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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
UFC 136: EDGAR VS. MAYNARD III
OCTOBER 8, 2011
LIVE FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS
-Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan introduce the show by running down what's on tap for tonight's pay-per-view card. The prelims on Facebook left a bit to be desired, but the rest of the way is the UFC's most stacked fight card of the year, including two fantastic fights on paper for this Spike TV broadcast.
FIGHT ONE: ANTHONY PETTIS VS. JEREMY STEPHENS (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Stephens took to the center as Pettis circled around initially. Stephens pressed in and landed the first strike. Pettis landed a short strike and backed away. Stephens landed a leg kick as they tested each other's range. Pettis threw a straight kick. Stephens got in with another nice leg kick. Stephens pressed in and scored a takedown into Pettis' guard. Pettis set up for a triangle chokes and Stephens defended. Pettis kicked him off and got to his feet. Pettis threw a leg kick and it landed to the groin so the action stopped. Pettis cracked Stephens with a nice right. Stephens landed a couple. Pettis snapped in a couple of leg kicks and followed up with a short combo. Stephens landed a hard leg kick. Pettis walked Stephens down with a couple of short kicks. Pettis threw a high kick that was blocked. Stephens grabbed a clinch and pressed Pettis to the cage. Stephens grabbed a single leg and Pettis held off the takedown. Stephens completed the takedown but Pettis had his back on the cage. Pettis locked up a guillotined attempt but couldn't hold onto it. Pettis got back to his feet. Pettis got separation. They traded punches with Stephens landing a nice hard right. Pettis threw a high capoeira kick to end the round but it didn't land.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Pettis. Though he was taken down twice, he was attacking on the ground and overall got the better of the exchanges. Close round, though.
ROUND TWO: Stephens landed an early leg kick low. Both fighters landed punches in an exchange. Pettis landed a nice left. Pettis then shot in and took Stephens down and into side control against the cage. Stephens got to butterfly guard. Pettis threw his legs aside and landed a hard strike. He grabbed for a side choke and got into half guard. Pettis tried to pass to mount but Stephens regained half guard. Stephens got to his feet but Pettis stayed on him against the cage. Pettis took his back standing but Stephens got back around. Pettis pulled Stephens back to the canvas. Stephens threw a few body punches and got to his feet. He landed a knee to the body. Pettis scored his third takedown and went back to work in the half guard. Stephens again worked back up. Stephens went for a kimura standing but Pettis landed on his back and got both hooks in with a minute left. Pettis grabbed a body triangle. and landed some strikes from behind. Pettis grabbed for a rear naked choke but Stephens defended. Stephens got out as Pettis went for an armbar and landed a strike as he ate an upkick to finish the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Pettis. Very good round for Pettis. He was aggressive with his grappling and out-worked Stephens on the ground, and came close to a couple of finishing positions.
ROUND THREE: Stephens threw a big overhand right early but it was blocked. Stephens then shot in and scored an early takedown. Pettis landed a couple of strikes from the bottom and threw up for the triangle. Stephens popped out of it and stood up. Pettis walked him down and threw a couple of strikes. He landed a leg kick. He went high with the next one but it was blocked. He shot in and went for a sub after Stephens stuffed the takedown. Pettis swept Stephens while on his back and then got into a clinch on the cage. That was pretty. Pettis then tripped Stephens up and completed the takedown. Stephens worked back to his feet but Pettis stayed on him in the clinch. Stephens went for a throw but Pettis held it off, landed a kick and then took Stephens down. Stephens got up again. Pettis went for another takedown and Stephens countered and got on top. After another scramble Pettis got into the clinch standing and pressed Stephens to the cage. He landed a few knees to the thighs. Stephens turned Pettis around and went for a takedown but Pettis held him off. Pettis held off one last takedown attempt before the fight ended and this should be his decision.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Pettis. He out-grappled Stephens in this fight, and even when Stephens took him down he couldn't do anything. Good fight from Pettis to bounce back from the Guida loss.
Penick's Final Score: 30-27 Pettis
WINNER: Pettis via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (**) Not quite the fight people were hoping for, but still a good back and forth fight between two good lightweights. While a lot of the exchanges were close and Pettis didn't run away with it, I'm not sure I see the argument for Stephens winning two rounds in this one. Pettis was the only one attacking when the fight hit the ground, and he scored on as many or more takedowns down the stretch.
