Edgar to Defend Title Against Maynard at UFC 125

As previously speculated, UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar will put his strap on the line against number one contender Gray Maynard on New Years Day at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Also going down on Jan. 1 at UFC 125 will be an important heavyweight showdown between former title contender Shane Carwin and one-time IFL heavyweight kingpin Roy Nelson. Additionally, a lightweight scrap between divisional spark plug Clay Guida and former Pride Fighting Championships titleholder Takanori Gomi has been added to the card.

The matchups were officially announced by the organization today via the most recent webisode of “The Ultimate Insider,” a UFC Internet series.

Edgar is most recently coming off his first defense of his title and his second straight defeat of pound-for-pound great BJ Penn. In both bouts with the former two-division champion, Edgar used his quickness and fancy footwork to his advantage, outpointing the Hawaiian en route to two unanimous decision victories. Edgar's only loss is to his upcoming opponent, Gray Maynard. “The Bully” earned a unanimous decision over the champion in 2008.

An Xtreme Couture product, Maynard is undefeated as a professional and has rattled off five straight victories over top competition since defeating Edgar in their first encounter. Maynard holds wins over Dennis Siver, Rich Clementi and Roger Huerta, respectively. A competitor on “The Ultimate Fighter” season five, Maynard avenged his unofficial loss in the show's semifinal to Nate Diaz at UFC Fight Night 20, when he defeated the Cesar Gracie student by split decision. Maynard is fresh off a win over Kenny Florian at UFC 118 in August, earning him the right to face Edgar for the title.

Carwin is coming off a heartbreaking loss to heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 116 in July. Though he floored the champ in the early going and rushed in with a barrage of punches to try to end the fight, Lesnar survived to see the second round and submitted an energy-sapped Carwin with an arm-triangle. Prior to that bout, Carwin had never tasted defeat. “Big Country” Nelson is a former IFL titleholder and won season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter. He is 2-1 in UFC competition and most recently lost to top contender Junior dos Santos at UFC 117 in August.

Both lightweights are looking to insert their names back into the title picture with a win. Pride FC's first and last lightweight champion, Gomi won the organization's lightweight grand prix in 2005 and held the belt until the promotion folded in 2007. “The Fireball Kid” will try to capitalize on his devastating knockout victory over Tyson Griffin at UFC Live in August. Guida is coming off back-to-back victories in 2010. One of the most exciting fighters in the division, “The Carpenter” has notched wins over the likes of Nate Diaz, Mac Danzig and most recently Rafael dos Anjos.