UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III

[INDYjon22]

Main Card

• Lightweight Championship: Gray Maynard vs. Frankie Edgar
• Featherweight Championship: Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian
• Middleweight Bout: Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann
• Lightweight Bout: Melvin Guillard vs. Joe Lauzon
• Featherweight Bout: Nam Phan vs. Leonard Garcia

Preliminary Card (Spike TV)

• Lightweight Bout: Jeremy Stephens vs. Anthony Pettis
• Middleweight Bout: Demian Maia vs. Jorge Santiago

Preliminary Card (Facebook)

• Heavyweight Bout: Stipe Miocic vs. Joey Beltran
• Middleweight Bout: Steve Cantwell vs. Mike Massenzio
• Middleweight Bout: Aaron Simpson vs. Eric Schafer
• Featherweight Bout: Tiequan Zhang vs. Darren Elkins

The long awaited sequel to Edgar and Maynards classic second fight is finally going to go down tomorrow night. And, if it is anything like the last fight they had, then we will be in for a great and entertaining fight. Also on the card, a Featherweight title defense by Jose Aldo, against multiple time title challenger Kenny Florian. And, a probable title contender fight between Chael Sonnen and Brian Stann.

Edgar and Maynard can both throw some bombs and both have great wrestling. It'll really come down to who can execute their gameplan better. I actually think the pressure is on Gray, because Frankie has shown how much heart and will he has. Knowing just how tough he is really has to play with Maynard's mind. It'll be interesting to see how he approaches this fight knowing that Frankie can take a beating and come back from it.

Aldo should kill Florian. He is better in all areas and Florian didn't really impress me in his last fight. Aldo is the better striker and should be able to pick Kenny apart en route to finishing him in the first 3 rounds. Kenny is probably best served to try and get the fight to the ground, where he might stand a chance at grinding out a decision, or an even slimmer chance of catching Aldo in a submission. However, Aldo is a beast and I think he ends this early.

Sonnen and Stann are effectively fighting for the right to fight Anderson next. Stann has shown that he is a monster at 185 and possibly the future of the division. Sonnen is coming off a long layoff but we all know how good he is. Sonnen should look to take the fight to the ground because honestly, Stann is to heavy handed and would probably KO Chael on the feet. If Sonnen gets to the ground he can likely grind out a decision.

Guillard vs. Lauzon is also an important fight for both fighters. The winner will likely get placed in line right behind the winner of Guida/Bendo for next in line for the Lightweight title. Guillard is being praised as the second coming and a future champion, why I don't know. I've never bought into his hype and he honestly hasn't defeated anyone of substance since his return. Lauzon is a far more well rounded fighter and as long as he can weather the early storm he should be able to out work Guillard and submit him in the second or third.

And, the rematch between Phan and Garcia is finally going down. Phan got fucked over last time these two fought and Garcia is a pompous douchebag. Phan should be able to out strike Garcia and pick up the win in what will probably be another war.

Jorge Santiago fights Demian Maia on the undercard. Needless to say, if it stays standing Santiago wins, if it goes to the ground Maia wins. Jeremy Stephens faces Anthony Pettis. Pettis is looking to rebound from his loss to Guida and get his name back up there with the top of the division. How Steve Cantwell still has a job is beyond me, but Mike Massenzio will be looking to put the final nail in the coffin of Cantwell's UFC run. Also, Aaron Simpson looks to continue his winning ways against the always tough Eric Schaffer.

 

[JWGunslinger]

I swear everytime I do these PPV threads I accidently hit something that sends me away from the page and I lose everything i've written, because of this I will blitz through the prelims and then review the spike and main card fights to death.