RAMIFICATIONS: Pettis gets back "into the mix" in the heavily packed lightweight division, and he'll get another step up in his next fight. Stephens dropped another split decision, and he'll remain firmly in the middle of the pack.
FIGHT TWO: DEMIAN MAIA VS. JORGE SANTIAGO (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Santiago came out the aggressor, pressing Maia back and landing an early body kick. He grabbed the clinch and separated. Both started swinging punches at one another and Maia then shot in and secured a takedown. Maia tried to pass but Santiago kicked him off and popped to his feet. He grabbed the clinch and pressed Maia to the cage. Maia turned him around and landed a knee before they separated. Santiago landed a short right. Maia tried to land one over the top but missed. Santiago got in a leg kick. Santiago pressed in and landed a hard right but Maia clipped him with a hook. Santiago landed a flying knee but Maia caught it and took him down. Maia landed a couple of elbows. Santiago tried to kick him off again and Maia stayed on him in the guard. Maia landed a few strikes and stacked up on Santiago against the cage. Santiago got in an up kick as Maia stood but Maia dropped back into guard. He rode out the round on top.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Maia. Good start to the fight for Maia. He's holding his own striking and added a few takedowns into the mix as well.
ROUND TWO: Santiago threw a couple of early kicks as he walked Maia down. Maia landed a left to the body as Santiago landed a body kick. Maia landed a few strikes as Santiago got in close. Santiago threw the high kick again that was blocked. They traded punches. Maia missed a big overhand left and Santiago countered with a few strikes. Santiago landed a couple of hard strikes but Maia grabbed a clinch. He secured a single leg and took Santiago down. Maia passed to half guard briefly but Santiago held him off again. Maia stood and Santiago held him off with kicks before Maia dropped back down. Maia almost passed but got stuck in Santiago's butterfly guard. He stood again and Santiago landed an upkick, with Maia dropping back into guard. Maia again ended the round in guard to the boos of the crowd.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-10. Santiago had the better of the few exchanges on the feet, but Maia had positional control on the ground. Still, Santiago stifled him and wouldn't allow Maia to get in any offense on the ground.
ROUND THREE: Santiago landed an early leg kick and pressed in on Maia. Maia briefly scored a takedown but Santiago got right back to his feet. Maia tried for a single leg but Santiago broke free. Santiago pressed in and landed a punch. He backed Maia off again with another strike. Maia landed an inside leg kick. Maia took Santiago's back standing after a shot. Santiago landed an elbow. The crowd got a bit restless as Maia tried to take Santiago's back. Santiago defended well. Maia briefly tripped him up but Santiago got back up. Maia finally completed a takedown into half guard. He landed a few strikes in half guard. Maia landed a nice short elbow. Santiago kicked him off again as he tried to stand to pass. He got to half guard on the other side and landed a couple of short forearm strikes. Maia got to side control with a minute left and went to north-south position. He tried to step over to mount but Santiago got him back to half guard. Maia trapped Santiago's arm and finished the fight landing a flurry of strikes from the top.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Maia. That was a very good round for him. Santiago was good enough to stifle much of Maia's offense, but Maia stayed more on the attack there and took the round.
Penick's Final Score: 30-28 Maia.
WINNER: Maia via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
STAR RATING: (**) Another anticipated fight that just didn't quite live up to the hopes of fans. Maia was the better fighter, but Santiago was good enough that he didn't allow Maia to do much more than control.
RAMIFICATIONS: Santiago isn't going to make a run up the middleweight division, and Maia remains largely in the same spot he was in the division before the fight.
======PAY-PER-VIEW CARD======
-After Goldberg and Rogan welcome everyone to the pay-per-view broadcast and run down the fights scheduled tonight, it's time to get to another great lightweight match-up.
FIGHT THREE: MELVIN GUILLARD VS. JOE LAUZON (LIGHTWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Guillard threw an early straight kick but it missed. He landed a nice left. Guillard cracked Lauzon with a knee. Lauzon hurt Guillard with a left and then pounced on him. He took his back and sunk in the rear naked choke. Guillard tried to fight it off, but Lauzon rolled him over and locked it in tight and forced the tap. Wow. Huge upset.
WINNER: Lauzon via submission (rear naked choke) at :47 of the first round
STAR RATING: (***) That was a fantastic upset by Lauzon and by far the biggest win of his career. He rocked Guillard with a great left hook in an exchange and then immediately got to Guillard's back and choked him out.
