Guida vs. Maynard headlines UFC on FX 4; Franklin vs. Le set for UFC 148
A pair of intriguing matchups is official for the UFC's summer schedule as lightweight Clay Guida (29-12 MMA, 9-6 UFC) meets Gray Maynard (10-1-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC) at UFC on FX 4, and middleweight Rich Franklin (28-6 MMA, 13-5 UFC) faces Cung Le (7-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in a middleweight bout at UFC 148.
UFC officials today announced that verbal agreements are in place for the fights, and bout agreements are expected to be finalized shortly.
Guida vs. Maynard is the UFC on FX 4 main event and will be contested as a five-round affair.
UFC officials in February announced that UFC on FX 4 takes place June 22 in Atlantic City, but a venue has yet to be named. Meanwhile, UFC 148 takes place July 7 at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Guida fights for the first time since losing a No. 1 contender's bout with Benson Henderson at this past November's UFC on FOX 1 event. The loss snapped a four-fight win streak for the high-energy fan-favorite, but he's still considered a top contender, as well as one of the most popular athletes in the promotion.
He now takes on Maynard, who fights for the first time since losing to then-champ Frankie Edgar at this past October's UFC 136 event. Maynard has since left his longtime gym at Xtreme Couture and relocated to California. In the interim, Maynard has trained with such camps as American Kickboxing Academy and Nova Unaio.
Franklin, meanwhile, fights for the first time in more than a year. The former UFC middleweight champ, who had recently been competing at light heavyweight, had been sidelined with injuries since a February 2011 loss to Forrest Griffin. Franklin was expected to face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira this past August, but a shoulder injury and surgery forced him to withdraw from the matchup.
He meets Le, who seeks his first octagon win. The 39-year-old former Strikeforce champ debuted for the UFC in November and looked comfortable early against Wanderlei Silva before eventually falling victim to a second-round barrage of punches and knees. Le has fought just once in each of the past four calendar years.