Zhang Tie Quan vs Darren Elkins:
Zhang comes in with a hot record of 15-1 with a 2-1 record in the UFC and WEC, those two wins being finished by Guillotine and his sole loss being a decision loss to Danny Downes. Elkins first found his winning way in the octagon when he defeated Duane Ludwig by TKO(Ankle Injury) and although he then was submitted by Charles Oliveira he recently bounced back with a decision over Michihiro Omigawa. Both guys are tough, edge on the ground goes to Zhang and edge on the feet slightly to Elkins. I'm going to say Zhang finished this but if he can't then I see Elkins with a decision. Zhang by Submission(Guillotine)

Aaron Simpson vs. Eric Schafer:
This fight is going to go just like Eric Schafer vs Ryan Bader, only replace Bader with his fellow ASU wrestling buddy Aaron Simpson. Simpson will punish "Red" on the feet and then take him down repeatedly to ground and pound him, Schafer is a tough guy though and nobody at Rufus Sport is soft so I do not see him being finished but I don't see him dealing with the striking or takedowns of "A-Train" very well. Sorry Eric but your middleweight debut won't be much fun, goodluck next time. Simpson by Decision

Mike Massenzio vs Steve Cantwell:
Here's a battle of two guys with 1-3 records in the UFC that will be looking for a win to keep their jobs. Cantwell came into the UFC after an impressive stint in the WEC that saw him deafeat top ten MW fighter Brian Stann to capture the WEC Lightheavyweight title and become the promotion's last champion at that weight. He then continued to impress when he submitted Razak Al Hassan with an arm popping armbar in his UFC debut, unfortunatly since then he has dropped 3 straight fights and needs a win now. Massenzio has a similar story, promising career with a great record but then he gets to the UFC and after about 3 years in the promotion he has a 1-3 record to show for it. He moved up to 205 for his last fight but we will see the 2 time high school wrestling state champ back at his home of 185 tomorrow night as he faces a tough Steve Cantwell. It's a hard fight to call but I see Cantwell picking it up after a battle, the guy may be in a rough patch but he's only 24 and has alot of room for improvement as he grows as a fighter, look for him to come in and dominate with solid stand up and good TD defense. Cantwell by Decision

Stipe Miocic vs. Joey Beltran:
This should be interesting, Miocic is a guy who looks like a mix between Mirko Cro Cop and Igor Vovchanchyn. I've seen some of his stuff and he looks impressive but his chin does look a tad suspect but if it can hold up I see a very fun fight between him and Beltran. I respect Beltran but he doesn't do much for me, but if we had a new Croation beast in the HW division to take the spot of the aging Cro Cop I would be very pleased. I don't see Beltran being knocked out, but I think if Stipe works the leg kicks like Barry did against Joey that he could score a stoppage, especially since he did just that in his last fight. Miocic by TKO(Leg Kicks)

Demian Maia vs. Jorge Santiago:
This has the potential of being a killer fight, especially after Maia's last fight where he showed that he is not afraid to grit his teeth and throw leather even against a tough son of a bitch like Mark Munoz. I have been a big fan of Demian since his debut, when he was running through all the MW's back in the day I was mesmerized by his beautiful BJJ and now I have even more respect for him after his war with Munoz. Unfortunatly he lost that battle but hi opponent also lost his last fight after an impressive run. Santiago looked for greener pastures after going 1-2 in the octagon, he went on win 11 of 12 bouts against tough competition like Jeremy Horn, Kazuhiro Nakamura and Trevor Prangley. He came back to the UFC riding a major high and coming off the Fight Of The Year in defending his Segundo title against Kazuo Misaki, but unfortunatly that was ended by the punches of Brian Stann, but now he looks to get back to his winning ways against fellow brazilian Demian Maia. I love seeing Maia stand and use his newfound striking skills but Santiago is no Mark Munoz, his striking is much more technical and he will finish the fight if it stays on the feet too long, and if it goes to the ground Maia will finish it too. This is a very difficult fight to call but i'm afraid Demian will be headstrong, try to stand and get caught unfortunatly. Santiago by TKO

Anthony Pettis vs Jeremy Stephens:
Anthony Pettis rubs me the wrong way, he's super cocky and although he's extremely talented I can't get behind this guy. Jeremy Stephens is the opposite, I've actually talked with Jeremy several times and he is the most down to earth nice guy you'll ever meet, and in the cage he switches that off and turns into a devil with anvils for hands. I love Jeremy Stephens because he always goes for the finish and is always entertaining, and his knockouts are all highlight quality, but he faces a very tough test in Pettis. Pettis is without a doubt more "elite" than Stephens as he is the last WEC lightweight champion and he holds impressive wins over the likes of Shane Roller and Ben Henderson, and he'll be coming in mad after losing a decision in his UFC debut against Clay Guida. I also think that Jeremy is learning how to be exciting and safe while still saying somewhat safe, but he'll never stop going for that KO. Pettis will probably take this fight by submission but Jeremy could easily clip him and pick up the win, my heart is with Jeremy and that's where i'll place my bet. Stephens by KO

