 Edgar roars back, topples Maynard
Report by Anthony Springer, Jr.
Photos by Nick Laham/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
It was like déjà vu all over again.
After nearly being beaten and bloodied in the opening round of his second match with Gray Maynard, UFC lightweight Frankie Edgar found himself in similar territory all over again.
And it truly was déjà vu—until it wasn’t.
Just like the second bout, which was an early Fight of the Year candidate, Edgar clawed his way back. But there would be no judges’ decision this time. Edgar rocked Maynard with a short left uppercut and finished him off with some precision right hands at 3:54 in the fourth round to retain the lightweight strap.
Before the finish, it was far from all good. Maynard scored early and often in the opening round of UFC 136’s main event with some huge uppercuts. The impact from the blows left Edgar—known for his cardio—with a badly broken nose going into the second.
Edgar used the sixty second reprieve to his advantage and came out looking like a new fighter in the second. He was more active on the feet and slowly began to find his range. As one of the best boxer’s in the game, Edgar’s head and foot movement was superb. With Maynard looking a slight step slower, Edgar began to attack, in and out with combinations before Maynard knew what hit him.
And in the fourth, Maynard didn’t know what hit him.
After going for a takedown that was stuffed, Edgar spun and unleashed a short left uppercut that wobbled Maynard. It was all the champion needed. As Maynard shuffled back to the cage, Edgar pounced, landing two right hands that sent “The Bully” down to the mat. With Maynard planted face first on the canvas, a few more punches sealed the deal.
“The Answer” found an answer to the only man to hand him a professional defeat. "I saw him rock, and I just went in for the kill," Edgar said.
The victory may set up a super fight of sorts between Edgar and Jose Aldo. UFC president Dana White would like to see Edgar drop to featherweight.
 A very human Aldo slips past Florian
Jose Aldo was a wrecking machine in the WEC. He stopped Cub Swanson with a double flying knee. He battered Urijah Faber’s leg so bad, the “California Kid” looked like he’d been hit with a bat. He made Mike Brown look like an amateur.
But in two UFC contests, Aldo has looked surprisingly human. And the human Jose Aldo is still as successful as the invincible Aldo. The champ came back from an early deficit to defeat Kenny Florian via unanimous decision.
For the first ten minutes, Florian went toe-to-toe with the feared striker and scored a couple takedowns in the process. Aldo began to find his range in the third stanza, but Florian remained resilient. Even with Aldo looking like the Aldo of old and landing kicks and punches at will, Florian hung in there. “KenFlo” began to falter in the fourth as the leg kicks took a toll.
Heading into the fifth, it was likely anyone’s match.
A missed flying knee from the challenger likely sealed the deal. Aldo capitalized on the slip and wound up in the mount position. With the clock ticking to a close and sensing he was losing, Florian let it all hang out. He tried to finish with a knockout or secure a takedown—neither came.
All three judges scored the bout 49-46, though many in the media had the fight closer than that.
Aldo is now 2-0 in title defenses. Florian’s streak of bad luck in the UFC continues. Aside from earning the title shot with a win over Diego Nunes, the Massachusetts fighter cannot win the big ones. He dropped a bout to Diego Sanchez in the original Ultimate Fighter finale, lost a contender’s match to Gray Maynard and is 0-3 in championship contests.
 Sonnen’s post fight antics overshadow victory
What you need to know about the fight: Chael Sonnen dominated Brian Stann and finished the fight with an arm triangle at 3:51 in the second round. Then he simultaneously played the part of promoter, matchmaker and booker calling out Anderson Silva in a hilarious rant that included the time and place of the fight. "Anderson Silva, you absolutely suck," Sonnen said in a promo that would put most pro-wrestlers to shame. "Super Bowl weekend, the biggest rematch in the history of the business. I'm calling you out Silva, but we're upping the stakes. “I beat you, (and) you leave the division. You beat me, and I will leave the UFC forever." While a loss won’t send Anderson out of the division or SOnnen out of the UFC, the run up to this rematch has the making of a fun fight for the fans.
Lauzon stuns Guillard, shakes up division
Title talks for Melvin Guillard came to an abrupt end. After posting a series of impressive victories, “The Young Assassin” was almost a lock for a future title shot. Joe Lauzon derailed that train in just 47 seconds, finishing the Louisiana native via rear naked choke. Guillard scored early with a body kick but was promptly countered with a staggering left from Lauzon. The blow allowed “J-Lau” enough time to pounce and take the back. A specialist on the ground, Lauzon wasted no time sinking in the hooks and locking in the rear naked choke. The win likely puts the victor of next month’s Clay Guida-Ben Henderson showdown in the driver’s seat for the number one contender slot in the crowded lightweight division.
Phan evens score with Garcia
Their first bout was mired in controversy. The rematch left no questions. Nam Phan earned a unanimous decision victory over Leonard Garcia to kick off the night’s pay-per-view. Phan dominated the opening round with body punches that repeatedly found a home. The more technical Phan simply performed MMA surgery on Garcia who was bloodied and out of options going into the final round. Garcia came out in the final five with a sense of urgency, throwing wild hay makers to end the fight. A left hand finally found the mark, but Phan weathered the storm and fired back with shots of his own. The judges scored the bout 29-28 for Phan, who earned his first UFC victory.
The Undercard
Jui-jitsu ace Demian Maia defeated former Sengoku standout Jorge Santiago via unanimous decision. Maia’s improved striking combined with his grappling proved to be the dfference as he controlled the fight from bell to bell. The loss is Santiago’s second straight after going 11-1 away from the Octagon.
Former WEC lightweight champion took another step up the ladder, defeating Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens via split decision. Stephens took the first round via takedowns and Pettis returned the favor to tie up the match 19-19 heading into the third. The men traded takedowns, but it was Pettis who controlled the majority of the action. The judges scored the contest 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28.
Stipe Miocic was successful in his UFC debut, topping Joey Beltran via unanimous decision. The judges scored the bout 29-28, 30-27 and 29-28.
Darren Elkins put on a dominant performance over Tiequan Zhang to earn the unanimous decision win. Elkins swept the scorecards, 30-27, 30-26 and 30-27.
Aaron Simpson defeated Eric Schafer by unanimous decision. All three scorekeepers were in alignment, awarding the fight to Simpson 30-27.
Mike Massenzio defeated former WEC light heavyweight champ Steven Cantwell via unanimous decision with scores of 29-28, 30-27 and 29-28.
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