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3) Frankie Edgar vs. Cub Swanson UFN 57 (Nov 22, 2014, Austin)
Stage was all set, as #2 Cub Swanson was promised a featherweight title shot against Jose Aldo by UFC president Dana White, if he were to defeat #3 Frankie Edgar. However those aspirations were quickly taken away when he stepped into the octagon with the former lightweight champion who once again shined in the role of an underdog & once again proved his critics wrong. It was as if Frankie Edgar didn’t miss a beat, picking up from where he left off in his latest dominate TKO win over BJ Penn in July. A close first round saw Swanson match Edgar on the feet, being his usual unorthodox and unpredictable self, though Swanson was slightly getting the better of the exchanges. As Swanson began to build momentum with his punches, Edgar ducked under and finished his first takedown. Exchanges on the feet were close, but Edgar quickly realized he was able to take Swanson down and take him down with perfectly timed takedowns at will.
The momentum completely shifted towards Edgar in round 2 as he landed an early takedown and proceeded to batter and cut open Cub Swanson with relentless punches from top position. Swanson provided little to no answer, in what was his most lopsided defeat in his 27-fight career. The barrage continued on from the second all the way to the fifth round, takedown followed by three to four minutes of a non-stop barrage of punches from Frankie Edgar, rinse and repeat. Edgar wasn’t satisfied with just dominating Swanson to a decision, with four seconds left in the fight, he got Cub to tap out to the rear-naked choke, making it the latest finish in UFC history (Record recently broken by Demetrious Johnson) & broke Swanson’s six fight win streak & momentum in the process. This was one of the most complete & dominant MMA performance of all time & undoubtedly Edger’s best inside octagon.
2) Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 3 UFC 136 (Oct. 8, 2011, Houstan)
After their previous meeting was deemed as one of the best MMA fight of all time the third fight in this trilogy was a no brainer & UFC brass wasted no time in booking this fight ASAP. In round one, things were looking remarkably similar to the second fight at UFC 125. Once again, round one featured a dominant performance by Maynard, who again staggered Edgar with a series of punches. It looked like it could be over, but just as in January, Edgar survived. Maynard, wary of gassing out as he did in the last fight, pulled back to conserve his energy. That allowed Edgar to slowly creep back into the fight. By the 4th round it seemed we were heading for another close decision when Edgar suddenly changed the fight completely, landing a series of punches that put Maynard down and out. This is Maynard's first official loss & n incredibly dramatic ending to this classic series of fights. The series was now perfectly even at 1-1-1 .
1) Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 2 UFC 125 (Jan. 1, 2011, Las Vegas)
Not many people were looking forward to the UFC 125 main event as most thought it would be a dull, wrestling-heavy bout like their first meeting three years prior. But it turned out to be one of the best and most highly debated fights in UFC history. While wrestling was the key for Maynard’s first victory over Edgar, he clearly wanted to box in the rematch and the champion obliged. Edgar’s constant movement cost him when he dropped his hands after cutting an angle and Maynard clipped him with a flush left hook. Edgar dropped and Maynard jumped on him, landing shot after shot after shot that looked to put the champion down for good. Despite Maynard’s best efforts, Edgar survived only to be dropped again two minutes later. The champion hung in there, however, barely making it to the end of the round.
Everything changed in the second. Maynard was exhausted after throwing more than 80 strikes in the opening frame, and Edgar stuck to his game plan. He stuck and moved for the entire round, popping the challenger with combination after combination while Maynard loaded up on single shots and followed the smaller champion around the cage. With 1:20 left in the second, Maynard overextended as he moved forward, and in one of the most iconic moments of his career, Edgar ducked under, clasped his hands and slammed Maynard to the mat.
The momentum had clearly shifted, and Edgar was now in control. Still, Maynard hardly rolled over in the third round, coming back with volume and two completed takedowns to likely take the frame. Round four was all Edgar, as he smoothly outboxed the challenger and even landed a few hard right hands that stopped Maynard in his tracks. The fifth was contentious, but a probable round for Edgar. The fight went to judge’s decision and was declared a draw. Between the momentum shifts, back-and-forth exchanges and the heart show by Edgar in the first round to overcome adversity, it made for an incredible fight which earned "Fight of the Night" honors and was named "Fight of the Year" by the World MMA Awards.
To read our ‘Preview & Prediction’ article of UFC Fight Night 66 CLICK HERE .
