UFC 125

Lore & Background

The planned rematch between UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen from their UFC 117 bout was at one point thought to take place at this event. On October 26, 2010, Shane Carwin had to pull out of his fight with Roy Nelson due to a back injury that required surgery. Nelson was then pulled from the card altogether. On October 28, 2010, UFC president Dana White announced that World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) would merge with the UFC and that WEC Featherweight Champion José Aldo would be promoted to UFC Featherweight Champion. Josh Grispi was pulled from a planned WEC 52 bout with Erik Koch to challenge Aldo for the Featherweight title at this event. However, Aldo was later forced off the card with an injury. Grispi remained on the card and fought Dustin Poirier. A lightweight bout between Cole Miller and Matt Wiman, which was originally scheduled to take place at this event, was moved to UFC: Fight For The Troops 2. UFC 125 preliminary fights were shown live for the first time on Ion Television in the United States. The preliminary fights were shown live in the United Kingdom on ESPN, Rogers Sportsnet in Canada and Fuel TV in Australia.

In Their Own Story

The MGM Grand Garden Arena hummed with a low, electric buzz. Las Vegas in November still carried a dry, warm edge that seeped through the upper-level windows, but inside, the air was cold and recycled, thick with the smell of antiseptic and anticipation. In the back of the arena, a young fighter in black shorts rolled his shoulders, eyes half-closed, listening to a playlist no one else in the building was hearing. Across the cage, a veteran with a decade of headlines behind him bounced on the balls of his feet, jaw tight, mouthing words to himself. The bell rang. For a few seconds, they circled, testing. Then the young one closed the distance, a long right hand snapping like a whip, and the rhythm of the night changed. The crowd's murmur swelled into a roar that shook the upper deck. By the time the referee's hand cut through the air, the young fighter was already turning away, chest heaving, as if the whole thing had been a formality he'd been waiting to finish. The arena exhaled. The champion walked out the same way he'd walked in—calm, almost bored—while the veteran sat on the canvas, staring at the chain-link above him, trying to find the words that would explain the last four minutes of his life.

Reader's Guide

The following fighters received $60,000 bonuses: Fight of the Night: Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard; Knockout of the Night: Jeremy Stephens; Submission of the Night: Clay Guida. Reported payout to the fighters as reported to the Nevada State Athletic Commission (does not include sponsor money or locker room bonuses or fight night bonuses): Frankie Edgar: $102,000 ($51,000 win bonus) vs. Gray Maynard: $52,000 ($26,000 win bonus) — although not reflected in the NSAC paperwork, both Edgar and Maynard received their win bonuses despite the draw. Brian Stann: $122,000 ($21,000 win bonus) def. Chris Leben: $96,000. Thiago Silva: $110,000 ($55,000 win bonus) def. Brandon Vera: $70,000. Dong Hyun Kim: $70,000 ($35,000 win bonus) def. Nate Diaz: $63,000. Clay Guida: $62,000 ($31,000 win bonus) def. Takanori Gomi: $50,000. Jeremy Stephens: $36,000 ($18,000 win bonus) def. Marcus Davis: $31,000. Dustin Poirier: $8,000 ($4,000 win bonus) def. Josh Grispi: $15,000. Brad Tavares: $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus) def. Phil Baroni: $25,000. Diego Nunes: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus) def. Mike Brown: $23,000. Daniel Roberts: $24,000 ($12,000 win bonus) def. Greg Soto: $8,000. Jacob Volkmann: $24,000 ($12,000 win bonus) def. Antonio McKee: $15,000.

Did You Know?

• UFC 125 preliminary fights were shown live for the first time on Ion Television in the United States.
• The planned rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen was at one point thought to take place at this event.
• Shane Carwin pulled out of his fight with Roy Nelson due to a back injury requiring surgery, and Nelson was then pulled from the card.
• José Aldo was promoted to UFC Featherweight Champion after the WEC merger but was forced off the card with an injury.
• Both Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard received their win bonuses despite the fight ending in a draw.