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UFC 136: Why Frankie Edgar Will Defeat Gray Maynard in the ‘Three-Peat’

The stage is set for reigning UFC lightweight champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar (13-1-1) to finally get closure in his trilogy against Gray “The Bully” Maynard (11-0-1 with one no contest). The fight takes place at UFC 1…

Their initial meeting occurred in the rarefied mile-high air of Broomfield, Colorado. In front of 6,742 fans at the Broomfield Event Center, Gray handed Frankie his first and only loss via a unanimous 30-27 on all three judges’ cards. Maynard simply out-wrestled and out-muscled the smaller Edgar.

A no-nonsense fighter, Frankie never made any excuses for that fight, so I am going to make some for him—he didn’t prepare properly for that fight. First off, the fight took place ten days before Edgar’s wedding. How can one focus on a fight when a life-changing commitment like marriage is looming? Do you have any idea how demanding it can be to marry a girl from Jersey? How can a fighter not be distracted from his training when tablecloths, seating arrangements and flowers need to be decided upon? Manicotti or lasagna?

Furthermore, the contest took place at high altitude (the fight not the wedding!) and Frankie evidently didn’t have two-weeks to spend in Colorado to acclimate properly.

After the disappointing loss, Frankie has gone on to beat Hermes Franca, Matt Veach, former UFC lightweight title-holder Sean Sherk and former UFC lightweight champion and UFC welterweight champion B.J. Penn, twice. Edgar won the UFC lightweight title via unanimous decision against B.J. in their first fight and successfully defended the title by beating Penn even more convincingly in their second meeting. Frankie beat the legend not once but twice, something no other fighter except Georges St-Pierre has done.

At UFC 125 on Jan. 1, 2011 in Las Vegas, Edgar met Maynard for the second time. The UFC lightweight championship belt was at stake as Frankie looked to avenge his only loss in the octagon. It wasn’t going to happen the way anyone imagined.

In a ferocious first round Maynard caught Edgar with a perfectly timed left hook that sent Edgar backwards and somersaulting across the ring in miraculous attempt to avoid being finished. In spite of being hit by 25 solid shots according to FightMetric, and spending the majority of the round a hair’s breadth away from being KO’ed—on sheer heart and instinct Frankie survived.

In the second round Maynard was gassed from an adrenaline dump in throwing so many shots in the first round, thus giving the amazingly recovered Edgar a chance to make a comeback. In an incredible display of conditioning and willpower, Frankie came back to win all four remaining rounds on a least two judges’ scorecards, making the fight a draw.

Both fighters were disappointed by the outcome and newly refocused on resolving the issue of who will ultimately hold the Championship belt.

Injuries to both fighters saw the “three-peat” at UFC 128 in May, get postponed. Since then, both men have had plenty of time to train, strategize and mentally condition themselves for a war.

Through two fights, both warriors have seen all of what the other has. Even though Edgar is the more effective striker as evidenced in his out-boxing and out-classing B.J. Penn over ten rounds, Maynard landed the more telling blows. But, can Gray do it again after Edgar’s camp has had so much time to make adjustments? Maynard may have the edge in size and strength, but the margin is slim. Frankie is more agile, faster and has arguably better Jiu Jitsu.

At UFC 136,it’s going to come down to who wants it most. I predict Frankie Edgar submits Gray Maynard in Round 3 with a rear naked choke to retain his lightweight title and in doing so, finally puts “The Bully” behind him.

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UFC 136 Fight Card: Gray Maynard Is "Pumped" to Fight Frankie Edgar Again

UFC lightweight contender Gray Maynard is looking forward to meeting lightweight champion Frankie Edgar in the Octagon again at UFC 136, and he’s had plenty of time to plan for it.The duo were originally supposed to squash their UFC 125 beef at UFC 130…

UFC lightweight contender Gray Maynard is looking forward to meeting lightweight champion Frankie Edgar in the Octagon again at UFC 136, and he’s had plenty of time to plan for it.

The duo were originally supposed to squash their UFC 125 beef at UFC 130, but both men were injured and the fight was delayed a further six events. However, Maynard was unfazed at his injury as well as the postponement of the match.

“It was easy to get back [into training],” Maynard said at a media call that BleacherReport.com attended. “I love to train. I only took off about three or four weeks because of a scope on my elbow. The whole time I planned out the camp I would have and it was all good.”

