Friday, December 31, 2010

UFC 125: Edgar vs. Maynard



Preliminary Card


Lightweight bout: Jacob “Christmas” Volkmann (11-2) vs. Antonio “Mandingo” McKee (25-3-2)


Winner: McKee by decision

McKee is not only making his UFC debut, but he is also coming into the fight with a 13 fight winning streak..  He has also been the subject of criticism, being labeled as a boring fighter by various media sources, due to the majority of his wins being by submission. 

Although he was able to finish his last two fights, McKee’s debut match will likely go the distance.

Welterweight bout: Daniel “Ninja” Roberts (11-1) vs. Greg Soto (8-1)

Winner: Roberts by submission

Roberts has more wins on his record, winning most of his fights by submission.  If he Roberts can take it to the ground, the match will be his.

Featherweight bout: Mike Brown (24-6)  vs. Diego “The Gun” Nunes (15-1)


Winner: Brown by submission

Brown, a former WEC featherweight champion, will be looking towards a UFC title.  He also has more experience than Nunes.  He also has two wins against former featherweight champion Urijah Faber.

Middleweight bout Phil “New York Badass” Baroni (13-12) vs. Brad Tavares (6-0)

Winner: Tarvares by decision

Despite not having as much experience as his opponent, Tavares was one of fighters to advance in the Ultimate Fighter 11 competition (losing to winner Court McGee in the semi finals).  He is undefeated and has overall good striking and ground game. 

However, Baroni, who is known for being one of the more vocal fighters in mixed martial arts, has been training to improve his striking as well. 

Lightweight bout Marcus ’The Irish Hand Granade” Davis (17-7) vs. Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens (18-6)

Winner: Davis by knock out

Although Davis has lost three of his four last fights, this will be his debut in the lightweight division, which could give him a power advantage.  Stephens has yet to be knocked out in his career, and Davis just be the man to do it.

Featherweight bout Josh “The Fluke” Grispi (14-1) vs. Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier (8-1)

Winner: Grispi by submission

Gispi was expected to face UFC Featherweight champion Jose Aldo, but the champion had to pull out of the match due to injury.  He has accumulated wins with knock outs as well as submissions.

Grispi may use this as motivation to submit Poirier early, and cement his contender ship for Aldo’s featherweight title.



Main card


Lightweight bout Clay “The Carpenter” Guida (27-11) vs. Takanori “The Fireball Kid” Gomi (32-6 1NC)

Winner: Gomi by knock out

With the WEC lightweight fighters being absorbed into the UFC, Gomi (former Pride Lightweight champion) and Guida (former Strikeforce Lightweight champion) are two competitors who have the potential to put themselves in title contention.  Both of these men are aggressive strikers.

Gomi is coming into this fight with a knock out victory over Tyson Griffin.  However, Guida is a fighter who can stand toe to toe with the best strikers, even after getting hit with a barrage of punches.  Still, Gomi will be looking to establish himself in the UFC and by beating Guida, he will be one step closer to a title shot.

Welterweight bout Nate Diaz (13-5) vs. Dong Hyun “Stun Gun” Kim (11-0-1 1NC)

Kim by knockout

Diaz, winner of the Ultimate Fighter 5 competition, is coming into this match with a submission victory over Marcus Davis, while Kim has yet to attain a loss in his career.  Kim is also coming into this bout with a win over Amir Sadollah, winner of the Ultimate Fighter 8.

Although Diaz has never been knocked out, Kim’s striking will prevail in this match up, handing the Kid from Stockholm a KO.

Light Heavyweight bout Brandon “The Truth” Vera (11-5) vs. Thiago Silva (14-2)

Winner: Silva by knockout

While Vera has lost his last two fights, Silva has only two losses on his record (former light heavyweight champions Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida).  Both men have the same number of fights on their record, despite Vera debuting three years earlier than Silva.

Silva’s striking could help him finish Vera in the opening round.

Middleweight bout Chris “The Crippler” Leben (25-6) vs. Brian “All American” Stann (9-3)

Winner: Leben by decision

Leben is a long time UFC fighter, and one of the more exciting fighters, as well as one of the most vocal.  He is coming into this match with a three fight winning streak and more experience. 

Leben’s ground game could easily earn him points in all three rounds. 

Lightweight Championship bout Frankie “The Answer” Edgar (c) (13-1) vs. Gray “The Bully” Maynard (10-0 1 NC)

Winner: Maynard by decision

Maynard will be looking to enter 2011 as the UFC Lightweight champion.  In addition to having no losses, he is on an eight fight winning streak, and has already beaten Edgar in the past. 

However, things will be different as championship bouts have five rounds instead of three, and Edgar has already gone the distance in two separate title matches, giving him at least one advantage in this match.  Still, if Maynard, who like Edgar has won most of his fights by decision, can repeat his performance, he will leave the MGM Grand with the title.

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