UFC 136 Edgar vs Maynard III Preview & Picks
Even if you’re a casual MMA fan, you won’t want to miss UFC 136 this Saturday night. One of the most stacked cards in while features two title fights, including the rematch between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard following their draw last January.
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UFC 136 – EVENT INFO
Promotion – Ultimate Fighting Championship
Event – UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard 3
Date – October 8, 2011
Time – 9pm ET/6pm PT
Venue – Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Broadcast – Pay-per-view, Spike TV (8pm ET/5pm PT)
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Time to make some picks.
UFC LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHP: Frankie Edgar (13-1-1) vs Gray Maynard (10-0-1, 1 NC)
UFC 136 odds: Edgar -140, Maynard +120
Oh, baby. This should be fun. Edgar and Maynard enter the Octagon for the first time since January 1, when they fought to what had to be the most exciting draw you will ever see. Maynard caught the champion Edgar with a hailstorm of punches in round one and came within inches of finishing him but Edgar survived. After that, the champ completed an outstanding comeback, using his superior speed, boxing and even some impressive takedowns to battle back and earn the draw.
So what happens in the third go-round? That’s right – Saturday will mark the third fight between these two. Maynard is the only man to beat Edgar; he did it in 2008. My guess is that Saturday’s contest will look more like Edgar/Maynard I than Edgar/Maynard II.
Frankie Edgar is a phenomenal fighter, blessed with great speed, heart, boxing accuracy and general well-roundedness. But, as Maynard showed in their first fight, he has the tools needed to beat Edgar. Maynard is the bigger fighter, arguably the strongest lightweight in the world. Edgar showed in the last fight that he can wrestle, but his takedowns worked because they surprised Maynard. In reality, Maynard is the better wrestler, possibly the best in the division. As we saw in the draw, Maynard also hits harder.
To win this fight, Maynard just has to be more patient and avoid the adrenaline dump that caught him the last time out. Since his nerves won’t be as much of a factor in his second title fight, I expect Maynard to be more poised, fight smarter and rely on his natural physical advantages to overcome the more technical Edgar.
The Bully will do just that – bully Edgar with takedowns before possibly securing the elusive knockout. Pick: Maynard +120
UFC FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP: Jose Aldo (19-1) vs Kenny Florian (15-5)
UFC 136 odds: Aldo -280, Florian +230
Will Kenny Florian finally get that elusive UFC title belt? After two failed attempts at lightweight, he’ll battle for the featherweight strap Saturday night against Jose Aldo, who is unofficially enshrined in the top tier of the “pound for pound” ladder alongside Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre and Jon Jones.
Aldo has been almost untouchable during his reign as WEC and now UFC featherweight champ. No opponent can match the fury and speed of his Muay Thai strikes. He can explode with a devastating leg kick, a punch or a flying knee in the blink of an eye. Aldo is also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt.
However, as we saw in Aldo’s last fight, he doesn’t like being on his back too much. Though he destroyed Mark Hominick overall, the challenger laid a beating on Aldo in the final round via ground-and-pound, causing many fans and bettors to wonder if Aldo is invincible after all.
It wouldn’t be a surprise, then, to see Florian try to take Aldo down on Saturday. Florian has great striking, too, but he’s a fantastic submission guy with great BJJ of his own and he knows his standup can’t match Aldo’s.
That said – we can’t shy away from the fact that Florian is a C-H-O-K-E-R. His four defeats in the UFC have come in his two title fights, the Ultimate Fighter finale and a No. 1 contender match against Gray Maynard. In high-pressure situations, Florian doesn’t fight to win; he fights not to lose. Since he’s done it so many times already, I expect him to come out nervous and tentative against Aldo. The champ should pick him apart in the striking game. Pick: Aldo -280
Middleweight: Chael Sonnen (25-11) vs Brian Stann (11-3)
UFC 136 odds: Sonnen -260, Stann +215
Brian Stann has emerged as the next big thing at 185 pounds this year. The former U.S. Marine has become a fan favorite with his combination of devastating knockout ability inside the Octagon and endearing modesty outside it. [ad-3573245]
He’ll battle his friend Chael Sonnen in a No. 1 middleweight contender match (at least for Sonnen). Stann has looked great but Sonnen is a bad matchup for him. Sonnen is tough as nails and has never been knocked out in the UFC. Stann has also struggled against elite wrestlers in the past. Phil Davis dominated him. That was at 205 pounds but Sonnen’s wrestling is so good that grappling with him is like grappling with a man a weight class higher. Sonnen should secure his rematch with Anderson Silva. Pick: Sonnen -260
UFC 136: OFFICIAL FIGHT CARD
Main card
Lightweight Championship bout: Frankie Edgar (c) vs. Gray Maynard
Featherweight Championship bout: José Aldo (c) 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
