at UFC 112. He defended the belt in August at UFC 118, while Maynard won a title shot on the same night. Second fight Edgar and Maynard fought for the UFC Lightweight title on January 1, 2011 at UFC 125. The event took place in Maynard's hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada. In the opening round, Maynard appeared to be on the verge of winning the fight after stunning Edgar with a left hook and landing a series of follow-up punches. However, Edgar recovered and out-struck Maynard 22–8 in the second round, executing a slam in the process. The fight went to a judges' decision and was declared a draw. As a result, another rematch was scheduled. Edgar and Maynard's second meeting earned "Fight of the Night" honors and was named "Fight of the Year" by the World MMA Awards. Sports Illustrated's Jeff Wagenheim called the contest "legendary", and noted it as "one of the most memorable fights in recent UFC history." Sherdog's Todd Martin lauded the bout as a classic. Sergio Non of USA Today praised Edgar's resiliency, stating, "The fact that Edgar made it out of the first round at all stands as a testament to his fighting instincts." In the post-fight interview, Edgar remarked that he did not remember much of round one. Maynard commented, "I kind of punched myself out in the first, so round two, I couldn't really go that hard." He later cited nervousness as a factor, but noted that he had learned from the experience. When asked about his outlook on a third fight, Edgar stated, "It's hard to say who has the mental edge, if anyone. You know, he may have tasted it from being so close, and now he's super-motivated. And there are a lot of ways for me to look at that last fight, too: as a guy who barely got through it or as a survivor. I don't know how he approaches it, but I know I'm fired up to settle things." Both remarked that they were excited about fighting for a third time. Third fight A third meeting between the two was initially scheduled for May at UFC 130. However, both men withdrew due to injury. The fight was rescheduled for UFC 136 and took place on October 8, 2011 in Houston, Texas. As in the second fight, round one featured a dominant performance by Maynard, who again staggered