RAMIFICATIONS: Lauzon just cleared out one of the fighters in title contention in the UFC, and Gilbert Melendez has got to be really happy with that result, as there is very little argument for anyone else getting a shot at tonight's main event winner over him. This was a crushing loss for Guillard.
FIGHT FOUR: NAM PHAN VS. LEONARD GARCIA (FEATHERWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Phan immediately came forward and landed a couple of strikes. Garcia returned fire with a couple of strikes. Garcia landed another right and a kick as Phan came in. Garcia threw a couple of jabs and landed a nice straight right to the body. Garcia landed a right. He landed a couple more jabs and backed Phan up. Phan walked him down and landed a nice combination. Phan knocked Garcia down with a punch and got into his guard. Garcia held on tight in the guard and eventually forced a stand up. Phan tagged Garcia again. He followed him down and landed another left. They traded punches. Garcia threw a high kick that was blocked. Phan walked him down. Garcia pressed him off with a strike and a spinning back kick. Phan nicely defended a takedown attempt from Garcia and landed a couple hard jabs as he came in. He landed a couple of nice body punches and a couple of jabs. Phan landed another punch to the body. Garcia landed a hard kick to the body. Phan got Garcia to the cage and teed off on him again. Garcia threw the high kick but missed. Phan landed a few more strikes in close and backed off from the counters. Garcia threw a left and then a kick. Phan hurt him again with a few strikes and action was stopped when Garcia got poked in the eye. He said he was alright and they started back up. Garcia tried to shoot in and Phan sent him down with a punch. He ended the round in top position.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Phan. Garcia is probably going to score for the judges as he always does, but Phan should clearly take that round.
ROUND TWO: Garcia landed a hard right to start the round. He got in a good leg kick. He landed a few more punches as Phan tried to get in close to engage. Phan walked him down and hurt Garcia with a big combination. Garcia missed a spinning back fist. Phan went back on the attack and landed a few big strikes as Garcia swung wildly. Garcia threw a knee to the body. Phan landed a few more in combination. Phan stepped in with a few more. He landed a nice straight left and followed it up in combination. Phan kept on the offensive. Garcia stepped in but ate another combination. Phan landed even more. Garcia shook his head as if the strikes weren't hurting him. Phan landed a hard body punch. Phan got in with another short combo in close. Phan with even more as Garcia swung wildly. Phan kept Garcia backing up as he continued to land jabs and short combinations. Phan cracked Garcia with a few more against the cage. Garcia does have a good chin, there's no doubting that. Phan opened a cut on Garcia's cheek. He landed a few more punches. Phan landed another short flurry before the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Phan. He's completely out-striking Garcia, he's just got to hope it'll be enough after what happened in their first fight.
ROUND THREE: Garcia came out strong, landing short strikes and leg kicks. Phan landed a big body punch, but then Garcia dropped him with a big right. He started trying to finish, and hit Phan with some big strikes against the cage that had the crowd in an uproar. Phan survived the onslaught on his feet and Garcia looked exhausted. Both fighters missed punches as they swung wildly at one another. Phan landed a nice short combination and went back not he attack. He cracked Garcia with three straight. Garcia shrugged his head and Phan landed a few more punches. Phan then took Garcia down into guard. Garcia tried to hold control of Phan's body in the guard and the crowd booed. Garcia forced a stand up with just over a minute left. Garcia landed a good leg kick. They traded punches again. Garcia landed a leg kick. Garcia shot in for a takedown but Phan held him off. Phan landed a few more strikes. They traded punches wildly to finish the fight.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Garcia. He hurt Phan there badly, and though he couldn't finish the fight the damage took him the round.
Penick's Final Score: 29-28 Phan
WINNER: Phan via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
STAR RATING: (**+) It was a fun brawl as expected, but it wasn't nearly the fight Goldberg and Rogan tried to make it out to be. Phan wasn't robbed this time around, and did enough in the first two rounds to take the fight that should have been his last December.
RAMIFICATIONS: Both fighters are in the same spot they were prior to this fight. They were each in the middle to low end of the featherweight pack, and this fight didn't do anything to change that, although the fan reaction likely gives them each another featured fight in their next bouts.
