UFC 125 Post-Mortem: Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard Draw Even, Rematch Possible

On January 1, 2011, where were you? Some of you were sound asleep that night after watching TCU and Oklahoma claim Bowl Titles.

Many of you were still out fist pumping in clubs. This journalist was watching magic unfold as two of the most underappreciated Lightweights in all of MMA did battle in one of the most memorable championship bouts in UFC history.

Frankie Edgar retained his UFC Lightweight Title in a draw with Gray Maynard at UFC 125: Resolution, which took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The official scorecards at the end of the fight read 48-46 for Maynard, 48-46 for Edgar, and a 47-47 draw. It was an unsatisfying ending to a highly competitive contest that demanded closure.

"Ending a fight in a draw is kind of bittersweet. You didn't win, but you didn't lose. Whatever the UFC wants me to do, I'm game for anything," said Edgar at the post-fight press conference.

Edgar, who was completely leveled in the first round by a Maynard left hook, showed tremendous resilience and somehow survived the opening onslaught. Maynard continued to pressure the wobbly champion and dropped him multiple times throughout the round. If anything outside the decision was contested, it was referee Yves Lavigne's decision to allow the beating to continue.

"It could've been stopped. He was all over the place. It could've easily been stopped," said Maynard.

In hindsight, the decision for Lavigne to let the fight continue could be seen as brilliant because Edgar was far from finished.

The Toms River, New Jersey native demonstrated the heart of a champion as he settled in and started to find his range in the second round. After expending the majority of his energy trying to finish Edgar, Maynard's offensive pursuit slowed down drastically.

Coming into this fight, the big story was Maynard being the bigger, stronger wrestler. Edgar proved critics wrong by consistently shrugging off takedown attempts and delivering some successful ones of his own. At one point, he lifted "The Bully" completely off the ground before slamming him hard to the mat.

"Gray is a phenomenal wrestler. I've been seeing Gray wrestle since the college days, but I believe in my wrestling too. I think I have pretty good wrestling myself. I was able to capitalize and get some takedowns of my own," said Edgar.

In the third round, Maynard finally got his wind back and started to land again. It was a really tight round that likely aided in the bout being deemed a draw. Towards the end of the round, Maynard left a good impression by finally securing a takedown and riding out top position before the bell sounded.

As the bout moved into the championship rounds, both fighters continued to press the action. Edgar was able to move around effectively and string together combinations, but Maynard kept the rounds close with constant takedown attempts and occasionally exploiting openings on the feet.

The disappointed look on the faces of both fighters was evident. Edgar even tossed his belt aside after hearing the decision. Even though Edgar is disappointed by the way the fight unfolded, he remains the UFC Lightweight Champion.

It's been a long road for Maynard, who has already defeated Edgar once before. In a way, he feels like the Lightweight Title belongs to him.

"I don't want a loss. I want the belt. A draw is a draw, but I thought that was my fight. I thought the belt was mine. I worked my ass off for this," Maynard said.

Message boards are lighting up across the net with fans debating the decision. This was a fight that could've easily gone either way. Still, both fighters remain confident in their own performances.

"I did think I won," Edgar said. "First round, obviously, it wasn't my round, but the last four, I do think I won."

"I thought I won the third [round] for sure. Last round, we landed about even. I was going hard through the last, and I thought he backed up a lot. I shot and shot and shot. Then you got the round where it could've been 10-7, I thought," stated Maynard. "I dropped him like how many times? Five times? He dropped and didn't even land a punch. It was at least a 10-8 and maybe even more, a 10-7."

Both fighters left on Saturday with $60,000 bonuses for "Fight of the Night". Even though a bonus sounds good to the reigning champion, the visibly disappointed contender begged to differ.

"It's not about the money. I've been doing this since I was three. It's about being on top," said Maynard.

Next for Edgar

At the post-fight presser, UFC President Dana White stated that WEC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis would get the next crack at the UFC Lightweight Title as promised. After that statement, the rumor mill is buzzing that White retracted his statement and will instead go ahead with the immediate rematch between Edgar and Maynard. There should be more on this in the coming days.

When asked who he would rather face, Edgar was respectful towards Pettis, but he really wants closure to his rivalry with Maynard.

