Fighter of the Month: October 2011 – Frankie Edgar

Fighter of the Month: October 2011 – Frankie Edgar

By Justin Bolduc

Fighter of the Month:  Frankie Edgar

Event:  UFC 136 (October 8, 2011)

Opponent:  Gray Maynard

Result:  Fourth round knockout

UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar faced rival Gray Maynard for a third time in early October.  Their first meaning saw Edgar suffer the first loss of his career when he was outwrestled by Maynard over three rounds.  Following that encounter Edgar went on to claim the UFC’s 155-pound title.

In the rematch Edgar was badly hurt in the first round, putting Maynard up big with a 10-8 round.  Edgar returned to form though, winning three of the next four rounds forcing a lackluster result to an entertaining, dramatic fight – a draw.

The two were booked for a third match immediately, but injuries postponed the bout.  Finally meeting up a month ago, the two headlined UFC 136.

The opening round looked eerily similar to the second outing, with Maynard badly damaging Edgar in the first round, earning a 10-8.  Maynard was more reserved than in the first outing, however, avoiding gassing out.  In round two, though, Maynard was too reserved and allowed Edgar to find his rhythm and edge out the round 10-9.

Round three saw Edgar continue to pick his shots, avoiding most of Maynard’s power.  Edgar worked angles and with great timing chipped away at the larger, stronger wrestler.  With things all tied up going into the fourth round, Edgar found his mark.

The fight ended surprisingly as Edgar hurt Maynard on the feet and followed up with more punches, knocking out the previously undefeated Xtreme Couture fighter less than four minutes in.  Edgar’s heart and ability to rally showcased a truly amazing feat in a natural featherweight standing at the top of the lightweight mountain.

Up next for Edgar? On the undercard of the UFC on Fox 1 card, former WEC champion Benson Henderson defeated the former Strikeforce champion Clay Guida in a highly-entertaining bout in which Henderson won by unanimous decision. Afterwards, UFC President Dana White announced that Edgar and Henderson would fight at UFC 144 on February 26, 2012 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.