• UFC 136

Frankie Edgar survives beating to knock out Maynard

Frankie Edgar was destroyed by Gray Maynard in round one © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: Aldo likely to fight Mendes or Edgar next - White
  
• News: Florian title dream chopped down by Aldo leg kicks
  
• News: Frankie Edgar's better than St-Pierre - White
  
• News: Sonnen gives Silva chilling reminder in Stann victory
  
• News: Sonnen promises to leave UFC if he loses to Silva
  
• Profile: Frankie Edgar

Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard wound the clock back 10 months at UFC 136 on Saturday, but this time there was no draw in Houston as a beaten and bloodied Edgar battled back to knock Maynard out in arguably the fight of the year.

Lightweight champion Edgar, with nose busted and face swollen from an assault every bit as vicious as the one he suffered back in January, once again showed unbelievable staying power to take the fight into a fourth round. Not only that, he was edging ahead on the judges' scorecards when he suddenly did what many predicted he did not have the capacity to do: He finished Maynard by knockout.

The MMA world had waited what seemed like an eternity for Edgar and Maynard to finally settle their three-fight, 12-round war. The challenger Maynard had won the first battle, and then the pair had settled for a draw back at UFC 125 when Edgar survived a first-round blitz to hang on to his lightweight title.

Every piece of pre-fight analysis heading into Saturday's rematch centred on the fact that Maynard surely could not get off to such a flying start again. Yet when the opening bell sounded, that is exactly what happened.

Edgar buzzed around, starting promisingly, but all it took was one thudding uppercut from Maynard to land the champion right back in the nightmare he already had lived back at UFC 125. Maynard, unlike that January battle, stayed composed this time, picking his shots and dropping Edgar three, four times as blood covered the champion's face.

However, Edgar had been here before, his corner had been here before, and they knew exactly how to turn things around. Taking advantage of Maynard's sudden obsession with the uppercut Edgar got his feet working again, and he began picking off the challenger with left hook/right cross combinations, combined with leg kicks and takedown attempts.

By the end of round three, Edgar had clearly lost the first stanza 10-8, but won the next two 10-9. He was level.

Had the fourth round come to completion the champion would have led after landing yet more right hands flush to Maynard's chin, but then came the finish that rubber-stamped Edgar's status as a great UFC champion. Landing an uppercut of his own, Edgar rocked Maynard, before slamming multiple right hooks into the challenger's chin, dropping him before forcing the stoppage with follow-up left hands.

It was the Knockout of the Night, it was one of the comebacks of the year, and it was a huge contender for Fight of the Year. Edgar may be the slowest starter on the UFC roster, but he is also becoming the most difficult to stop.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.