UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III

Frankie Edgar defends his UFC lightweight title against the only man to beat him, as well as the number one contender who held him to a classic draw in January, Gray Maynard.

The featherweight world title is on the line with Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian.Coming off his featherweight debut in June, and in his fourth weight class since joiningthe UFC, Florian is gunning for the pound-for-pound contender Aldo.

In this middleweight bout, an American hero faces an American rebel, as United States Marine Corps veteran Brian Stann faces the man who nearly toppled Anderson Silva, outspoken top contender Chael Sonnen.

With black belts in Jiu-Jitsu and karate, TUF 12 veteran Nam Phan will need touse all his skills to even the score in this well-deserved rematch against hard-hittingLeonard Garcia, and it promises to be bombs away for another three rounds.

Some fighters may talk the talk, but lightweight contenders Melvin Guillard and Joe Lauzon are two fighters who have lived up to words that say their only Octagon intent is to finish their opponents as quickly and spectacularly as possible.

Well-rounded middleweight contender Jorge Santiago, one fighter who can honestly claim to be comfortable wherever the fight goes, and is a dangerous handful for any opponent, meets the most feared grappler in the middleweight division, Demian Maia.

A dynamic striker, former WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis has looked forward to a matchup with Jeremy Stephens because he knows that when the bell rings, Stephens won’t be looking for a takedown, but for a standup war.

There’s no question that Stipe Miocic is a top-level athlete, but Joey Beltran’s granite chin, punching power, and aggressive style can make it a level playing field with one shot to the jaw.

Featherweight on the rise Darren Elkins knows life at 145 pounds will keep getting tougher, including tonight’s opponent, Chinese fighting pioneer Tiequan Zhang, who will try to end things quickly with his deadly submission game.

Submission specialist Eric Schafer returns to the Octagon not only with his world-class ground game, but in a new division, against Aaron Simpson, who has both knockout punching power and stellar wrestling acumen.

Some fighters are at their best when their backs are pinned against the wall. Mike Massenzio and Steve Cantwell fit that description perfectly, and you can expect an all-out battle between these middleweights.

Supremacy in the lightweight and featherweight divisions will be determined in October. But before the first bell rings, the work takes place in the gym, where Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Jose Aldo, and Kenny Florian count down to UFC 136.