Frankie Edgar to Defend Title Against Gray Maynard at UFC 125

Gray Maynard clinched his shot at the UFC lightweight title with a win over Kenny Florian in August. On the same night, Frankie Edgar defended his division championship by defeating BJ Penn. Now the two will share another date, this time with gold on the line.

The UFC lightweight stars will square off for the 155-pound championship at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas during the New Year's Day UFC 125 event, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to MMA Fighting.

The bout will be a rematch of their April 2008 fight, won by Maynard in a unanimous decision. It remains the only loss on Edgar's record, as the New Jersey fighter has since won five in a row, including two straight wins over the legendary Penn in establishing himself at the top of the world's lightweights.

Nicknamed "The Answer," Edgar (13-1) easily outpointed Penn at UFC 118 in Boston on Aug. 28, winning all five rounds on all three judges scorecards.

Meanwhile, Maynard has still yet to taste defeat in his pro career, boasting a 10-0 record with one no contest. Known for powerful takedowns and a grinding, physical style that led to his "Bully" nickname, Maynard has been considered a future contender from his early days with the promotion.

Still, he was bypassed for a possible title shot in favor of Edgar earlier in 2010.

In their first bout at UFC Fight Night 13 in Broomfield, Colorado, Maynard largely controlled Edgar with his wrestling game en route to the victory, as all three judges scored the bout 30-27 in his favor. Despite his recent run of success, Edgar has been installed as the early underdog by oddsmakers, with Maynard a slight favorite.

http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/09/29/frankie-edgar-to-defend-title-against-gray-maynard-at-ufc-125-on/

I'm about as excited for this as I am about GSP vs Fitch II

I think this is going to be a good fight, Maynard gets a bad rap for being a boring wrestler and I disagree with this.

Ya that is a complete bum rap. This is a great fight. It's missing that umph factor but this will be a battle of the top guys in the sport.

Praying that Maynard doesn't take the title

I hope Edgar Ko's him.

Will this be one of the few times where the champion will enter as the underdog ?

Yep Frankie is a slight underdog right now

Maynard is developing a rounded game and is going to be a dangerous pocket-Couture for years. Ya'll better watch out.

Frankie came in as the underdog last time against BJ as well

killerofchicken wrote:

Frankie came in as the underdog last time against BJ as well

The difference is this time he will lose.