We may have had the pleasure of seeing 2011’s fight of the year on the very first day of the year at the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas. UFC 125 played host to a lightweight championship battle between holder Frankie ‘The Answer’ Edgar and challenger Gray ‘The Bully’ Maynard, ending in a draw.
Scores were 48-46 Maynard, 48-46 Edgar, and 47-47. All three judges scored the first round 10-8 in favour of Maynard.
To all the fight looked over within minutes of the opening bell. Maynard landed with a left hook a minute in dropping Edgar. Edgar rolled out of trouble only to be sent back to the canvas by a right uppercut. To say Frankie Edgar knew exactly what was going on in the Octagon at that moment in time would have been very generous. The man from New Jersey himself admitted post-fight that “it felt like the first round didn’t happen’.
With three minutes of the first round left Edgar needed to weather the huge Maynard storm. With blood running from his nose Edgar walked into another right uppercut, hands low and chin out. His legs wobbled again and up against the cage the champion seemed on the verge of defeat. To his credit though, ‘The Answer’ came up with exactly that. With his foot work back to how it was in the opening minute and his hands up he fought back to survive the most disastrous of opening rounds.
In the second Edgar was resurgent, opening up with a high head kick and goading his opponent with a number of punches. Maynard attempted to put into practice his bullying tactics, striding forward openly only to be caught on a number of occasions, causing a cut beneath his left eye.
In an attempt to take the fight to the floor Maynard shot for his first takedown of the fight only to be stopped by a resurgent Edgar. A huge power slam to the canvas followed, igniting the Nevada crowd. Edgar stuffed a second takedown attempt from ‘The Bully’ and a right hand to the face at the end of the round with swung the momentum in his favour.
After stern words from his corner-men it appeared Maynard had regained his composure for the third. Edgar continued with his stick and move strategy, his superior boxing and takedown defence preventing the challenger gaining a real foot-hold in the fight.
Maynard however continued to plod forward, his persistence paying off as he drew blood again from the nose of the champion along with a takedown in the final minute. Edgar however showed his wrestling abilities off his back locking in a guillotine choke before the bell before the bell came to ‘The Bully’s’ aide.
The third round could have been scored to either fighter; the fourth was in no doubt as Edgar went on the offensive. Two takedowns and an attempted guillotine choke saw the champ take the initative. Maynard continued to walk his opponent down but was made to pay as he was picked off when in range.
With the fight entering the final round and the contest in the balance each punch carried the weight of the title on it. The second half of the round would be where it was won and lost. Both fighters stuffed one-another’s takedown attempts therefore going toe-to-toe until the final bell.
Edgar’s record now stands at 13-1-1; Maynard remains unbeaten at 11-0-1 with 1 no contest.
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