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The main event of the first UFC pay-per-view of 2011 is a UFC Lightweight Title fight as champion Frankie “The Answer†Edgar (13-1-0) defends against Gray “The Bully†Maynard (10-0-0). This fight is the second encounter between the champion and challenger, as Gray Maynard handily defeated Frankie Edgar at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 13. Since that victory, Frankie Edgar has become the UFC Lightweight Champion and Gray Maynard has continued his ten fight undefeated streak. The problem for Frankie Edgar is that nothing much has changed since their first encounter, which is why Gray Maynard will win the title on Saturday Night.
The co-main event of UFC 125 will be a key UFC Middleweight Division fight as Chris “The Crippler†Leben (25-6-0) takes on “All American†Brian Stann (9-3-0). Chris Leben is coming off a very successful 2010, where he defeated both Aaron Simpson and Yoshihiro Akiyama in less than two weeks time. Brian Stann has looked very impressive since dropping to the middleweight division, as he previous competed as a light heavyweight. Brian Stann does have previous experience as a champion, as he is a former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion. Both fighters have stated that they will want to stand and strike for the whole fight, which will give the edge to Chris Leben.
The light heavyweights do battle next as the returning Thiago Silva (14-2-0) takes on Brandon “The Truth†Vera (11-5-0). Thiago Silva hasn’t competed in an MMA fight since losing to Rashad Evans at UFC 108, since then the fighter has been dealing with health issues. Brandon Vera has suffered a string of losses in recent fights, losing two of his last three fights in the promotion. This battle could determine whether or not Brandon Vera will even have a future in the UFC, because a loss could equal a pink slip. This fight will most likely be a battle of strikers, which means that Thiago Silva will take Brandon Vera out and put him on the unemployment line.
A key welterweight encounter is up next as Nate Diaz (13-5-0) takes on the undefeated Dong Hyun “Stun Gun†Kim (13-0-5). This will be the biggest take of Nate Diaz’s short run in the welterweight division, where he has achieved victories over Marcus Davis and Rory Markham. Dong Hyun Kim is a quality victory away from becoming a top contender in the UFC Welterweight Division, as he already holds a victory over TUF champion Amir Sadollah. This fight is going to come down to which fighter has the better ground game and that nod goes to Dong Hyun Kim.
The opening fight of the pay-per-view broadcast will feature Clay “The Carpenter†Guida (27-11-0) taking on “The Fireball Kid†Takanori Gomi (32-6-0). If the was a bonus for pre-fight fight of the night honors, it would definitely go to this potentially awesome encounter. Clay Guida is a fighter who has always been on the cusp of being a player in the UFC Lightweight Division, but he has seemingly fallen short on many occasions. Takanori Gomi entered the UFC with tons of hype from his PRIDE days in Japan, but has only gone 1-1 thus far in the UFC. This fight will be about which fight can use his game plan to the fullest, Clay Guida on the ground or Takanori Gomi on the feet.
You can contact David Tees at bigteesps3@yahoo.com