FIGHT FIVE: CHAEL SONNEN VS. BRIAN STANN (MIDDLEWEIGHT)
ROUND ONE: Sonnen immediately engaged Stann in the clinch and landed a couple of knees. Stann turned him around and landed a few body punches. Sonnen landed a few more knees as Stann got in with the hooks. Sonnen turned him back around and they jockeyed for position in the clinch. Sonnen landed another knee. Sonnen tripped Stann and got into side control. Sonnen landed a couple of palm strikes. Sonnen landed some knees to the body from side control. Sonnen tried to pass and Stann tried to roll over. Stann blocked a pass from Sonnen and got to butterfly guard. In a scramble, Sonnen took Stann's back and got both hooks locked on in a sitting position. Sonnen then used that to roll over into mount. Stann gave up his back and got to his feet. Sonnen took his back standing and got both hooks in. Stann stayed standing and defended. Sonnen picked him up and dropped him and took the back again. He tried to get to mount and Stann regained full guard. Sonnen stood up and dropped down with a couple of strikes. Sonnen went for a guillotine but lost it. Stann looked to set up for a triangle but gave it up. Sonnen landed a few big strikes and passed to side control. He finished the round on top.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Sonnen. That went about as could have been expected. Stann knows what Sonnen wants to do, and he's got to find a way to stifle it, land strikes on the feet or lock on something from his back or he'll be ground out for three rounds.
ROUND TWO: Stann threw an ill-advised leg kick and Sonnen immediately took Stann down. He landed a few body punches and passed to half guard. He bullied his way to side control. Sonnen landed an elbow to the face and passed to full mount. He slammed Stann's head onto the mat with his shoulder. Sonnen looked to set up an arm triangle choke briefly. Stann got back to half guard. Sonnen landed a few elbows but Stann got back to full guard. Stann was working for a triangle choke and the ref inexplicably stood them up. Stann then cracked Sonnen with a right and hurt him. He sprawled nicely, but Sonnen kept on him, picked him up and took him down. Sonnen went for an arm triangle choke, passed to side control and had it on tight. Stann tried to fight it off, but ultimately had to tap. Brilliant performance from Sonnen, and he will more than likely get his rematch with Anderson Silva after that.
WINNER: Sonnen via submission (arm triangle choke) 3:51 of the second round
POST FIGHT: Sonnen took the mic, ignored Rogan's question and said "Anderson Silva, you absolutely suck." He called him out for a Super Bowl weekend fight. Sonnen then dropped some pro-wrestling style stakes, saying that if he wins, Silva needs to leave the division, and if Silva beats him, he'll leave the UFC forever. He then walked out of the cage.
STAR RATING: (***) For as much as I'm not a fan of Chael Sonnen, there's no denying his skills in the cage, and he just ran through a very tough opponent in Brian Stann. That was an excellent performance, and possibly his best in the UFC.
RAMIFICATIONS: Well, Sonnen set it up there. The rematch with Silva is huge for the UFC, and with Sonnen raising the stakes with that post-fight speech it's going to get crazy.
FIGHT SIX: JOSE ALDO VS. KENNY FLORIAN (FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
ROUND ONE: Florian landed an early leg kick. He went high with a kick but Aldo blocked it. Florian landed a couple inside leg kicks. Aldo pressed Florian back with a few strikes. He landed a left and Florian backed off. Florian ducked under and shot but Aldo stuffed it and landed a good strike. Aldo landed a left and almost poked Florian in the eye. Florian landed a jab and shot in. He completed the takedown but Aldo popped up. Florian drove Aldo to the cage and landed a knee to the thigh. Good takedown defense from Aldo early. Florian stayed on Aldo and went for a throw. He completed it but Aldo got up. Florian again dragged him down and Aldo got up again. Florian took his back standing and kept Aldo pressed on the cage. Florian landed a couple of knees to the thighs. Aldo finally broke free. Florian ducked under a punch and missed another takedown. He grabbed the clinch and pressed Aldo to the cage again. Florian kept on Aldo against the cage and landed a knee to the body. Florian landed a nice elbow. Aldo held him off and they traded strikes as the round ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Florian. Though he couldn't keep Aldo down, he scored a few takedowns and worked really well in the clinch. Aldo got in a couple of good strikes, but didn't have much offense and was on the defensive much of the round.