Nam Phan vs. Leonard Garcia:
This will probably be a good war but to be honest this fight kind of bores me even with that in mind, i'm probably just still pissed that this replced Dave Herman vs Mike Russow but oh well. It'll be a crazy war like an Leonard Garcia fight but Nam's more technical striking will pick him up a win unlike their first controversial fight that went to Garcia.
Phan by Decision

Melvin Guillard vs. Joe Lauzon:
This fight is very interesting and has alot of potential, Melvin Guillard is on the roll of his career but Joe Lauzon will never quit and he has stated that if he can't get the fight to the ground he will stand with Guillard, not many men would say this going into a fight with probably the most feared Lightweight power puncher in the world. Joe has had ups and downs in his UFC career, in his debut he knocked out the UFC's first lightweight champ in Jens Pulver but then Joe hit a pace of big highs and low lows, but ever time he fights he comes in with heart and bad intentions. Melvin has always been the spark plug in the LW division, throwing caution to the wind to KO his opponent in exciting fashion in his earlier days. However in the last year Melvin has grown up alot and now has learned to keep that deadly striking while staying safe and smart, and that my friends is a dangerous combo. Joe won't back down but he also won't be able to withstand Melvin's stand up and he will fall to "The Young Assassin". Guillard by TKO

Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann:
This is without a doubt the most important fight of the night to me and outside my boy Carlos Condit's shot at GSP later this month this fight means more to me than any other fight this year.Brian Stann is my hero, and I've had him pegged for the man to beat Anderson Silva since he came to the UFC even after his bad outings against Krzysztof Soszyński(UFC debut) and Phil Davis. He used his determination and tactical mindset he accuired as a Silver Star winning US Marine Captain to train his ass of and improve every day in the gym to pick up a 3 fight win streak including 2 Fight of the Night performances and wins over Mike Massenzio, Chris Leben(only Stann and Anderson Silva have KO'd Leben) and Jorge Santiago. Sonnen is just as impressive if not more, Sonnen has always been a force but 2009 to 2010 he racked up huge wins over Dan Miller, Yushin Okami and Nate Marquardt in impressive fashion to get a title shot against UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. At UFC 117 Chael gave Anderson the worst ass whooping that he's ever recieved as champion, and although he was submitted with less than 2 minutes left in the fight, he proved that he is the #2 man at 185 without question, but since then he has had many issues with the atheletic association and hasn't fought since. It was in this time that Stann rose as a major threat to any MW and what's keeping Sonnen from a rematch for the title he believes is his. This is hard for me because I love both guys, but Chael has had his shot and I want Brian to get his. I see Brian avoiding Chael's TD's and Knocking him out.
Stann by KO

UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo vs Kenny Florian:
Jose Aldo is without a doubt the toughest and scariest man at his class, he's so good that Anderson Silva said he'd retire if Jose was at 185. Now I don't know about that but I do know that nobody can touch this guy, and some day someone will take him out but I betcha unless an Kenny Florian's guardian angel swoops in and helps him win he will not win this fight. Kenny has always been on the brink of the title but never achieved it, he's fought in 4 different UFC weight classes(a record) but even though his weight cut was impressive all it means is he's going to be the first man to get his ass kicked at 4 different weights. Aldo will overwhelm the very saavy Florian and score a dominant and brutal win. Aldo by TKO

UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard:
Yes it's finally here, after waiting for months to see this resloved we finally have the third installment of Edgar-Maynard. Gray beat Frankie, Gray drew with Frankie and now the rubber match is finally here, their second meeting for Edgar's title was back in january at UFC 125 where they had a battle for the ages. They were set to rematch at UFC 130 but both men got injured training and then we waited even longer for tomorrow night, and the many contenders at LW were stuck in limbo. I've already said, I don't especially love either guy but the dedication that i've seen from Gray and the burning desire to make up for their draw in the last fight just makes me want to say Gray. It'll be another 5 round battle most likely and both Gray and Frankie will be game, but i'm callin "The Bully" to pick it up. Maynard by Decision


Bonus Predictions

Fight Of The Night:Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard
Knockout Of The Night:Brian Stann
Submission Of The Night: Zhang Tie Quan(Maia is he wins)

 

[jmt225]

I'm actually very much looking forward to this show. The card from top to bottom is absolutely superb.

That said, the closer the main event gets here, the more I start to feel it's going to be a HUGE disappointment. Usually, whenever two guys have a great fight, the next time they meet up it doesn't end up being anywhere near as good as the first fight, and I expect that with Maynard/Edgar. I think both guys will be extremely cautious, and that Maynard will come in with a gameplan to pin Edgar against the cage. Hopefully I'm wrong and it ends up being as great as the first fight, but it's just an eerie feeling I have about it.

As far as an official prediction goes, I think Maynard will win a decision. I'm hoping Edgar pulls it off, but my head is telling me Maynard takes a boring decision in this one. Like I said, hopefully I end up being completely wrong about this.

All I really have to say about the Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian fight is that I think (and hope) Florian will get demolished and continued to be labeled as the choke artist that he is. Florian's going to come in with a similar bullshit gameplan like he had against BJ Penn, and like against Penn, it'll cost him in the end.

Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann is a great fight and a hard one to call. I actually think it'll be a 3 Rounder of the Shields vs. Hendo fight. Stann will dominate the first round with his stand-up, coming close to finishing it, and then from the 2nd Round and further Sonnen will start getting the takedowns and control the fight with his ground and pound. Should be a very fun fight regardless, and whoever takes this one, in my opinion, deserves a Middleweight title shot.

Nam Phan vs. Leonard Garcia is going to go exactly like the first fight, only with the decision being given to the right man this time around.

Melvin Guillard vs. Joe Lauzon is actually the fight I'm most looking forward to for tomorrow night. I'm a big Joe Lauzon fan and am rooting heavily for him here. However, I realize that Lauzon is a 1 round fighter. What I mean by that is that if he doesn't finish a fight in the 1st round, then he's most likely going to lose. And there's nothing wrong with that. I fucking LOVE Lauzon's aggressiveness to start a fight. Fuck "pacing" yourself and all that nonsense. Lauzon comes in and does what you're supposed to do, which is destroy your opponent. That said, Melvin Guillard is a very dangerous match-up for him. If Lauzon isn't able to get him to the ground, then he might be in some serious trouble. But, if Joe can get him down in the first round, then the fight will be over as soon as it started. I can't wait to see what happens.

Demian Maia vs. Jorge Santiago and Anthony Pettis vs Jeremy Stephens will be by far the greatest prelim show Spike has ever had. Both fights are unpredictable and will be full of fireworks. It's really shocking that they're offering these fights for free, but I sure as shit ain't complaining.

 

[The Crock]

I'm a bit late, so I'm only going to post my thoughts on the main card.

Guillard vs Lauzon:

I see this being a very exciting first round. Lauzon is going to come out aggressive, as always, but it might cost him. Guillard can withstand the initial onslaught and if he does, Lauzon will be too drained for the rest of the fight. Hell, it could very well end in the first round if Lauzon isn't careful. Guillard's a good striker and can capitalize on any small mistake.

Garcia vs Pham:

This is also going to be one hell of a fight. Pham could have easily taken the first fight and I see him doing so here. He's coming off of two losses (Garcia, Brown) but Garcia's also coming off of a loss, so he doesn't have too much more momentum. Pham will definitely be motivated here and I can see him grinding out a decision victory.

Sonnen vs Stann:

I like both guys here. Stann's the better stand-up fighter, so if it stays up, he's got it down, but if Sonnen gets it to the ground, it's a whole other ball game. The first round is going to be crucial for Sonnen, as the long layoff has certainly had some kind of an affect on him, so he'll need to shake off that "ring rust." I'm leaning to Sonnen by decision, but I can see Stann getting a TKO.

