UFC 136

A busy week necessitates a short preview once again. One of these days I'll make time to get back to writing these the way I prefer, but until then....

Nam Phan vs. Leonard "Bad Boy" Garcia
featherweight

A rematch of a highly contentious fight from last December that Garcia somehow won, Phan looks to even the score this go around. Despite fighting out of Greg Jacksons camp in Albuquerque, Garcia is more of a head hunter than an octagon tactician. Throwing most of his punches from his hips and looping them like Wanderlei Silva on crack, a patient counter puncher, like Mark Hominick or Phan in their first fight, has shown to be his bane. What Phan lacks in size and strength, he makes up for with fight savvy, octagon awareness, and buckets of heart. Garcia is going to come out throwing all of his punches with everything he can, and unless Phan gets careless and gets clipped, it's going to be a rough night for "Bad Boy". It very well could be a repeat of Garcias second fight against Chan Sung Jung, but most likely Phan will counter punch to his hearts delight en route to a decisive, and very entertaining three round victory.

Phan via Unanimous Decision


Melvin "The Young Assassin" Guillard vs. Joe "L-Lau" Lauzon
lightweight

Guillard is two wins away from getting a lightweight title shot, and Lauzon is going to try for his most definitive win since knocking out Jens Pulver in his UFC debut. Since joining the aforementioned Jacksons Camp, Guillard has been nothing short of spectacular, dispatching seven of his last eight opponents. He's fast, strong, and keeps getting better, which for a guy that young, is a scary prospect. He'll keep this fight standing and use his frighteningly quick and powerful stand up to end Lauzons night in a hurry. "J-Lau" is nearly as tenacious on the ground, as Guillard is on the feet. With an approach to the ground game that few in the division can match, the only thing that seems to go against him is suspect conditioning, and his seeming unwillingness to pace himself early in fights. This fight will make it out of the first round, which seemingly favors Lauzon, but with Guillard being the bigger, stronger fighter, and Lauzon not really being able to offer enough in the stand up department to phase the "Young Assassin", the Jackson fighter will most likely get the referee stoppage in the second.

Guillard via TKO, Rd. 2

Chael Sonnen vs. Brian "The All American" Stann
middleweight

In his first fight in over a year, Sonnen looks to get right back into title contention with a win over the surging Stann. After coming within half of a round of winning the 185 pound strap, legal issues and alleged PED use have shelved him for the last year, but if he can utilize his smothering ground and pound and avoid the big shots on his feet, he should be able to get back to cementing his belief that he is the rightful heir to the middleweight throne. Stann, has other plans. Coming off the two biggest wins in his career, Stann has reinvented himself at middleweight, and a win over Sonnen would ostensibly catapult him to the front of the admittedly short line of fresh challengers for Anderson Silvas belt. Much like Guillard, Stann has found career rejuvenation with Greg Jackson, and the refinement to his well rounded style have paid big dividends. He will need to be able to avoid the take downs, and try to land shots of the elusive, and sturdy chin of Sonnen. Stann also should look to exploit the gaping hole Sonnen has in his ground game, as the Oregonian has shown an almost non existent submission defense. This fight will be very close, but as much as I'd like to pick Stann, I think Sonnen overcomes cage rust and can squeak out a three round nod from the judges.

Sonnen via Unanimous Decision

FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE MATCH
Champion: Jose "Scarface" Aldo vs. Kenny "KenFlo" Florian

Florian steps into just his second 145 pound fight in what is perhaps his last shot at championship gold. Despite all his accomplishments in the sport, he is still dogged by his seeming inability to perform when the spotlight shines on him. A solid octagon tactician with nasty muay thai, and a wicked ground game, he still seems to be his own worst enemy when the stakes are raised. Aldo, well, what can you say about the man that has absolutely walked through every opponent he has faced? Out side of Anderson Silva, no fighter can match his blend of speed and power backed up by unerring accuracy. At only 25 years old, he has nothing but time in front of him to cement himself as one of the best pound for pound fighters ever. A concern for Aldo is the strain of cutting to 145 puts on him, but having done it far more than Florian (who has no easy go of it himself) this seems to be a non issue, at least for now. One area where we don't know much about Aldo is on the ground, and with that being somewhere that Florian has shined in the past, one thinks he'll do his best to get it there. Though he will put forth a valiant effort, Aldo is too much in all other areas for Florian, and will shine as he composes another epic victory over the course of a five round decision.

Aldo via Unanimous Decision.

LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Champion: Frankie "The Answer" Edgar vs. Gray "The Bully" Maynard

When last these two men fought, it was a sterling five round war that resulted in an unsatisfying draw. Maynard beat Edgar to a pulp in the first round, then saw him come roaring back in the next several round and turn what looked to be a sure win for Maynard into an early front runner for Fight of the Year. Edgar will keep doing what he's been doing his whole career; be the quicker, more technical fighter, and rely on his conditioning to run circles around bigger and stronger fighters. Maynard will need to utilize the skills that won him their first match, namely being a gigantic 155 pounder, and some of the best wrestling in the division. If he tries to stand and bang with Edgar again, he'll likely have the tables turned on him, as he is too slow and does not have the head movement or footwork to keep up with Edgar over the course of five rounds. There's always the chance that he can capitalize on early success like he nearly did in their last fight, but I don't see Edgar making those mistakes again. Expect Maynard to try and get this to the ground early, but Edgar is simply too difficult to nail down early in fights, and despite giving up a massive size advantage, he keeps the fight in areas where that gap just wont come into play. It will be a close, competitive fight, but nowhere near as gripping as their previous one, and Edgar will walk away with title in hand after five grueling rounds.

Edgar via Unanimous Decision