This Saturday the Ultimate Fighting Championship will present UFC 136, a card that has the potential to be its best in a long time. Numerous storylines have boiled over and will all come to a head on Saturday night. Here is a look at a few of the most prominent situations that will be brought to the Octagon:
Edgar vs. Maynard III: Anticipation at its Best
In January, Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard put on one of the best title fights in years, as they battled to a draw for the full 25 minutes. They way that Edgar recovered from the first round assault at the hands of Maynard and went on to push through the fight is well-documented, and while opinions on who won still abound, this fight will decide everything.
This may be the most anticipated title fight the UFC has put together in the past few years. This fight was scheduled for earlier in the year, but both lightweights had to back out due to injuries. Now, fight fans are hoping for another exciting back and forth battle. While I do not believe that this fight will be fought at the same pace the fighters displayed earlier this year, I do believe that this will be another strong showing from both competitors. There was once a time when it was generally accepted that lightweights could not carry a card as the main event, and here we are in October of 2011 with what I consider the most anticipated fight of the year, and it features fighters from the UFC’s lightweight division.
Is This Florian’s Last Shot?
Kenny Florian is in a very tough position. Dropping down to 145 will most likely provide him with his last opportunity to claim some form of UFC gold. Defeated twice before in bids to win the lightweight title by Sean Sherk and BJ Penn, Florian will now face off against Jose Aldo for the featherweight title. If he is unable to win this fight, you have to wonder if he will ever be granted another title shot within the organization, or if he will end up becoming the poster boy for the term “gatekeeper.”
Giving Florian the title shot over the undefeated Chad Mendes was a simple business move that I understand. Now that the move has been made, it’s time for Florian to make good on some of the declarations he’s made over the years during winner’s interviews. He has a diversified skill set that should threaten the current champion, and while I do not have him selected to win this bout, I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds a way to pull it out. For his career’s sake, he’d better.
Can’t Miss Undercard
The UFC 136 “undercard” is slated to feature some great matchups. Sonnen versus Stann, Guillard versus Lauzon, Phan versus Garcia, Stephens versus Pettis, and Maia versus Santiago are five fights that I’m looking forward to seeing. Each of these contests features implications within its weight class. Is Stann a viable contender to Silva? Is Guillard going to continue flourishing during his reemergence as a lightweight? We all remember the judging controversy between Phan and Garcia; will the judges see things differently? Is Pettis really worth the hype? Where do Maia and Santiago currently stand in the middleweight division? All these bouts have questions swirling around them that need to be answered.
UFC matchmakers did a fantastic job putting this card together and I, for one, can’t wait to see what is going to go down in the Octagon.