Aldo vs Florian:

Not even fucking close; Aldo all the way. Florian is the most overrated fighter in the UFC. His last win was not overly impressive and he's just going to get trampled by Aldo. Faber and Hominick both, to me at least, are much harder fights for Aldo and he won both. Florian's only chance is getting Aldo by submission, but that's only if Aldo doesn't wreck him within the first round.

Edgar vs Maynard:

Much like jmt, I'm worried that this fight will be a letdown. Hopefully not, since the last fight was stellar. I don't buy the argument that Maynard will have too much fire and motivation to lose, as Edgar has more heart than any fighter I've ever seen. It'll be close, but I think Edgar will catch him a few times en route to a split decision win. Maynard's going to try to grind it out, but Edgar can take it.

 

[Fizzy]

While I await the post fight press conference, i'll post my thoughts. I'm in quite a good mood after a few beers and good food and am listening to Slipknot until I hear Dana White's wonderful voice come on the conference. Without further ado, my thoughts on the card.

Guillard vs Lauzon: Lauzon exposed Melvin's two weaknesses in this fight. His sub defense and his chin. He got rocked by a fucking jab. Not an Anderson Silva jab that has as much power as a Shane Carwin hook, a weak Joe Lauzon jab. I have said it before and will say it again, for one round,Joe Lauzon is the most dangerous LW in the world. The guy has such amazing skills and potential, but he gasses to easily. It's quite sad.

Garcia vs Pham: What can you say? It's a Leonard Garcia fight. I think everybody knows what that means. Pham is the superior fighter both skill wise and technique wise and he showed it. Great, fun fight.

Fuck Chael Sonnen. That is all.

Florian is an anal worm. You finish fights, do you? Then why is it everytime you get a title shot, you attempt to hold your opponent against the cage for as long as you can, holding on for dear life? Oh, and fuck your brother. I swear to god I will never order a show with you on there because I simply cannot take your fucking brother anymore. I will drive a fucking stake through his throat, that's how bad he is. He's a terrible corner man and a terrible person in general. Go to hell Kieth Florian.

Aldo? Still my favorite fighter to watch behind Anderson. He shows flashes of brilliance and makes me tingle inside when I see him throw those kicks. He tickles my pickle.

Edgar vs Maynard? What needs to be said? Fucking Frankie Edgar needs to be said. The guy has some serious heart. I cannot comprehend how he won that fight as it was just an all around amazing performance. Gay Maynard? Fuck him. I'm glad he was so disappointed.

Great night of fights, great night of laughs, great event. Frankie and Aldo got multiple bottles of water poured down their shorts and a random women was seen with her eyes bugging out of her hear. Tonight was a good night.

 

[JWGunslinger]

I wish I could say that my night was close to as good as Fizzy's was but unfortunatly tonight was not a great night for the Gunslinger. Instead of enjoying beers with the boys and watching my boy win, my friends we're not able to make it and Chael got the better of my hero, but we are talking about an event in Houston which is the UFC's official upset capitol of the world.


Pissed that Jeremy Stephens lost, it was a close fight but I do agree with Pettis winning, I just wish he hadn't. Props to Pettis to getting TD's and holding his own, I actually expected him to get clipping or totally dominate, I expected more but he won.

Very glad to see Maia pick up a win, I'd complain about him not getting a finish but that would be ignorant because Santiago is a beast, he didn't look very good tonight but he's still a top 10 boy. Maia's standup gets better every time we see him and I have loved watching him evolve as a fighter, but if he wants to score more damage and not get too hurt on the feet he needs to continue working on that aspect of his game.

Holy shit, Joe Lauzon you are the king of upset wins and I love you. I somehow always find myself forgetting about Joe but then I remember that right now in his last 6 fights he has won a bonus for either submission or fight of the night, J Lau is a very fun fighter to watch and I'm happy for him. When Melvin came out so confident I had a bad feeling he was gonna screw up, and boy did he screw up fast after a touch from a jab he went down and was followed up on with a RNC FTL, sad one for Melvin but he'll be back.

