UFC 125 is official; six exciting fights confirmed
The main event will be a lightweight title fight between the current champion, Frankie "The Answer" Edgar, and the number one contender, Gray "The Bully" Maynard. This fight is also a rematch between the two lightweights as the undefeated Maynard will look to repeat his win over "The Answer". Edgar, on the other hand, will try to avenge his only loss to retain his UFC lightweight belt.
The co-main event will feature heavyweights. Roy "Big Country" Nelson will prove that his skills and experience are enough to overcome the obvious power advantage of Shane Carwin. The hard-punching Carwin will try to get back in heavyweight contention after his loss from Brock Lesnar by beating the MMA veteran. The durable and crafty Nelson just came from a Dos Santos beating but a win over Carwin will definitely get him back on track.
As part of the main card, Clay "The Carpenter" Guida will battle the former PRIDE lightweight and Shooto welterweight champion Takanori Gomi. Both fighters just came from impressive wins—a submission win over Rafael Dos Anjos for Guida, and a knockout win over Tyson Griffin for Gomi.
The always exciting Chris "The Crippler" Leben will again test his renowned toughness and relentless attacking style against Brian Stann. Stann is the former WEC light-heavyweight champion with a good stand-up game and natural athleticism. This match is a potential "Fight of the Night" because both fighters are action-oriented and always aim to finish.
Nate Diaz is also in the mix and he is set to exhibit his great Jiu-jitsu and boxing skills against the undefeated Korean Dong Hyun Kim. Diaz is on the roll with impressive wins over Rory Markham and Marcus Davis. The Korean is one of the stronger welterweights but is often plagued with injuries which forced him to withdraw on three occasions. This fight is interesting because of the natural grappling strength advantage of Kim over Diaz. Fighting originally at lightweight, this will be Diaz's second fight in the welterweight division.
Brandon "The Truth" Vera vs. Thiago Silva is also in the official card. Both are talented strikers where Vera shines as a technical kickboxer and Silva as a hard-punching brawler. The fight will define both fighters' future in the UFC. They hope to redeem themselves from their recent losses.
UFC President Dana White is evidently excited. He knows that the fighters and match-ups in this fight card is a treat for MMA of fans.
"We always put a huge card together in Vegas to kick off the New Year," said White. "This is going to be a killer start to 2011."
Although the fighters of the main event have styles which are considered to be less crowd-pleasing, the motivation of Edgar and Maynard to win will likely make the match more thrilling. The champion and the challenger are both excited and hungry.
"I'm very excited to be fighting New Year's Day against a fighter that has a win over me," Edgar said. "I'm looking forward to putting on a great show and avenging my one loss. There are still a lot of people that are doubting me and that's fine. I've learned a lot since our last fight and I plan on successfully defending my title."
"I'm excited and honored to be fighting Frank Edgar in a lightweight title bout for the UFC," Maynard said. "Edgar is a great opponent; I'm looking forward to an exciting and tough fight with him. After years of hard work and sacrifice, this brings me one step closer to my goal of winning the belt."
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