UFC 136 press conference LIVE updates today (Oct. 5) for 'Edgar vs Maynard 3' in Houston

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will be holding a public press conference today (October 5, 2011) in advance of Saturday night's event  UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard 3.

The conference will begin at 12 p.m. ET live from The Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, the home city of the event.

Scheduled to attend will be UFC president Dana White as well as six headlining fighters of the evening: Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Jose Aldo, Kenny Florian, Brian Stann and Chael Sonnen.

Frankie Edgar is the current UFC lightweight champion, having twice defeated B.J. Penn in 2010 to win and defend the belt before earning a draw against Maynard earlier this year in one of 2011's most exciting fights.. On the opposite side of the podium will be the challenger to his title, Gray Maynard, the only man to defeat Edgar and the man who was literally inches away from earning a first round knockout to take the title at UFC 125 before "The Answer" responded.

Brazilian Jose Aldo is the current UFC featherweight champion, having previously defended his title earlier this year at UFC 129 against Mark Hominick in a bout that won "Fight of the Night" honors. His challenger, veteran of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season one, Kenny Florian, will be competing in his fourth weight class and will be fighting in his third overall title shot in his career. This is perhaps the last opportunity at UFC gold that he will ever get.

Chael Sonnen will finally be making his return to the Octagon after being away for over a year due to suspension. He pushed UFC champion Anderson Silva to the limit in his last fight and he's hoping for another shot. His opponent, Brian Stann has won all three of his fights in the UFC middleweight division via stoppage and was the former light heavyweight champion of the WEC. His improvement has been dramatic.

We'll have complete updates of the UFC 136 press conference after the jump.

Brian Hemminger here. The conference is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. ET.

12:10 p.m. ET - We're finally getting started.

Gray Maynard: I feel good, I'm prepared. I'm not like, "Oh, did I do this right or that right?" I'm full prepared.

Frankie Edgar: I think the last fight proves he no longer has my number. I'm ready to put this to rest.

Dana White: There's nothing worse than a draw. We'll get the lightweight division going after Saturday.

Chael Sonnen:Brian Stann is not going to get called out by anybody.

Chael Sonnen: I think ring rust is a real thing and I've accepted it.

Brian Stann: Fortunately I started working on my wrestling two years ago and it's been my primary focus for the last two years. If I only started working on wrestling 10 weeks ago when the fight was announced., maybe that would be an issue, but I didn't. I'm prepared.

Kenny Florian: It's gonna be a tough fight. Aldo is dangerous. It's gonna be a bloody fight but I'll leave there with teh belt. 

Kenny Florian: I'm fortunate that I love what I do. I love going to the gym and learning and I love the challenges. I've been in the UFC a long time and to do that has been a blessing. I want to compete against the best guys and this has been an excellent training camp and I'm ready to get it done.

Jose Aldo: I'm going to bring the pressure against Kenny.

Gray Maynard: It's been a long time. Couture was the last champion at Xtreme Couture. It's a long road and its' a team thing.

Dana White: Since the last time we were here we've grown a lot. We're in a half a billion homes worldwide in 22 different languages. Our FOX deal is definitely the next level for us. November 12th is a bonus fight, our deal doesn't start til January when we're on every FOX network and nowhere else. In the short time we've signed a deal with those guys, they're the best partners we've ever had. The way that I look at this thing, we've been given the opportunity to go mainstream. 

Dana White: This Houston market is huge for us. We proved it again coming back here and we're gonna be here a lot. This thing is gonna continue to grow and get bigger and bigger and bigger. Millions of people are going to be introduced to this thing on the 12th. 

Chael Sonnen: I've been after Anderson for some time and that's it. I've got a beef with everybody in the back that wants a title fight. I've never asked for the title fight, I want a title. I do appreciate what the Brazilian people said but the bottom line is I'm sticking my finger in Anderson's chest, I'm picking a fight and I'm never gonna quit.

Chael Sonnen: I've been put in time out for a bit but the next fight is always the next fight and there's no telling when that'll be. Frankie and Gray have been out for 10 months too. I'm not gonna complain. I'll take care of business to the best of my ability.

Brian Stann: When I watch his last couple fights, the guys he fought against really believed in what they were good at and they didn't train for him. Even the fights he lost, he was beating guys up and he got caught while beating them up. I think I'm the best prepared fighter he's faced and I hit harder. There's not unwinnable fights. It's not always about who's the best fighter is on that given night.

Chael Sonnen: I don't think I've got to break Brian Stann, we're gonna fight and we'll shake hands afterwards. I'm not gonna lay down and back down. Regardless of what he says or what I say, I'll make that walk and when the guy in the dreadlocks says fight, I will.

Frankie Edgar: I knew Gray was a great fighter and he had a lot of abilities and skills. He came with the heat and he really put the pressure on me in the first round and the way he was able to stay in it and go with me for the full five rounds after going hard with me in the first. It was a testament to his toughness as well.

Gray Maynard: He's a tough kid. He came back off that and even I was amazed. 

Chael Sonnen: I think there's always doubts. There's no position in the Octagon that I'm comfortable in. Every day I try to get better. That's part of it. What fun would it be if you knew the outcome? What fun would it be if it wasn't all on the line? I love dealing with that adversity. I saw the ride and I bought a ticket anyways. I'm on board. I don't care. 

Dana White: This division is stacked with tons of talent and there's a lot of fights to make at 155. This whole draw has been a logjam in the 155 pound division.

Dana White: I don't even remember how I scored the fight that night. I remember at the press conference how upset Gray was and I felt he deserved it so we made that fight. We're doing this on Saturday and then we're moving on.

Brian Stann: I think there's a rhythm to fighting and I'll have an advantage mentally but with his wrestling, he'll be ready. I don't expect ring rust to be a factor. I expect Chael to go out and do what he does. We're gonna fight for the entire 15 minutes and we're not gonna stop hitting each other until the last bell rings.