Leonard and Nam ofcourse had the FOTN, but I really didn't get into this one, even though it was a battle yet again I found myself getting bored with them. Glad Nam got the result he deserved in the last fight, as everyone already knows, he's a better striker and fighter than Leonard and I'm glad the judges realized that this time around.

This is the one that killed my mood for the night and if my boys lose at 137 I'll be utterly crushed. Sonnen did an excellent job, he took Brian down and dominated him, kept Brian from imposing his will and generating any kind of an offense and he scored the sub. I tell ya it's the times when you're guy is shut down that the loss hurts the worst, and when you've been pulling for him to make it to a title fight for ages, but Brian will be back and he'll be much better the next time we see him. Chael still promotes a fight better than anyone in the sport, cannot wait for him to fight Silva unless Hendo is granted the first crack at him. I just hope that Brian can rise again quickly enough to fight Anderson before the champ retires.

Aldo vs Florian bored me, I really expected and wanted to see Jose finish the fight but oh well atleast he got the win. Florian, go back to playing soccer or something, you are never gonna win a title and I don't believe you can cut to bantamweight.

Edgar had yet another brilliant performance and I tip my hat to him, I wanted to see Gray win and almost thought he would when round 1 looked like a damn repeat of 125 only Gray was pacing himself, but Frankie did not let this one go to a decision to get screwed over, instead he screwed up Maynard, handing him his first official loss and showed why he is champion, well done sir, well done.

I'm gonna say my highlight of the night was the debut of the next big thing from Croatia and his name is Stipe Miocic. I really enjoyed this fight and if Phan-Garcia wasn't on the card this one would have been FOTN, he's still a little green but Miocic showed that he can play in the big show and I believe he has massive potential. He's alot of fun to watch and he had a great fight with Beltran, reminds me of a mix of Cro Cop, Igor Vovchanchyn and Alexsander Emilienenko.

What a night from the land of the upsets, the titles are retained and the champs looked good, Sonnen wants his title oppertunity and the rest of the boys will keep working towards that, oh and bye bye Cantwell.

 

[Foshinzo]

On the main card, I only have a few things to say:

1) Nam Phan v Leonard Garcia - Both of these guys are warriors and I loved it. The only thing better than this fight was Joe Rogan's commentary.

2) Chael Sonnen v Brian Stann - Chael Sonnen is a beast, but the only thing I liked about that post-fight was Charles Barkley.

3) Jose Aldo v Frankie Edgar - It's kind of sad in my eyes to see Frankie choke, again, but I think he's got one last title shot in him. Though, I think Dana will be disappointed in him because of yet another title fight wasted. Jose Aldo is amazing, but Frankie has just always been a let down in the title fights. My buddy has been calling him the Dan Marino of MMA for years; he just can't win the championship in UFC.

4) Frankie Edgar v Gray Maynard - Frankie is bad, plain and simple. I think this fight is finally going to garner him the respect he's earned, but I'm worried now that he's going to be overrated. He's off to a better start than BJ Penn, I'd say, but let's see if he can get past a couple more title defenses before we name him the greatest lightweight ever, like I've seen some people start to say he is. He very well could be, but I think it's too soon for that. Gray did whip him in the first round, but in typical fashion, Frankie finished him and big kudos for that. I hope he's not overrated, but he's definitely earned the props.

4)

 

[INDYjon22]

Joe Lauzon looked very good. I have never bought into the Melvin Guillard hype train. He's a one dimensional fighter with very strong striking. J-Lo is well rounded in all areas and has some killer instincts. He is especially deadly on the ground. Very happy to see him pick up a big win and hopefully now he can break through the glass ceiling of the upper echelon Lightweights.

Nam vs. Garcia 2 was another war between these guys. I don't like Garcia but he always comes to fight and puts on a show. Nam just seems like a cool dude, but is also a very good fighter. I don't think he will ever be a champion, but he will certainly provide us with some entertaining fights.

