On this evening’s card, lightweight champion Frankie Edgar looks to defend his belt against the lone man to defeat him, Gray Maynard, while Chris Leben and Brian Stann face off in the co-main event. Join Heavy.com at 10:00 p.m. ET for live results from UFC 125.
MAIN CARD
Clay Guida d. Takanori Gomi by submission, Round 2
Guida came out with a ton of energy, which was certainly expected. Gomi, attempting to find a spot to attack, seemed fairly confused by Guida’s movement. “The Carpenter” was the first to land a big shot, scoring a nice head shot, and chants of “Guida” began to break out throughout the arena. Guida then looked for the takedown attempt, but Gomi managed to avoid. However, after a decent amount of time with little action, Guida finally scored the takedown before the round came to an end.
Guida entered the second round with the same amount of energy as the first. However, he took much less time in the second frame to look for the takedown. Gomi continuously stuffed the attempts, and the fighters stood toe-to-toe once again. Guida was the first to land a significant shot, scoring a nice right hand, but Gomi landed a nice knee shortly after. However, the knee set up a takedown for Guida, and Gomi found himself trapped on the ground. Guida looked for the submission, locking on a guillotine, and Gomi was forced to tap out. Incredible victory for Guida.
Dong Hyun Kim d. Nate Diaz by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Kim landed the first strike of this contest, but that did not stop Diaz from talking trash early. Kim moved for a takedown one minute into the fight, and Diaz found himself on his back. Kim utilized his ground and pound to move to half guard and then to side control. Diaz worked back to the full guard, but Kim continued to pound away when openings were available. However, Diaz continued to threaten from the bottom with submission attempts. He nearly locked on a heel hook, but Kim escaped and took the first round.
The second round began with an exchange on the feet, which seemed to be exactly what Diaz wanted. Kim, however, looked for the takedown and, after a pair of attempts, earned it. Diaz looked for the submission from the bottom, just as he did in the first, but Kim avoided any threats for the first half of the round. Diaz struggled to stand back up, continuously being forced back to the ground throughout the second frame. However, with 20 seconds to go, Diaz reversed and worked to Kim’s back, but was unable to lock in a choke before the end of the round.
The final round began with Kim looking the more tired of the two fighters, but he still managed to land a nice head kick early. Diaz, however, was not effected and looked to move the fight to the floor. The fighters clinched, and Kim looked to score a takedown of his own. Diaz scored a pair of knees, but the second caused a break in action, as Kim had a hand on the ground. No points were deducted from Diaz, the fight was restarted, and Kim quickly scored a takedown. Kim looked to move to the back and locked in both his hooks, but Diaz managed to reverse and get back to his feet. The California native began to land several big shots in the clinch, and Kim did nothing throughout the last minute. Unfortunately for Diaz, it was too little, too late.
Thiago Silva d. Brandon Vera by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Vera looked to clinch early, followed by several nice leg kicks. Silva, however, continued to come forward and looked for the takedown. He tripped Vera to the mat, ended up in half guard, and looked to pass. The knockout artist moved to side control and began working effortlessly from the top. Silva failed to do significant damage while there, but Vera struggled to do anything from the bottom. In the final moments of the round, Silva moved for a leg lock, but Vera escaped as the round came to a close.
Vera came out with a fire to start round two landing big shots, but Silva countered with immense power of his own. The two clinched against the cage and both worked knees before Silva tripped “The Truth” to the ground. Silva looked to pass, but Vera managed to defend for quite some time. However, midway through the round, Silva passed and looked to land his ground and pound. He landed nice shots here and there, while Vera seemed to have no answer from the bottom. Another great round for Silva.
The third began with Vera tripping Silva to the ground and taunting his opponent, who easily won the first two rounds. The fighters clinched, and Silva dragged Vera to the ground, taking his back. Silva worked knees to Vera’s thigh and looked to land shots to the face of his opponent. Vera attempted to stand, but he literally had no answer for the Brazilian, who began slapping the man who taunted him at the start of the round. Silva finished the round on Vera’s back, landing shots and effortlessly maintaining his position. Dominant performance by Silva, who simply was far too much for Vera.
