Tag: UFC 136

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.

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A Kinder, Gentler Chael Sonnen…Sort Of

Filed under: UFCChael Sonnen got dealt a tough hand when the UFC matched him up against Brian Stann for UFC 136. It’s not necessarily the difficulty of the fight itself — though Stann’s no pushover, oddsmakers give the edge to Sonnen.

No, for the So…

Filed under:

Chael SonnenChael Sonnen got dealt a tough hand when the UFC matched him up against Brian Stann for UFC 136. It’s not necessarily the difficulty of the fight itself — though Stann’s no pushover, oddsmakers give the edge to Sonnen.

No, for the Sonnen the trouble is all in the approach. How do you keep your over-the-top, pro wrestler-meets-insult comic persona going when you’re fighting a war hero who’s so inoffensive and wholesome that he could make a slice of apple pie feel like a dirty commie by comparison?

Judging by Sonnen’s demeanor at Wednesday’s pre-fight press conference, you don’t. You play nice. You praise instead of berate. You do everything short of writing him a letter of recommendation, and then you wait for an opportunity to go back to talking about Anderson Silva.

“Nobody wants to fight Brian Stann,” Sonnen said on Wednesday afternoon in Houston. “I’m not the only guy and that’s not a big secret. But our paths are going to cross sooner or later. He keeps beating people up and so that’s just the way it goes.”

Presumably Sonnen then had to rush back to the hotel for some mouthwash just to get the unfamiliar taste of compliments out of his mouth.

Not that Stann was making things easy on him, mind you. He praised Sonnen’s wrestling ability, his penchant for making other people fight his kind of fight, and even jogged down memory lane with his opponent, telling a story about when Sonnen served as a ringside announcer for his first pro bout.

“I don’t even think he remembers, but I remember meeting him there and he was very respectful to a guy who was 0-0 at the time,” Stann said, to which Sonnen replied that he remembered the fight and the meeting very clearly and recalled that Stann was “very nice back.”

“Awwww,” said UFC president Dana White, who might have been wondering what happened to the guy who once sat down at a pre-fight press conference and declared, “I don’t really know what respect means. That sounds like something a kid in the street says after he’s getting ready to take your coat and your shoes.”

Of course, that little gem came before Sonnen’s bout with the UFC middleweight champ Silva, who remains his go-to target for his choicest bits of trash talk.

“I’m out trying to pick a fight and I’m not making any qualms about it. I’ve been after Anderson for some time and that’s it,” said Sonnen, who added that he also had “a beef” with the other fighters in the UFC who continually ask for title shots.

“I’ve never told Dana I want a title fight; I told him I want the title,” Sonnen said. “That’s a big difference between me and everybody else.”

You see? He’s still got his gift with language when he wants it, but against a guy like Stann there just isn’t much you can do with it. A man who once explained that he doesn’t believe in utilizing the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guard because that would involve lying on his back with another man between his legs and “I’m a Republican and we don’t do that,” probably also isn’t going to make much headway trying to insult a former U.S. Marine with more boy-next-door charm than he knows what to do with.

Maybe the best Sonnen can do is play the nice guy for now, or at least as nice as he can stand to be. One way or another, he acknowledged, he still has a fight on Saturday night, and what happens once the cage door slams shut is the same whether you can find something bad to say about the other guy or not.

“When that guy in the shark suit gets out of the ring and the guy with the dreadlocks says ‘fight,'” Sonnen said, “I will.”

And if things go his way, maybe soon he’ll be able to get back to being the Chael Sonnen we’ve come to know and expect.

 

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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.

UFC 136 Fight Card Preview and Analysis

With UFC 136: Edgar Vs. Maynard III coming up this week in Houston, our MMA Analyst Brian Oswald breaks down each match on the card. We’ll see All-American Brian Stann step into the cage with everybody’s favorite trash-talker, Chael Sonnen….

With UFC 136: Edgar Vs. Maynard III coming up this week in Houston, our MMA Analyst Brian Oswald breaks down each match on the card.

We’ll see All-American Brian Stann step into the cage with everybody’s favorite trash-talker, Chael Sonnen. Will Stann’s proven TKO ability as a striker be successful against Sonnen’s powerhouse wrestling? 

Jose Aldo has been a success remaining at the top of the FW division since the WEC; will he be able to remain dominant as he goes against re-invigorated veteran Kenny Florian? Or will this weight cut affect Florian’s performance in this five-round bout?

And in the main event, will the champ’s speed and technique be able to keep up with the furious pace that the “bully” is known for? This is the Rubber Match we’ve all been waiting for!

Oswald breaks it all down for the upcoming UFC 136: Edgar Vs. Maynard III!

If you like this video, click here to check out more from Bleacher Report Productions.

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Dana White Talks UFC 136 Storylines, Jon Jones and Spike Countering FOX Debut

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HOUSTON — MMA Fighting spoke to Dana White following the UFC 136 press conference on Wednesday. The UFC president talked about the third meeting between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, the latest on Gilbert Melendez, his thoughts on Kenny Florian fighting for another title, the return of Chael Sonnen, his recent meeting with Jon Jones and Spike TV countering the UFC’s debut on FOX with their own UFC programming.

 

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Filed under: , ,

HOUSTON — MMA Fighting spoke to Dana White following the UFC 136 press conference on Wednesday. The UFC president talked about the third meeting between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, the latest on Gilbert Melendez, his thoughts on Kenny Florian fighting for another title, the return of Chael Sonnen, his recent meeting with Jon Jones and Spike TV countering the UFC’s debut on FOX with their own UFC programming.

 

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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)