UFC 125: Edgar and Maynard Battle to a Stunning Draw

UFC 125: Resolution opened 2011 with a title fight that refused to produce a clear winner. At the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on January 1, Frankie Edgar survived a disastrous first round against Gray Maynard and rallied to a split draw, keeping the UFC lightweight championship. Brian Stann stopped Chris Leben in the co-main event, while Clay Guida submitted Takanori Gomi on an eleven-fight card.

Video: the UFC’s official pre-event extended preview. It introduces the matchups rather than showing the complete fights.

Edgar survives, recovers and keeps the belt

Maynard’s first-round assault made a title change look imminent. He repeatedly hurt and dropped Edgar, piling up the kind of advantage that usually ends a championship fight. Edgar remained in the contest, however, and returned for the second round with enough energy and composure to make the outcome uncertain again. His combinations, movement and takedown work changed the rhythm after an opening round scored 10–8 for Maynard by all three judges.

The challenger had already beaten Edgar in their first meeting in 2008. This time, Edgar’s recovery made their second encounter much harder to separate. One judge scored it 48–46 for Edgar, another 48–46 for Maynard, and the third 47–47. The split draw meant Edgar retained the championship; it did not make either fighter the winner. A decisive opening round and an extraordinary comeback could coexist without producing a unanimous assessment of the following four rounds.

Edgar had entered after consecutive victories over BJ Penn, including the rematch at UFC 118. UFC 125 challenged him in a different way: rather than protect a comfortable lead, he had to recover from immediate danger. The unresolved result eventually led to their third meeting at UFC 136, leaving this bout as the dramatic middle chapter of their rivalry.

Stann stops Leben; Guida catches Gomi

Brian Stann delivered the main card’s sharpest finish against Chris Leben. A right hand helped put Leben in trouble, and Stann maintained the attack through a knee and follow-up punches. The referee stopped the middleweight contest at 3:37 of round one. Leben had produced a memorable submission against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116, but could not recreate that recovery against Stann’s pressure.

Clay Guida took a different route against former PRIDE champion Takanori Gomi. Movement and wrestling limited the exchanges Gomi wanted, and Guida secured a guillotine choke at 4:27 of round two. Dong Hyun Kim also built his win through control, taking the early rounds against Nate Diaz before Diaz’s late surge. Three 29–28 scorecards gave Kim the unanimous decision.

Thiago Silva and Brandon Vera completed three rounds, with Silva initially announced as the unanimous-decision winner. That fight-night result was later overturned following a post-fight drug-test violation. The official outcome is therefore a no contest, and the results below reflect the amended record.

The preliminary card adds prospects and a late knockout

Jeremy Stephens ended his lightweight fight with Marcus Davis by knockout in the third round. Dustin Poirier, making his UFC debut at featherweight, won every round against Josh Grispi. Grispi had been scheduled to challenge José Aldo before the champion’s withdrawal, making Poirier’s replacement appearance especially consequential. Diego Nunes edged former WEC champion Mike Brown in another featherweight contest, helping introduce the recently absorbed division to UFC audiences.

Brad Tavares finished Phil Baroni in the first round, Daniel Roberts caught Greg Soto with a kimura, and Jacob Volkmann took a split decision over Antonio McKee. The preliminaries offered both established names and emerging fighters, with Poirier’s performance standing out as a convincing opening statement.

Complete UFC 125 results

Main card

• Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard — split draw; round 5, 5:00. Edgar retained the lightweight title.
• Brian Stann def. Chris Leben — TKO (knee and punches); round 1, 3:37.
• Thiago Silva vs. Brandon Vera — no contest (original decision overturned); round 3, 5:00.
• Dong Hyun Kim def. Nate Diaz — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
• Clay Guida def. Takanori Gomi — submission (guillotine choke); round 2, 4:27.

Preliminary card

• Jeremy Stephens def. Marcus Davis — KO (punch); round 3, 2:33.
• Dustin Poirier def. Josh Grispi — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
• Brad Tavares def. Phil Baroni — KO (strikes); round 1, 4:20.
• Diego Nunes def. Mike Brown — split decision; round 3, 5:00.
• Daniel Roberts def. Greg Soto — submission (kimura); round 1, 3:45.
• Jacob Volkmann def. Antonio McKee — split decision; round 3, 5:00.

Sources

• UFC: Edgar–Maynard fight retrospective and scorecards.
• UFC: main-card report.
• UFC: preliminary-card report.
• UFC: Silva–Vera result amendment.
• Sherdog: complete event record.

Article Tags

UFC 125, Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, UFC Lightweight, UFC Results