Their last fight, an epic encounter that ended in a controversial draw, was a crowd pleaser, but not everyone went home happy.

“The draw hurt a little bit,” he said. Fortunately for Maynard, the rematch was immediately booked. Now, he’s just ready and waiting. “I’m pumped to have it again and we’ll wait for the eighth.”

In the last fight, Maynard nearly finished Edgar with a long and devastating flurry of punches, but the champ ultimately pulled through and fought back to earn a draw. While being so close to a title yet so far would be devastating to a man of average mental toughness, it’s nothing too terrible for Maynard, who probably would’ve gotten bored as title-holder anyway.

“I’ve come close to a lot of goals. I also have a lot of goals that I did accomplish. It always feels really good at the time but the next day it’s always onto the next one.”

Their second title fight (which is actually their third fight overall) promises to be more intriguing than the first since now each man knows everything about the other man’s abilities.

What will Gray Maynard do to deal with the speed and agility of Frankie Edgar? How will Edgar handle Maynard’s size and strength?

The world will be waiting with bated breath until October 8th when the two fighters finally square off to decide who is the UFC lightweight champion.

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Gray Maynard Is "Obsessed" in Beating UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar

On October 8 in Houston, Texas, Gray “The Bully” Maynard is prepared to unleash nine months of pent-up frustration on the current UFC lightweight champion, Frankie Edgar.Speaking with Sportsnet.ca in Canada, Maynard spoke candidly about his past two ma…

On October 8 in Houston, Texas, Gray “The Bully” Maynard is prepared to unleash nine months of pent-up frustration on the current UFC lightweight champion, Frankie Edgar.

Speaking with Sportsnet.ca in Canada, Maynard spoke candidly about his past two matchups with Edgar.

“I’m not too embarrassed to say I’ve become obsessed with taking the UFC lightweight title from Frankie Edgar,” Maynard stated. “I beat Edgar when we fought in 2008 as contenders on the way up, and I beat him even worse on New Year’s Day for the belt, only for the judges to give it a draw.”

A realist, Maynard does not hold any animosity towards the current champion. “I am going into this fight angry. Not angry at Edgar—he did what he had to and is tough and a good fighter.,” Maynard said.

Wanting to prove to the world that he is the best lightweight fighter, Maynard told Sportsnet that this trilogy matchup with Edgar is “nothing personal with him, other than I need to beat him worse than ever to make sure everyone understands I am the best fighter at 155 pounds.”

Reflecting on their previous matchup in January, Maynard was pragmatic in the dissection of his performance.

“In January, I knocked him down three times in the opening round, a lot of referees would have stopped it there and then, but he’s a tough guy and he hung in there. I made a couple mistakes in trying to finish him off too much and not being careful not to burn out, but I feel I won three rounds to two, plus I won the first round BIG and it should have been scored 10-7,” stated “The Bully.”

Not one to dish dirt on fellow fighters, Maynard spoke candidly regarding the politics associated with the fighting industry.

“I still don’t like talking crap about other fighters and competitors and I’m not going to do my worst Muhammad Ali impression to get a spotlight on myself. But, yes, it is frustrating I don’t get the credit I feel I have earned,” Gray stated.

Maynard has defeated five of the top lightweights in the world prior to receiving his title shot with Edgar. A solid competitor, “The Bully” is all about wins and competing against the very best.

“I never complained when I had to fight top guy after top guy,” Maynard said. “That’s what competition is all about and what I’m all about. I don’t ask or want no gimmie fights. I didn’t complain about fighting five southpaws in a row, even though actually that did suck quite a lot. And I am not complaining now. This is just what I’m thinking ahead of this fight and I’m just being real and honest. And, honestly, I am ready for a war at UFC 136.”

Driven and focused, Maynard will stop at nothing to secure what he believes is his championship belt.

“Edgar knows that after two attempts, he’s come nowhere near close to beating me. He also knows I have the power to knock him out. Edgar will be better than ever for this fight, but so will I and my best beats his best every time. Next Saturday, he will be in pain. He will be hurt come October 8th,” Maynard concluded.

UFC 136 will be Maynard’s chance at redemption against Edgar. You can follow Gray Maynard’s tweets up til fight day @GrayMaynard.

