismantling of a game opponent to speak for itself, Sonnen wasted no time getting back to his old ways.
After being understandably subdued in the pre-fight lead up to UFC 136—Stann, an American war hero and all-around great guy, is near impossible to trash talk—Sonnen went on the offensive in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. Ignoring Rogan’s opening question, Sonnen took control of the mic and called out middleweight champion, Anderson Silva:
Anderson Silva, you absolutely suck. I’m calling you out, Silva, but we’re upping the stakes. I beat you, you leave the division. You beat me, I’ll leave the UFC forever.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Sonnen use his wise-cracking mouth to his advantage. Following a three fight win streak, Sonnen went on a trash talking campaign to position himself for his first title shot against Silva in August 2010. After his loss to Silva, and subsequent suspension for high testosterone levels, Sonnen directed barbs at the entire country of Brazil, keeping himself relevant in the MMA universe, and ultimately positioning himself for a return to the Octagon in a title elimination fight.
Though there are those that criticize Sonnen’s over-the-top style of promotion, it apparently works. When asked by MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani (at the 7:35 mark) if a rematch with Sonnen would be next for the middleweight champion, Dana White responded simply, “Uhh, yeah I’d be pretty stupid not to do it.”
While nothing is official yet, it seems likely that Sonnen is en route to another title shot against Silva, proving yet again that despite all of his tools in the cage, Sonnen’s number one asset is his wise-cracking mouth.
After UFC 136, Chael Sonnen has again become one of the hottest name in the sport of mixed martial arts.He defeats Brian Stann and then subsequently calls out Anderson Silva for a rematch. It was one of the best post-fight moments in UFC history i…
After UFC 136, Chael Sonnen has again become one of the hottest name in the sport of mixed martial arts.
He defeats Brian Stann and then subsequently calls out Anderson Silva for a rematch.
It was one of the best post-fight moments in UFC history if not the best moment. Sonnen even took it to the next level and tried to get Silva to raise the stakes. Sonnen wins and Anderson leaves the division. Silva wins and Sonnen will retire from the UFC for good.
So what professions could be good for Sonnen if he loses to Silva?
UFC 136 last night lived up to the pre-fight hype that it would be one of the best, if not the best card of the year. With even more stacked cards like UFC 139, 140, and the UFC on Fox debut all now less than two months away, last night was as deliciou…
UFC 136 last night lived up to the pre-fight hype that it would be one of the best, if not the best card of the year. With even more stacked cards like UFC 139, 140, and the UFC on Fox debut all now less than two months away, last night was as delicious of an appetizer as there is to the main courses coming up.
Here is one more look back at the pay-per-view fights, and what’s next for the fighters.
On Saturday, fans were treated to a stacked card. Two championship fights were featured, in which José Aldo retained his belt by besting Kenny Florian by unanimous decision, and Frankie Edgar rid himself of Gray Maynard with a fourth …
On Saturday, fans were treated to a stacked card. Two championship fights were featured, in which José Aldo retained his belt by besting Kenny Florian by unanimous decision, and Frankie Edgar rid himself of Gray Maynard with a fourth round technical knockout.
The two bouts were largely standup affairs, and showed off the striking abilities of the two champions. How do Aldo and Edgar’s striking compare with the striking of other champions? Read to find out!
On Saturday night, Frankie Edgar made the second successful defense of his lightweight title when he defeated Gray Maynard via fourth round TKO.