UFC 136: Edgar Knocks Out Maynard, Aldo Outpoints Florian
UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III took place on October 8, 2011, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Frankie Edgar survived another punishing opening round against Gray Maynard before finishing their third meeting in the fourth. José Aldo retained the featherweight championship against Kenny Florian, while Chael Sonnen returned with a submission victory over Brian Stann. The eleven-fight card also included a quick Joe Lauzon upset and Stipe Miocic’s UFC debut.
Edgar survives, rallies, and settles the rivalry
The lightweight title fight carried unfinished business from UFC 125, where Edgar and Maynard had fought to a draw. Maynard had also beaten Edgar in their first meeting in 2008. The champion therefore entered Houston still seeking a victory over the opponent who had caused him his greatest problems.
Once again, Maynard hurt Edgar badly in the opening round. An uppercut, further punches, and a knee left the champion bloodied and struggling to stay in the fight. Maynard pursued the finish with more restraint than he had in January, but Edgar reached the horn and began rebuilding in the second round.
Edgar’s movement and shorter bursts of offense gradually changed the contest. He could not consistently take Maynard down, yet he kept working rather than allowing those failed attempts to interrupt his attack. In round four, a right uppercut as he came out of a takedown attempt hurt the challenger. More right hands and follow-up punches ended the fight at 3:54.
The stoppage gave Edgar his third successful title defense and finally put a win against Maynard on his record. Their three meetings ended with a victory apiece and a draw, but Edgar left the final encounter holding the lightweight championship. His comeback made the result feel earned through adjustment as much as survival.
Aldo solves Florian’s pressure
Aldo’s second UFC title defense followed his victory over Mark Hominick at UFC 129. Florian had earned the opportunity by defeating Diego Nunes in his featherweight debut at UFC 131. Having already challenged twice for lightweight gold, he now tried to win a championship in a new division.
Florian pressed Aldo against the fence and repeatedly looked for takedowns. The champion resisted sustained control, landed the cleaner attacks in open space, and used moments on top to add to his advantage. It was a measured performance rather than one of Aldo’s explosive finishes, but all three judges scored it 49–46 for him. Florian’s third UFC title bid ended in another defeat.
Sonnen returns, Lauzon shocks, and Phan gets his rematch win
Sonnen fought for the first time since his title loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 117. His wrestling and positional pressure overwhelmed Stann, and an arm-triangle choke brought the submission at 3:51 of round two. Sonnen then called for another fight with Silva, keeping the middleweight title picture central to the evening.
Lauzon needed only 47 seconds to stop Melvin Guillard’s five-fight winning streak. A straight left hurt Guillard before Lauzon took his back and secured a rear-naked choke. The result interrupted Guillard’s push toward a title opportunity and reinforced Lauzon’s reputation as a dangerous early finisher.
Nam Phan beat Leonard Garcia by unanimous decision in their rematch, with all three judges scoring it 29–28. Phan’s accurate combinations and body work built his lead, while Garcia’s third-round rally kept the contest tense. The pair earned Fight of the Night honors for a second time; Edgar received Knockout of the Night and Lauzon Submission of the Night.
Six preliminary decisions, including Miocic’s debut
Miocic defeated Joey Beltran over three demanding rounds in his first UFC appearance. Anthony Pettis edged Jeremy Stephens by split decision for his first UFC win. Demian Maia, Darren Elkins, Aaron Simpson, and Mike Massenzio also won on the scorecards, giving the preliminary card six decisions and an important introduction for a future heavyweight champion.
Complete UFC 136 results
Main card
- Frankie Edgar def. Gray Maynard — KO (punches); round 4, 3:54. Edgar retained the lightweight title.
- José Aldo def. Kenny Florian — unanimous decision; round 5, 5:00. Aldo retained the featherweight title.
- Chael Sonnen def. Brian Stann — submission (arm-triangle choke); round 2, 3:51.
- Nam Phan def. Leonard Garcia — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Joe Lauzon def. Melvin Guillard — submission (rear-naked choke); round 1, 0:47.
Preliminary card
- Demian Maia def. Jorge Santiago — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Anthony Pettis def. Jeremy Stephens — split decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Stipe Miocic def. Joey Beltran — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Darren Elkins def. Tiequan Zhang — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Aaron Simpson def. Eric Schafer — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Mike Massenzio def. Steve Cantwell — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
Two champions remained in place, but the surrounding divisions moved forward through returns, upsets, and new arrivals. Explore more of our MMA coverage.
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UFC 136, UFC Results, MMA History, Edgar Knocks Out Maynard, Aldo Outpoints Florian