ROUND TWO: Florian ducked under a punch and landed an early kick. Aldo got in a short left. Florian ducked under another punch. The action slowed down a bit. Aldo popped in with a short right. Florian landed a nice left. Aldo landed a couple of punches as Florian shot in. Florian landed a good body kick. Florian missed a right and Aldo countered. The crowd got a little restless for the tentative action. Florian landed an inside leg kick. Aldo came back with a couple kicks. He landed a straight right. Florian landed a jab. Aldo landed an inside leg kick. Florian responded with a couple of his own. He went high with a kick and it was blocked. Florian landed a right. Aldo threw the head kick that almost got through. Aldo landed a hard right and almost tossed Florian aside. Aldo landed a nice right. He got in with an inside leg kick. Florian landed a hard leg kick. Aldo landed a couple strikes. Florian pressed in for a single leg and they ended the round in the clinch.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Aldo. It was close to a 10-10 round, but Aldo had a little more output and a little more power on his strikes. Close round though.
ROUND THREE: Florian landed an early leg kick. They traded short punches in close. Florian landed a couple of hard kicks. Aldo got in with a nice left. He hit Florian with a right. Aldo landed the uppercut and just missed a straight kick to the face. Aldo landed a hard inside leg kick and followed with a two punch combo that hurt Florian. Florian landed a right. Aldo landed a straight right. Aldo cracked him with a three punch combo. Florian shot in, but missed and Aldo wound up in mount. Florian got him back into half guard briefly but Aldo took side control. Florian again got back to half guard. The crowd chanted for Aldo. Florian landed a couple strikes from his back. Florian tried to sweep but Aldo held him in half guard. Florian regained guard and Aldo stood. Florian landed a few hard upkicks. Florian scrambled and got back to his feet with 30 seconds left in the round. Florian shot in but Aldo held him off. Florian drove him to the cage. The round ended with the two in the clinch.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Aldo. Very good round for the champ. He hurt Florian on a few occasions there and had top position for much of the round. The question will be his stamina the rest of the way.
ROUND FOUR: Florian landed a couple of early kicks. He checked a kick from Aldo and avoided Aldo's advance. Florian missed a spinning back fist. They traded punches. Florian landed a kick. Aldo landed a hard inside leg kick and walked Florian down. Florian got a clinch briefly but Aldo got loose. He landed a right on the release. Aldo held off a takedown attempt from Florian and Florian drove him to the cage. Florian landed a few short strikes against the cage as he pressed into Aldo. Aldo finally broke free. Florian again shot in but Aldo once again held it off. Florian landed a body kick and failed on another takedown attempt. Florian got another clinch and landed a knee to the body. Aldo turned him around and Florian landed a few more knees. Florian turned him back around and went for the single leg. Aldo again got out and landed a right. He got in a punch to the body. He cracked Florian with a left and Florian grabbed a clinch again. They separated and Aldo landed a right and a body kick late to end the round.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Aldo. Florian's not having any success with his takedowns or the clinch, and he had little to no offense on the feet. Aldo edges the round with slightly more output on the feet.
ROUND FIVE: Florian threw a few short punches and kicks early but didn't really get in with any strikes. Florian popped in for the clinch again and landed a knee to the body on the cage. Florian slipped as he went for a knee and Aldo stood in front of him. Florian landed a couple of kicks to the legs of Aldo. Florian continued with upkicks from his back. He grabbed for a leg of Aldo's but lost it. Aldo landed an elbow. Aldo passed to the mount. Florian gave up his back and then escaped the mount, but Aldo stayed on top of him. Florian got to his feet against the cage with two minutes left. Florian landed a knee and they were separated with a minute 20 left. They clinched immediately and Aldo pressed him to the cage. They jockeyed for position. Florian backed off and tried to land a strike and had another takedown stuffed. They traded punches and kicks after separating and stood across from each other as the fight ended.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Aldo. There wasn't much to the round, but Aldo had a dominant position on Florian on the ground. Neither fighter really looked all that great tonight.
Penick's Final Score: 49-46 Aldo
WINNER: Aldo via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
STAR RATING: (**) Overall that wasn't that great of a fight. The first three rounds had some decent back and forth action, but it degraded into a stalemate in the final two rounds, with neither able to do much of anything. Aldo picked up another decision win in the UFC, but didn't really ignite fan interest with that performance. Florian came up short once again, and is back in limbo in his UFC career.
