UFC 125 Predictions: Edgar Vs. Maynard

At UFC 125 on January 1, lightweight champions Frankie Edgar will rematch against the only man to have defeated him in his professional career, Gray Maynard.

Maynard has used his wrestling to smother just about everyone in the lightweight division since his arrival in the UFC. While his style is not always fun to watch, it is very effective - Maynard's professional record currently sits at 10-0.

Maynard is also fresh off his three round destruction of top lightweight Kenny Florian at UFC 118 in August, and his confidence will be sky-high. Maynard knows he just needs a repeat performance of his first fight against Edgar, and he is assured UFC gold.

For his part, Frankie Edgar has been a surprising story of 2010. Betting fans gave him nearly zero chance of beating B.J. Penn in their first fight, and, despite the fact he was aided by some questionable judging, Edgar came out of that bout with the win. But no one was expecting what came next. In their rematch at UFC 118 in August, Edgar dominated the former lightweight kingpin over five rounds to silence any doubters and cement his place in the sport as an elite level fighter.

Despite his success in 2010, Edgar is not the smart bet here. Maynard is just too dominant in the wrestling department, and I think he has what it takes to grind out five rounds against the champ. It definitely won't be pretty, but Maynard is probably going to be the next UFC lightweight champ. The question remains however, if any fans will actually be interested in seeing him defend his title.