LAS VEGAS — The UFC lightweight title will be on the line once again on May 28, when Frankie “The Answer†Edgar looks to defend his 155-pound crown against Gray “The Bully†Maynard in the UFC 130 main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.UFC 130 will mark the third time Edgar (13-1-1) and Maynard (12-0-1, 1 NC) have faced off. The first time, in April 2008, Maynard won via unanimous decision. Then at UFC 125 (no-â€Resolutionâ€) in January of this year, the two fought to a five-round draw and Edgar hung onto his title.
UFC President Dana White commented on the trilogy:
“The last time Gray and Frankie fought, they put on one of the best fights of the year. It was the draw no one really complained about. I think a lot of people saw in that fight that Frankie Edgar is the real deal. This is the third and last time these two will come together and the stakes have never been higher.â€
In addition to the title fight main event, UFC 130 will feature the return of former light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage†Jackson, as he takes on Matt “The Hammer†Hamill in the co-main event.
Jackson (31-8) is coming off a split decision win over Lyoto Machida at UFC 123 this past November. Just prior to that, he lost a unanimous decision to Rashad Evans at UFC 114 in May of last year.
Hamill (10-2) is riding a wave of victories that started back in Dec. 2008 when he scored a second round knockout of Resse Andy at UFC 92.
Since then, Hamill has gone on to defeat Mark Munoz, Jon Jones (via disqualification), Keith Jardine, and most recently, Tito Ortiz via unanimous decision at UFC 121 last October.
Also taking place on the UFC 130 main card is a heavyweight match up between former champion Frank Mir and TUF 10 winner Roy “Big Country†Nelson.
Mir (14-5) is coming off a third round knockout victory over Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 119 last September. Just prior to that, Mir was stopped by Shane Carwin in the first round at UFC 111 in April 2010.
Nelson (15-5) is coming off a memorable three-round war with Junior dos Santos at UFC 117 last August. Nelson lost the decision unanimously but took more of the hardest punches anyone has ever seen and was still standing at the final bell.
Nelson had won both his UFC fights prior to Carwin, scoring first round knockouts over Brendan Schaub and Stefan Struve. Mir and Nelson are both top-10 heavyweights and the winner of this fight could find himself on the verge of a title shot.
Rounding out the UFC 130 main card wil be a heavyweight match-up between Stefan Struve and Travis Browne, and a middleweight bout between former WEC light heavyweight champ Brian Stann and Sengoku 185-pound champ Jorge Santiago.
Stay tuned to ProMMAnow.com (www.prommanow.com) for all your “UFC 130: Edgar vs. Maynard III†news.
Filed Under: UFC
Tags: Brian Stann, featured, Frank Mir, frankie edgar, Gray Maynard, Jorge Santiago, Matt Hamill, Quinton Jackson, Roy Nelson, UFC 130
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