MAIN EVENT FIGHT SEVEN: FRANKIE EDGAR VS. GRAY MAYNARD (LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
ROUND ONE: Both fighters circled each other early. Maynard tried to press in and Edgar landed a punch and caught a kick. Edgar landed a nice combination in the center of the cage and backed off. Maynard missed on a right. Edgar got in with a right. Edgar got in with an uppercut. Edgar faked a punch and shot in really nicely and took Maynard's back standing. Maynard got turned back around in the clinch and got separation. Edgar landed a nice punch as he reengaged. Maynard missed a high kick. Maynard cracked Edgar with an uppercut. Edgar tried to grab a leg and Maynard connected on a knee. Edgar is hurt. Edgar again grabbed the clinch and landed a hard right on Maynard. Maynard landed a right again. The crowd chanted for Edgar. Mayanrd hurt Edgar again. Edgar grabbed for a leg again and tried to recover. He landed a right. Maynard landed another hard right. Maynard landed a straight right and went for a head kick. Edgar landed a straight kick and Maynard landed a flying knee. Edgar's nose is broken but he got to his feet. Maynard landed another big punch. Edgar stayed standing and landed a couple of strikes. Edgar survived yet again.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 Maynard. Edgar started strong, but Maynard's power again came through in this fight and we're off to a similar start as their January fight.
ROUND TWO: Maynard circled around the outside, feeling comfortable after the first round. Edgar landed a right after a minute of tentative action. Maynard landed a jab and Edgar's nose began bleeding immediately. Edgar landed a hard two punch combo. Edgar landed a leg kick. Maynard got in with a straight right. Edgar landed a nice combination again. Edgar missed a high kick and avoided Maynard's counter. Edgar landed an inside leg kick. He cracked Maynard again with a right. Maynard landed a right. Edgar shot in but Maynard held him off. Edgar landed a couple of strikes on the separation. Edgar landed another short combination to the body and head. Maynard slipped but Edgar backed off. Edgar landed a quick combo again and then came back with another left. Edgar landed another combo. Maynard landed one more.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Edgar. Maynard didn't follow up on his first round performance, and threw very few strikes in that round. Edgar took control in the striking game, but still has to climb back from the first round.
ROUND THREE: Both circled again early. Edgar landed a short uppercut. Edgar got in a few punches as Maynard landed a knee. He backed away from Maynard's advance.Edgar landed a leg kick. He shot in for a single leg but Maynard stuffed it. Edgar landed a jab. Edgar popped in with a good leg kick and Maynard followed suit. Edgar landed another one inside. Edgar landed a short combo. Edgar landed a jab. The crowd got a little restless. Edgar landed a hard inside leg kick with two minutes left. Maynard landed a short uppercut. Edgar cracked Maynard with a nice right hand. Edgar landed another leg kick and backed away from the counter. Edgar connected on a hard combination. Edgar landed another jab as Maynard missed a big right. Edgar connected on another short punch. He landed a nice body kick. The round ended as they squared off.
Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Edgar. Maynard has done nothing since the first round, and we're back to even and looking a lot like the January fight, except not as exciting.
ROUND FOUR: Edgar landed an inside leg kick. Edgar shot in, Maynard stuffed it but ate an uppercut. Maynard threw the overhand right but it missed. Edgar landed a very nice two punch combo. Maynard shot in and Edgar stuffed him. Maynard landed a knee. Edgar landed another hard right. He connected on a couple more on Maynard. Maynard landed a nice counter right as Edgar connected again. Edgar with another short combo. He landed a couple of kicks to Maynard's leg and the crowd began chanting for him again. Maynard grabbed a leg and Edgar got out again. He landed another combo. Edgar popped in with another punch. Edgar landed again. He avoided Maynard's punch and landed a combo. Edgar again landed the short combo. Edgar shot in and missed. He landed a huge uppercut that rocked Maynard. He followed up and dropped him against the cage. He kept landing as Maynard went down and kept landing punches and forced the stoppage. Huge, huge, huge win for Edgar.
WINNER: Edgar via TKO at 3:54 of the fourth round
STAR RATING: (****-) The first round and the fourth round were unbelievable. Edgar surviving another first round beating was just deja vu, and then Maynard just had nothing for him the rest of the way. Edgar finishing this fight in the fashion he did was just beautiful, and he definitively took this one after the disputed draw.
RAMIFICATIONS: Edgar closes this chapter and looks ahead to what will most likely be a bout against Strikeforce Lightweight Champ Gilbert Melendez.
-They re-air the Facebook prelim between Joey Beltran and Stipe Miocic.
-That's another event in the books. Thanks for joining us yet again, we'll have follow up to this event throughout the week as we get a short break from major action before another huge string for the UFC beginning with UFC 137 at the end of the month.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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