"I probably would [choose to fight Maynard]. To have some closure would be nice. He has a win over me and now we have a draw. For me, I would like to have the opportunity at fighting him again."

This is a tough decision for White. Pettis has worked just as hard to earn a promised title shot. Plans could backfire if the UFC opts to give Maynard the rematch and assign Pettis a "warm-up" fight. As fans saw with top Featherweight contender Josh Grispi on Saturday night, every fight is dangerous. Pettis' championship aspirations could be in jeopardy.

Next for Maynard

The obvious is an immediate rematch with Frankie Edgar. If the UFC decides to go with Edgar and Pettis, Maynard could wait around and face the winner of that fight. Regardless, Maynard shouldn't be forced to re-climb the Lightweight ranks after the effort he put forth against Edgar.

Stann Stuns "The Crippler"

Riding back to back wins over Yoshihiro Akiyama and Aaron Simpson, Chris Leben was considered the heavy favorite coming in against former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion Brian Stann.

It didn't take Stann long to prove naysayers wrong. He landed a hard right hook that put Leben on his butt. Despite being disoriented, Leben was valiant in his attempt to fight back and regain his composure, but Stann's flurry of knees and punches proved to be too much as the original TUF standout wilted at 3:37 of the first round.

"The first key was Chris accepting this fight. He didn't have to do that. I'm a lesser known fighter. He could've waited for a big level fight. He's a true fighter and a true warrior," Stann stated at the post-fight presser. "I have the best coaches in the world. It was angles and movements. Chris gets frustrated with fighters when they don't stand right in front of him, and we knew he could be attacked to the body, and I think the kicks to the body were really supplemental."

With this victory, Stann picks up his second straight since dropping to the Middleweight division. This win should really raise his stock as a UFC Middleweight. Anderson Silva is the only other man to ever stop Leben via strikes.

Next for Stann

Like Leben, Stann is seeking a shot at former Pride Middleweight Champion and future Hall of Famer Wanderlei Silva.

"I'm fighting in the house that guys like Chris Leben and Wanderlei Silva built, guys like Frankie [Edgar] and Gray [Maynard], those kind of fights. I think I'd like to fight Wanderlei next," said Stann. "He's been a guy who I've watched for years before I ever put a glove on. He's as tough as they come and as good as they come. He's amazing. I think I'd like to fight him next."

Silva is coming off knee surgery in July 2010. There hasn't been any official word yet on his return. Michael Bisping also hangs out there as a possible opponent.

Next for Leben

This is a major setback for Leben, who had finally climbed back into Middleweight relevancy. It seems like this is said after all of his losses, but Leben needs to go back to the drawing board and patch up his defense. A return bout against Court McGee, Brad Tavares, or the winner of Maiquel Falcao/Alessio Sakara makes the most sense.

Silva Routs Vera with Superior Grappling

If any bands out there need a new drummer, Thiago Silva could probably fit the bill. While mounted on Brandon Vera's back, Silva taunted "The Truth" with back drumming and open handed slaps upside the head. Silva's animosity harbored towards Vera was obvious from the get-go as he entered the octagon looking like a contracted killer.

"He said in a lot of interviews that he was gonna knock me out, kick me in the head, etc. That was to show that it's not like that. You show respect, or I'll pay like that," said Silva in a post-fight interview on UFC.com.

Silva made Vera pay in ways fans didn't expect. For all three rounds, he took Vera down at will and controlled from top. It was shocking to see Vera, a solid grappler in his own right, taken down so effortlessly and controlled from start to finish. At the end of three rounds, the official scorecards read 30-26, 30-27, and 30-27 in favor of the Brazilian.

"I train everything, from wrestling to Muay Thai, takedowns, everything. I came prepared for the fight, and every chance I saw in the fight, I was trying to finish the fight, but sometimes it goes long," Silva said.

Some homage has to be paid to Vera, who shed his tentative ways by coming out aggressive. He smashed Silva on the outside with leg kicks and made every attempt to close the distance and setup knees to the body. It was a vintage performance from Vera on the feet, but Silva's overall skills proved too much.

Next for Silva

With this win, Silva bounces back from a UFC 108 loss to Rashad Evans a year ago. A dominant win over an opponent like Vera should fast track him back to facing upper-echelon competition. He could meet the winner of Forrest Griffin/Rich Franklin, Ryan Bader/Jon Jones, or rising superstar Phil Davis.

