HOUSTON, TX, October 9, 2011 – After an action-packed UFC event week in Houston coinciding with UFC Expo, this weekend’s combatants finally took center stage at the Toyota Center for UFC 136. It would turn out to be an eventful night of action for fans from Texas and all around the world with two titles on the line and many other interesting fights throughout the card.
Edgar vs. Maynard III Confirms Undisputed UFC Lightweight Champion
The Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard trilogy ended in thrilling and largely unexpected fashion on Saturday night with the champ from New Jersey knocking out the “Bully” in the fourth round of the main event championship fight.
It looked like déjà vu in the beginning as Maynard came out strong in the opening frame, bloodying the champion while Edgar did everything he could to survive. From there, the challenger decided to conserve his energy by being patient. That allowed Edgar to find his footing in the second and third rounds before the fight-deciding fourth.
Probably believing he was down on the scorecards after what may have been a 10-8 first round, Frankie came out strong popping Maynard with an uppercut that stumbled him backwards before coming in and landing several consecutive right hooks straight to his chin. A few shots on the ground forced the TKO finish and put this trilogy to bed.
Looking ahead to the near future (early 2012), the champion will almost assuredly be preparing for new challenges on the horizon in the form of his Strikeforce champion counterpart Gilbert Melendez, who should be next in line – especially since would-be challenger Melvin Guillard fell prey to Joe Lauzon earlier on in the evening.
José Aldo Retains UFC Featherweight Belt Over Kenny Florian
Looking like he was in excellent shape coming into the bout, José Aldo was able to capitalize on his superior speed and accuracy to best challenger Kenny Florian with a convincing decision victory.
From the opening bell, “Scarface” poured it on his Bostonian challenger by consistently beating him to the punch with some well-timed shots. Kenny would challenge momentarily by using his reach and a timely takedown to capture the second round. From there, it was all Aldo as he found his rhythm and consistently beat Florian to the punch while staying away from Florian’s takedown attempts.
It was a game effort by Kenny but ultimately turned out to be Aldo’s night. Time will tell what is next for him but the likely next challenge may come from Team Alpha Male’s Chad “Money” Mendes, who remains undefeated at 11-0 after defeating Rani Yahya at UFC 133 this past August.
The Best of the Rest – Undercard Highlights
Elsewhere on the main card, Chael Sonnen picked up a significant win, and a dominant one at that, by taking out Brian Stann via arm triangle choke to end their bout in the second stanza. It was vintage Sonnen in this one from beginning to end as “The Most Interesting Man in the World” quickly closed the distance and never put himself in any danger while taking out the All-American Stann. With this victory, Chael likely earned himself a chance at redemption in the form of a championship rematch with UFC 185 champ Anderson Silva.
While Sonnen likely earned his title shot, Melvin Guillard lost his own potential shot at a title after being upset by a submission-minded Joe Lauzon early on in the first round of their main card matchup. Joe connected with a well-timed left hand that sent Melvin backwards and ultimately to th ground with J-Lau all over him for the RNC. Very big win for Joe while this crushing loss sends Melvin back to the drawing board after five straight wins heading into this bout.
Other significant wins were picked up by Demian Maia and Anthony Pettis, who should both be climbing back up to legitimate contender status in their respective divisions after taking out Jorge Santiago and Jeremy Stephens respectively.
UFC 136 Quick Results
UFC 136: Pay-per-view Results
► Frankie Edgar def. Gray Maynard by TKO at 3:54, R4
► Jose Aldo def. Kenny Florian by unanimous decision
► Chael Sonnen def. Brian Stann by submission (arm triangle choke) at 3:51, R2
► Joe Lauzon def. Melvin Guillard by submission (rear naked choke) at :47, R1
► Nam Phan def. Leonard Garcia by unanimous decision
UFC 136: Preliminary Bouts
► Demian Maia def. Jorge Santiago by unanimous decision
► Anthony Pettis def. Jeremy Stephens by split decision
► Stipe Miocic def. Joey Beltran by unanimous decision
► Darren Elkins def. Tiequan Zhang by unanimous decision
► Aaron Simpson def. Eric Schafer by unanimous decision
► Mike Massenzio def. Steve Cantwell by unanimous decision
UFC Awards
► Submission of the Night – Joe Lauzon
► Knockout of the Night – Frankie Edgar
► Fight of the Night – Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan
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