You can also “Like” Todd Seyler on Facebook and Follow me on Twitter

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Check Out The Bum Rush Radio Show Episode 27 with Gil Martinez

Well, The Bum Rush Radio Show is finally back in your lives after a brief hiatus. Whether or not that’s a good thing remains to be seen. Our relationship with you is like Sid’s was with Nancy; you can’t live without us, but sometimes we drive you insane and we’re cool with that. We’ll hide the knives and the heroin and we’ll continue to get along just fine.

Anyway, our special guest this week is acclaimed Xtreme Couture head boxing coach Gil Martine z who is in the final stages of preparations for Gray Maynard’s championship rematch with Frankie Edgar. We talk to Gil about his thoughts on the bout and we find out what he thought about the Ortiz-Mayweather debacle.

Also on the show, we formally meet our new part-time staff member Jared “DangadaDang” Jones as he, Ben and Mike discuss the top news of the week, last week’s UFC 135 event, and the last UFC on Versus card coming up tomorrow.

As always, you can subscribe to the show via iTunes, or download it directly by right clicking and saving the mp3 of the show HERE.

UFC 136: Jose Aldo Ready To Defend His Gold Against Veteran Florian

When he left World Extreme Cagefighting as its final featherweight champion, many expected Jose Aldo (19-1) to be the first man not named Urijah Faber to come from the promotion and gain mainstream success in the UFC.His dynamic striking, engaging pers…

His dynamic striking, engaging personality and seeming invincibility in the 145lbs. realm provided the fuel, all he had to do was put it together.

Booked to fight on New Year’s Day 2011, Aldo had to pull out of his first defense of the newly-created UFC featherweight title due to injury. He was re-booked to defend against Mark Hominick at UFC 129 in Toronto, where the biggest crowd in North American MMA history saw what he was all about.

A five round war against the home favourite Hominick ensued, a memorable scrap that had Rogers Centre bouncing and made both combatants $129,000 richer as a result of matching ‘Fight of the Night’ bonuses.

“It couldn’t have been a much better night. Fighting in the UFC for the first time and defending my title for the first time was great.”

Now, in his second defense—another that was rescheduled due to injury—Aldo will see veteran contender Kenny Florian across the cage. Florian, a longtime staple of the UFC, dropped to featherweight after two failed attempts to win gold at lightweight.

Aldo has great respect for the challenger, and doesn’t take offense to a notion many have that Florian is moving down solely to take his title away.

“It’s a natural transition for Kenny, a lot of guys move up and down in weight. I’m focused on my training, I respect Kenny, I don’t take it personally.”

For Florian, the fight is a chance at cementing his legacy as a champion, instead of the best bridesmaid the UFC has ever seen. Aldo has a legacy of his own to protect, seen by many as a top pound-for-pounder and a man who could reign atop the division for as long as he sees fit.

However, after a video of Aldo’s battle with cutting weight for the Hominick fight recently surfaced online, the possibility that he may elect to compete at a higher weight class seems to be growing more realistic.

“Since I started training martial arts, going back to my jiu-jitsu days, I’ve always been cutting a lot of weight. I’m comfortable now at 25 years old cutting that weight, but there may come a time when I’m older that I have to look at going to lightweight. Right now though, I’m okay cutting the weight. Before [UFC 129] we were working on putting on muscle mass, that might have been why that weight cut was a little bit more.”

Regardless of where his future lies and what his plans are, the violent Brazilian has one task at hand at the moment, that of a very crafty, very talented veteran on October 8. Kenny Florian is no joke for anyone, and Aldo knows what he’s up against.

“I’ve fought taller guys, guys with longer reach. All I can do is expect to impose my gameplan and win the fight.”

The talking is done. All that’s left is to lock the cage door and see which man is better. The champion believes it’s him, and he’ll look to prove it at UFC 136.

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Chael Sonnen Mellows Ahead of UFC 136, Still Says He’s Better Than Anderson Silva

Filed under: UFC, NewsThe last time we saw Chael Sonnen before a fight, calling him outspoken would have been a massive understatement.

Ahead of his UFC middleweight title fight against champion Anderson Silva at UFC 117 in August 2010, Sonnen was a …

Filed under: UFC, News

The last time we saw Chael Sonnen before a fight, calling him outspoken would have been a massive understatement.

Ahead of his UFC middleweight title fight against champion Anderson Silva at UFC 117 in August 2010, Sonnen was a whirlwind of controversial comments, outlandish outcries and, well, near lunacy.