Next for Vera

Vera left the octagon on Saturday night with a severely broken nose and his third consecutive loss in the UFC. Once considered a major prospect in the sport, Vera faces the realistic possibility of being cut from the promotion he's called home for the past five years.

Kim Quiets Diaz, Asks for GSP Next

Nate Diaz's pre-fight chatter and constant mean muggin' merely served as amusement for Dong Hyun Kim, who kept his perfect record intact after earning a unanimous decision victory (29-28) over "The Kid from Stockton".

Kim wasted no time setting up the takedown and working from Diaz's guard early in the first round. The chess match that ensued on the ground between both fighters was a thing of beauty. Diaz kept an active guard and constantly worked for sweeps and submissions, but Kim was able to fight out of threatening spots and maintain a dominant position.

Kim's persistence to get the takedown won him the bout. On the feet, Diaz was able to pick Kim apart in the exchanges, but the fight never stayed upright long enough to sway the minds of the judges. Some may question the extent of "Stun Gun's" positional dominance, claiming Diaz did more on bottom than Kim did on top.

In the end, it only matters what the judges think, and all three saw the fight in Kim's favor. After the fight, Kim didn't make it any secret about whom he would like to challenge next.

"My name is "Stun Gun". I want GSP," he said.

Kim is now 5-0-1 in the UFC. His only technical career loss stems from a bout with Karo Parisyan in January 2009 at UFC 94. The loss was eventually changed to a no contest after Parisyan tested positive for banned painkillers.

Consistency has been hard to find for Diaz, who is 3-3 in his last six fights. He continues to struggle against strong wrestlers with good submission defense. It'll be interesting to see if this loss compels him to return to Lightweight.

Next for Kim

Kim probably won't be getting a crack at UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre anytime soon, but he won't have any trouble staying busy in the deep Welterweight division. The UFC could match him against Paulo Thiago, Mike Swick, or Matt Serra.

Next for Diaz

Diaz may need to seriously consider a return back to the Lightweight division. The top of the Welterweight heap is a nesting ground for overbearing wrestlers, and Diaz doesn't seem to fit the bill.

Guida Submits Gomi

Should we call him Clay Guida or Anderson Guida? The latter could suffice after watching the unorthodox display of head movement and footwork Guida used against former Pride Lightweight Champion Takanori Gomi.

"The key to this fight and our training was to not get punched by Gomi too much," said Guida. "I got a few scuffs and bumps and bruises, but I feel good. He's a momentum fighter like Chris Leben, who loves when guys stand in his range and want to get into trading wars with him and that's not what I wanted to do."

The game plan played out to perfection as Gomi struggled to settle in and find his range. One area where Gomi did impress was his takedown defense. Guida was surprisingly stuffed on several occasions trying to drag the fight to the ground, but his continued effort and Gomi's lackluster cardio eventually spelled success for the former carpenter from Illinois.

In round two, Gomi found himself fending from his back again after going for broke and landing a hard knee on the feet. On the ground, Guida locked in the guillotine choke from top and baited Gomi into rolling over in his guard, which forced the Japanese legend to tap at 4:27 of the second round.

"I'm very fortunate to have the best fans in the world in the UFC, and they're always behind me. I would hate to be on the other end of the spectrum which could happen overnight," said Guida.

Guida is currently on a three fight win streak with other wins over Rafael Dos Anjos and Shannon Gugerty. All three of the victories have ended by submission, with Guida earning "Submission of the Night" in two of them (Gomi, Gugerty).

Gomi's UFC ride hasn't been easy. He has faced strong competition since his entry into the promotion in March 2010. With this loss, his UFC record slips to 1-2.

Next for Guida

With Guida's style, he could entertain fans competing against a grappling dummy. The UFC could match him together with former WEC Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson for instant fireworks, or they could put him against the often criticized Nik Lentz.

Next for Gomi

After upsetting Tyson Griffin, this has to be a devastating loss for Gomi. Some were eager to believe that he had returned to form. There were positives to take away from this fight. Gomi's takedown defense looked extremely sharp, but something has to be done about his continued cardio issues.

Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone, Jeremy Stephens, or the winner of Spencer Fisher/Ross Pearson would make for great comeback opponents.