Brian Stann d. Chris Leben by technical knockout, Round 1
The two middleweights walked to the center of the cage to start this bout and immediately went after it. Stann and Leben traded on the feet, eventually moving to a clinch battle. Dirty boxing shown by each fighter, and both men showed that they could take it. However, Stann was the first to take control of the fight, dropping Leben midway through the round. Leben attempted to survive the onslaught, but Stann continued to pour on the pressure. A vicious knee dropped Leben for a second time, and referee Josh Rosenthal elected to stop the fight before any more damage. Incredible performance by former WEC light heavyweight champion Brian Stann.
Champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard fight to a split draw (46-48, 48-46, 47-47)
Edgar came out to start this fight with the same speed that earned him the title at UFC 112. Throughout the first minute of the round, Maynard may not have thrown a single strike, and he certainly didn’t land one. However, a big shot by the challenger floored Edgar, and the champion was in deep trouble. Maynard continued to pound away at Edgar, who attempted to regain his composure. Edgar somehow recover at the midpoint of the round and looked for a takedown. Maynard once again looked to land a big combination and he did. Edgar stumbled around, aimlessly shooting for takedowns. However, he continued to come forward, even landing several shots. With 30 seconds to go, Maynard looked to close in, but Edgar was the one to land the last shot, somehow making it through the round.
The champion entered the second round looking entirely rejuvenated. He worked his kicks with impressive speed and managed to dive in and out of combinations. Maynard attempted to counter and build some offense of his own, but “The Answer” continuously got the better of the exchanges. Edgar was even able to bring his larger opponent down to the mat just before the one minute mark. The second frame ended much differently than the first, as Edgar easily ran away with a 10-9 round by utilizing his dominant striking all the way to the bell.
Right out of the gate for the third round, the champion made it clear that he wanted to use his kicks more often. Maynard ate several throughout the opening minute, while attempting to figure out how to strike against Edgar. “The Bully” looked for the takedown at the three minute mark, but Edgar escaped while landing several shots on the way out. With under 90 seconds to go, Maynard landed his first significant shot since the opening round, and blood began to run down the face of Edgar once again. He then looked for the takedown and, after a bit of a struggle, he earned it. The champion looked for the kimura and then the guillotine before the round ended.
The first of two championship rounds began with a bang for Edgar, who looked for a takedown, followed by a guillotine attempt. While the challenger managed to escape and separate, Edgar once again took Maynard to the floor. After a scramble back to the feet, Maynard looked for a takedown, but was thrown to the side by Edgar, who was picking up momentum as the seconds ticked away. Maynard continued to press forward, and Edgar continued to counter successfully. With two minutes to go in the round, the champion looked for the takedown. While Maynard stuffed it, he ate several powerful shots in the process. The final 90 seconds ticked away with Edgar edging Maynard on the feet and earning another very important round.
The final frame of the championship bout began with both fighters trading shots, though neither landed anything significant throughout the first minute. 90 seconds in, however, Maynard landed a nice shot, followed by a knee by the champion. Edgar shot in for a takedown at the three minute mark, but it was stuffed, and the two moved back to the center of the cage. A nice combination by Edgar was followed by a takedown attempt by Maynard, which was then followed by a failed takedown attempt by the title holder. Both men began to show a bit of exhaustion in terms of their takedown attempts, but they also seemed surprisingly fresh in the striking game.
The bout reached the one-minute mark, and the crowd began to cheer on the two athletes. Edgar answered the cheers with a nice combination, followed by a stuffed takedown. Maynard looked for yet another takedown with only 20 seconds to go, but it was stuffed yet again, and both Maynard and Edgar exchanged for the final seconds of a terrific fight.