5 Great MMA Photos at UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III from Esther Lin
Billed as one of the most stacked cards of 2011, all of the fighters came out and proved the promoters right. If you wanted grueling fights, you got that with Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan. If you wanted submissions, you got that with Joe Lauzon and Chael Sonnen. If you wanted charisma, you got that and then some with Sonnen’s post-fight interview. If you wanted to see what legends are made of, you got that with Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard. Another great card, and now a break until UFC 137.
(Photos via Esther Lin / MMA Fighting)
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QUESTION: What was your favorite part of UFC 136?
Weigh-In Photos for UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III
To get back into the swing of things, what better to do it with UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III. Not only do you have a rubber match with two solid Lightweights, we’re treated with another championship fight with Jose Aldo and a Middleweight contenders match with Chael Sonnen and Brian Stann. This card is sick, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it all turns out.
UFC 136 Main Card:
- Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard
- José Aldo vs. Kenny Florian
- Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann
- Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan
- Melvin Guillard vs. Joe Lauzon
(Photos via Dann Stupp / MMA Junkie)
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QUESTION: What excites you most about UFC 136?
BJ PENN FTW! Wow, that alone made my day for UFC 123. There was some interesting fights, and I’m glad we literally almost saw the whole card — 10 out of 11 fights! Also, it seemed like this card was important to pave the way for other cards since Dana White mentioned several fights for future events in the post-press conference. Crazy stuff!
1. Rampage Jackson shocked over split decision win
Did you notice that Rampage Jackson came out to the PRIDE FC music? That right there fired me up because I knew we were going to see a Rampage of past, and there were definitely some glimpses of that during the fight. I think the majority of the fight Rampage was able to counter Lyoto Machida’s kicks with flurries of his own and had control of him against the cage. He was able to stick to the game plan for the first two rounds, then he got rocked in the third round and definitely lost the round. But this is a three round fight, Rampage winning 2-1. Although, Rampage was definitely shocked — maybe because he’s not used to decision wins and he usually knocks people out.
(+1) Prediction: Rampage Jackson over Lyoto Machida
2. BJ Penn KOs Matt Hughes in devastating fashion
BJ PENN FTW! Did you blink? All of the haters out there thinking he was done, what do you think now? I’ll admit, I didn’t think it was going to go that way. I thought it was going to be striking advantage in the first round for Penn, then a wrestling advantage for Matt Hughes in the second round, then a toss up in the third. Obviously, Penn did have the striking advantage in the first — all of 21 seconds. Amazing!
Now, it seems BJ Penn will have his biggest test in the Welterweight Division against Jon Fitch, who I have considered the second best Welterweight in the UFC. This is big for Penn since Fitch is a dominant wrestler — fighters Penn has had trouble with in the past against Georges St. Pierre. Can’t wait.
(+1) Prediction: BJ Penn over Matt Hughes
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If you’re not excited about UFC 123, there’s definitely something wrong with you. When you have 4 former UFC champions fighting on one card, that’s pretty amazing. And when you those 4 fighters fighting each other, that’s another level of excitement. Rampage Jackson. Lyoto Machida. Matt Hughes. BJ Penn. You can’t beat that.
1. The vicious Rampage Jackson from PRIDE FC shows up
The only thing I’m worried about is the kicks/knees from Lyoto Machida (just think Rampage’s fights with Forrest Griffin, Wanderlei Silva, and Shogun Rua). Everyone is dwelling on his evasiveness and technique, but I don’t think that’ll a huge factor in this fight against Rampage Jackson. What I see is Rampage saying, “I’m going to fight my fight,” and I think that’s the best game plan for him. Shogun Rua came in with a similar game plan to impose his will onto Machida and was able to best him twice. It only takes one shot from Rampage to clip Machida on the chin, and in three rounds — I think he’ll be able to find Machida and do just that.
Prediction: Rampage Jackson over Lyoto Machida via TKO
2. BJ Penn and Matt Hughes put on a legendary fight
This is going to be an exciting fight, both on the feet and on the ground. I see BJ Penn coming into this fight with a new camp, new drive, and a must-win attitude coming from two straight loses. I see him coming out swinging in the first round, boxing the hell out of Matt Hughes and stuffing his takedowns. Round 1 — Penn.
Second round is a whole different story, I see Hughes getting close to Penn in the clinch and eventually taking the game to the ground. Patented ground work from Hughes, smothering and effective. Round 2 — Hughes.
Now, Round 3 is where the fight lies. Who wants it more? Who needs it more? I think it’ll be Penn. He does not want to lose this fight at any cost — see a whole new Penn fired up in the third round bringing the fight to the ground with his strikes. This will be patented control on the ground for Penn — looking for submission to end the fight.
Round 3 — BJ PENN FTW!
Prediction: BJ Penn over Matt Hughes via decision
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I love Twitter sometimes. After posting about last week’s photographer, James Law, I stumbled on this photographer’s work/website via Twitter and saw that he had an account. I sent him a tweet, and now we’re here — showing off his great work. Let me introduce you to Justin Trapp of FighterPortraits.com. He has a great mix of photos ranging from his “composites”, which are featured here, to stunning “close ups”.
1. Urijah Faber in a “Wolverine: Origins” inspired shot
2. Tom Lawler shows his love for pro wrestling and Hulk Hogan
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