Chael is back, and in a big way. No disrespect to Brian Stann but Chael made him look like a fish out of water. His wrestling is as good as ever and his submissions look like they are coming along nicely. His post fight promo made me laugh but it also sets up the rematch we all want to see. Anderson vs. Chael 2 will be the biggest fight in UFC history.

Jose looked solid, but he hasn't been as great since coming to the UFC, or at least as fun to watch. I still like the kid, and that could be a testament to the talent of fighters he has faced in his young UFC career so far, but I would like to see him get back to killing people. Florian is a muppet and should never be given another title fight in the UFC. He has had 3 and lost them all, that is gatekeeper status if you ask me. If he wants another title fight then he should jump to Strikeforce and go after the vacant Lightweight title there, he might actually win one finally then.

Frankie did what he does best, take a beating and come back to win. He took another ass beating in the first round but weathered it to come back, and in my opinion, win every round after that. His KO finish of Gray was awesome, I loved it. Haven't seen Frankie finish a fight in a while and it was nice to see him get that job done. I don't think he is as good as Gilbert Melendez, but I would love to see that fight. I would also love to see Frankie fight Aldo somewhere down the line. They are two champions who would give each other one hell of a fight, and yes, I do believe Frankie could beat Jose.

 

[Kashagi]

Usually I see the cards at home with a friend or via stream. For UFC 136 I was in Melbourne so ended up going to a pub in the morning with my brother to see the show. This was the first time I've gone to the pub to see a card, and I have to say I might do it from now on. I probably got lucky but it was a great crowd, all guys bigger then me in Tapout shirts, but we were invited to sit with a group and enjoyed the show with them. The only difference it seemed was our beers compared to their diet cokes (a rare treat apparently). I'll definitely be visiting that pub on the Sundays a card is on.

I first heard of MMA when Brock started, and only started to follow it slowly when Brock submitted Carwin. This is the first year however when I have gone out of my way to see every card and try to know as much as I can, and Frankie Edgar has certainly become my favourite fighter.

Turned out to be a great first card to show my brother as well, who had only seen a few fights before, most notable Maynard - Edgar II. He loved Garcia - Nam Pham, and raved about how great Chaels speech was (as he is a pro wrestling fan from the 80's, I hoped Chael would deliver).

As for the main event, well I'll never doubt Frankie again. Seeing a near repeat of round 1 from last time was scary, the crowd was split down the middle so half of us were ready to eat our words and half were hollering. Then round 2 followed and I actually said 'Frankie can win this by points but he simply can't finish him, Maynard is going to hit him with one of those wild uppercuts and it will be over' I have never been so glad to be wrong.

Great card, glad it was the first live card I showed my brother and my days of streaming the show may have come to an end.

 

[CapnKabuki]

I gotta keep it short, but excellent main card, easily one of the best of the year, sub par Spike prelims, enjoyable Facebook prelims. I knew right from the moment it was announced that Edgar vs. Maynard 3 was gonna be great, but I still feel that the second fight was better, but not by much. Glad to see 155 finally able to move on and get some new faces in there. I expect Gray to become the 155 pound version of Jon Fitch, as in all roads to the title will lead through him.

Aldo vs. Florian was about what I expected, ie Florian changing his usual style of fighting during a title fight, much to the utter fucking confusion of myself.

Sonnen vs. Stann surprised the hell out of me, as I didn't AT ALL expect Chael to pull off a submission. And his promo afterwards, which I know everyone is so high on, I didn't enjoy it all that much. Hilarious as it was, it just reminded me too much of WWE.

Garcia vs. Phan I unfortunately missed most of, as the feed at my Buffalo Wild Wings died and came back repeatedly. Though, I did get to see it on Monday, and WOW. I wouldn't mind seeing these guys fight at every card in all honesty. I'm not even kidding.

Guillard vs. Lauzon, all I can say is I fucking knew it was coming, and I'm not all that surprised. Guillard is his own worst enemy, and it was proven perfectly before and during this fight.

One more thing before I bounce outta this bitch, what happened to the dynamo of hype known as Anthony Pettis? In his two appearances in the UFC, he has done nothing to show that he deserves a title shot. Very unimpressed with his two performances.