UFC 125: "Resolution" is all set to bring in the New Year tonight (Jan. 1) from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. MMAMania.com will provide results with live play-by-play of all the main card action as well as comprehensive results of each of the main fight card bouts as soon as they conclude.
Perhaps the most relevant contest of the night is the main event of the evening -- Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard for the UFC lightweight championship.
This will be a rematch of a hotly contested fight that occurred back in 2008 at UFC Fight Night 13. Maynard used his superior wrestling to "Bully" his way to a unanimous decision win and provide the lone blemish on an otherwise spotless resume for the current division kingpin.
The obvious line, as Mr. Holland alluded to in his UFC 125 predictions, is that Edgar has progressed as a fighter and is a totally different animal this time around.
The question remains -- does he have an "Answer" for Maynard's size and grappling game?
When it comes down to it, grappling should be the key to the fight. Edgar holds a speed advantage that anyone with eyes can clearly see. That said, Maynard held his own on the feet in the first fight.
Are two consecutive wins over B.J. Penn, the man famed boxing trainer Freddie Roach claims is the greatest boxer in MMA, enough to convince us Frankie can win the standing exchanges?
If you think back to the fight that earned him this shot, the Kenny Florian fight at UFC 118, Maynard was able to cut off the cage and force "Ken-Flo" into a corner. Guess how that ends up? Takedown city.
Edgar should seemingly have "The Answer" for that with his relentless movement and in-and-out attack but let's say he doesn't. Can he win the fight if he gets taken down?
When Penn drug him to the mat, he was able to get right back to his feet before ever facing any actual danger or threat of being finished. Maynard presents a different challenge in as much as he will likely focus more on top control.
In short, Gray-n-Pray.
There's nothing wrong with tactics that are tried-and-true in the cage. Especially in a fight for the coveted lightweight title in a division that is suddenly the deepest of any in the UFC.
Is there worry of this fight putting a few viewers to sleep? Sure. Just remember what's at stake. And don't forget, a date with "Showtime" awaits the winner.
Who will it be?
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