Sonnen came closer than anyone before him in the UFC to stopping Silva, but his submission loss was followed by a suspension for elevated testosterone levels. And that was followed by a plea deal for money laundering in a mortgage fraud case. Is it possible that Sonnen has mellowed out?

Brian Stann, Sonnen’s opponent at UFC 136 next Saturday in Houston, thinks it’s a case of selective mellowing based on who Sonnen is fighting.

“I told everybody from the start I didn’t think (the trash talk) was going to happen,” Stann said Friday on a media call for the pay-per-view. “I said this a couple times. I believe Chael is very genuine when he says if he has a problem with somebody, he’ll speak it. If he doesn’t have a problem with somebody, he won’t. You saw his fights against Nate Marquardt, Dan Miller and Yushin Okami, he didn’t have anything to say about those guys. He spoke about the fight. So it wasn’t surprising to me at all that didn’t happen. And I wouldn’t have taken it personally, anyway. I really think that our skill sets and the way that we fight has generated all the hype it needs.”

When it comes to Stann, Sonnen (25-11-1, 4-4 UFC) has steered clear of any kind of trash talk. In fact, he’d actually prefer to not have to fight the war hero, who is on a three-fight winning streak. And he believes the same goes for the rest of the middleweight division.

“Nobody wants to fight Brian, but somebody’s got to,” Sonnen said. “Our paths have to cross. We’re just in the same weight class, it’s not that big of a pool and he keeps whipping everybody. If he quit beating everybody, I wouldn’t have to fight him. But he decided to go out and become one of the top guys. I’ve done my part and put my time in and I’m up there too, so our paths have to cross.”

With so much time off between fights, Sonnen said he’s happy to be back on the job, but admitted there’s no excitement that comes along with a task the likes of Stann (11-3, 5-2 UFC). It’s possible the winner will get the next crack at Silva – a rematch for Sonnen, and the biggest fight of his career for Stann, the former WEC light heavyweight champion.

With Stann on a three-fight streak, all stoppages with a submission win over Mike Massenzio and convincing TKOs of Chris Leben and Jorge Santiago earlier this year, it’s no wonder Sonnen won’t use the word “excited” about his first fight in more than a year.

“I don’t know that I ever look forward to (fighting),” Sonnen said. “I hear some guys say they’re excited (to fight), and I always get jealous of those guys. I’ve never been excited to have to go fight another man. I’m not excited now. I’m happy to be part of it – I got put in timeout for a while, and I’m glad that’s all over and behind me. But I go with a matter-of-fact approach – I’m not excited for the match. It’s a bunch of emotions that get combined into one, and excitement isn’t one of them.”

A brasher Sonnen, circa Summer 2010, might have approached such a question differently. And it just might be possible that Sonnen’s out-of-the-cage problems have him taking a different approach to how he portrays himself to the public. Possible.

“The happy part is, this is what I want to do and I got held out of it for a while,” Sonnen said. “I’ve always been grateful for these opportunities, but I think I’m a little more grateful now. Appreciative would be a much stronger feeling that I’m having – to make up for the excitement.”

Sonnen has even relaxed his stance on Silva – though make no mistake, a win over Stann and a possible rematch with his old nemesis would likely see him return to the Sonnen of old.

Sonnen said Silva has to be respected – but he still believes he’s better than the champion, who beat Yushin Okami last month, whom Sonnen helped train for the title fight.

“It’s getting harder and harder to deny he should be shown that appreciation,” Sonnen said. “He ducked Okami for years, but he did finally get in there and he made it look easy. So I think you’ve got to look at that. If you’re asking if I’d ever concede that Anderson’s better than me, no. I would refer you to the tape (of our fight). I think he and I are vastly different and that I could come down a lot and still be ahead of him. I also think he ducks and dodges opponents constantly, but his wins and losses speak for themselves. The fact of the matter, whether I like to admit this or not, is he’s done a better job than anybody, done a better job than me, and he is the champion.

“It doesn’t mean I’m going to quit poking my finger in his chest, but at some point I think fairness needs to kick in, too, and you need to look at what he’s done and tip your hat to him a little bit.”

What Sonnen hopes for more than anything is a win over Stann, and a chance to let that finger poking start up once again.

Sonnen and Stann fight on the main card of UFC 136 on Oct. 8 at the Toyota Center in Houston. The main card is headlined by a pair of title fights – the lightweight title rematch between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, and a featherweight title fight between Jose Aldo and Kenny Florian.

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