Gray Maynard beat Frank Edgar and bullied him in the rematch, which was scored a draw.
That left the lightweight strap around Edgar’s waist and left Maynard with a shitty taste in his mouth. He is promising payback and a victory and he might be the best UFC 136 odds option on the board, at least among the favorites.
It’s championship title night in Houston Oct. 8, with Jose Aldo also defending his featherweight belt against Kenny Florian. Will size matter in this fight, as Ken-Flo has fought as high as welterweight? He hasn’t fared well in title fights lately (losing both times) and Aldo is a Top 3 pound-for-pound beast.
[ Check out the UFC 136 odds preview courtesy of Bodog ]
If you are a fan of mixed martial arts, then October could be the best month of the year for you as more than half of the UFC's seven divisional champs defend their belts this month.
Dominick Cruz started the month a unanimous-decision bantamweight victory on Saturday night over challenger Demetrious Johnson at the UFC Live event in Washington, D.C.
But that was a prelude to a great card this Saturday at the Toyota Center in Houston for UFC 136, headlined by a third bout between champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard for the lightweight title. [ See the latest lines on every fight ]
Those two rivals were supposed to fight back on May 28 at UFC 130 but both pulled out due to injury. Edgar (13-1-1) and Maynard (10-0-1) engaged in an early frontrunner for “Fight of the Year” on New Year’s Day, when they fought to a draw at UFC 125.
Maynard nearly finished it in the first round with a barrage of power punches and almost earned a referee’s stoppage. But Edgar survived, drew even on the scorecards and retained his 155-pound crown: At the conclusion of the five rounds, two judges were split in their verdict and one scored the contest even, resulting in a split draw (Maynard still believes he won).
In their previous matchup, on a UFC Fight Night 13 card in April 2008, Maynard took a unanimous decision.
After suffering that lone defeat, Edgar went on to win five straight bouts, taking the lightweight title from B.J. Penn in April 2010 as a big underdog (about 5-to-1) and defeating Penn in the return bout four months later again as a dog (about 3-to-1).
This bout opened with both fighters at -115 at bodog but Edgar is now the -155 favorite at Bodog’s online sportsbook. Approximately 54 percent of the lean is on Edgar, who is 4-1 as the betting favorite. Maynard is 2-0 as a dog.
Around 50 percent of live parlays are still active on this fight. This is the first time oddsmakers have sided with Edgar before a championship bout (Maynard was just a slight favorite back at UFC 125).
The featherweight title is also on the line in Houston as champion Jose Aldo (19-1) takes on Kenny Florian (15-5). Florian was one of the top lightweights in the world before dropping to featherweight when the UFC implemented the division at the beginning of the year.
Since dropping to lightweight in 2006, Florian is 10-1 in non-title bouts but 0-2 when a belt is on the line. He is the naturally bigger man, even fighting at middleweight on The Ultimate Fighter reality show. But will he have the speed to keep up with Aldo?
The Brazilian, who was promoted to UFC featherweight champion after the merger between UFC and WEC, has made three successful defenses of his belt dating to his WEC days.
Bodog opened Aldo at -280 and he is now at -285 with Florian at +225. Aldo is taking almost 90 percent of the action thus far. He is 7-0 as the betting favorite at Bodog, while Florian is 0-1 as a dog.
The other top bout features middleweight contender Chael Sonnen, who came within minutes of defeating champion Anderson Silva last August, returning to action against Brian Stann. Sonnen will make his first appearance in the cage since the California State Athletic Commission voted in April to uphold his suspension.
The CSAC believed Sonnen (25-11-1) may have perjured himself during testimony at an appeal hearing in December related to his ban for elevated levels of testosterone following his fight against Silva. Stann (11-3) will be making his third appearance at middleweight. He is undefeated at 185 pounds.
The action on this fight has been pretty even, with Sonnen taking a little more than 51 percent. He opened at -210 but now is at -260. Sonnen is 1-0 as the betting favorite while Stann (+200) is 4-2 as an underdog.