The on again/off again Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard fight is officially back on. After a lengthy delay the two top UFC lightweights will attempt to avenge their previous draw at UFC 136. A UFC featherweight championship co-headlines the Texas event.
I have to give the UFC a lot of credit. After coming into the summer with some mediocre lineups, the promotion has recently assembled several stacked cards for the fall. UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard3 is no exception. The UFC will bring two UFC championship defenses and a solid undercard to Houston Texas on October 8.
[adinserter block=”1″]UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar will try and put his rivalry with Gray Maynard to rest for a third time in October. The two were originally scheduled to headline UFC 130 back in May. Unfortunately both had to pull out of the fight due to injuries, leaving the UFC with one of its worst main-events in recent history.
I keep reading about how this match isn’t appealing as a headliner and I don’t get it. I thought their last fight (their second) was one of the most exciting fights of the year. That first round especially may be the best first round of any fight in the UFC this year (I’d go with Daley vs. Diaz overall). I have no qualms about seeing these guys go five more rounds and I can’t imagine with the right kind of hype that anyone else will either. This is the kind of rivalry that makes MMA fun to watch.
Jose Aldo will defend the UFC featherweight championship for only a second time against former, well actually he hasn’t won anything of significance, Kenny Florian. The UFC hasn’t learned their lesson about Florian in that Ken-Flo continually comes up short in big fights. To be fair, he looked fantastic in his last win over Diego Nunes at UFC 131. Yet I think it is a little ridiculous to give the guy (or anyone) a title shot after one win in the division. Actually it is preposterous!
Chael Sonnen returns to the UFC which should surprise nobody that knows anything about the Texas commission. Sonnen will fight Brian Stann in what will likely be a number one contender match in the UFC middleweight division. The good news for Chael is that he could test positive for high levels of testosterone, rip off a new home owner, and lie under oath on the way to the show and he’d still likely be allowed to fight by the great Texas State Athletic Commission.
Melvin Guillard vs. Joe Lauzon is signed with most speculating that Guillard would be next in line for the UFC lightweight title if he wins his fight. Demian Maia will also try and rebound from a bad loss to Mark Munoz at UFC 131 and face Jorge Santiago in a battle of middleweights.
[adinserter block=”1″]The only real bad news here is that it had been rumored for a long time that UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez would make his return at UFC 136 in Houston against Junior Dos Santos. He still could, but I doubt the UFC would book three world title fights on the same show. Unfortunately the loss of the champion likely means that Velasquez’s recovery from shoulder surgery may be going a little slower than expected.
UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard 3 card…
UFC Lightweight Championship bout: Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard
UFC Featherweight Championship bout: José Aldo vs. Kenny Florian
Middleweight bout: Brian Stann vs. Chael Sonnen
Middleweight bout: Demian Maia vs. Jorge Santiago
Lightweight bout: Joe Lauzon vs. Melvin Guillard
Heavyweight bout: Dave Herman vs. Mike Russow
Featherweight bout: Josh Grispi vs. Matt Grice
UFC: Ultimate 100 Greatest Fights
Brock Lesnar’s autobiography – Death Clutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival
UFC: Ultimate Royce Gracie DVD
Shop Now at the Official UFC Store
