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Title shot for Florian-Maynard winner

by ken pishna/mmaweekly.com

UFC president Dana White, at Wednesday’s press conference in Boston, confirmed that the winner between Kenny Florian and Gray Maynard at UFC 118 on Saturday night would get a shot at the UFC lightweight title.

Just who that shot will be against remains to be seen.

Current champion Frankie Edgar is putting his belt on the line at UFC 118 against the man he defeated to earn it, B.J. Penn. The immediate rematch comes after a close, but unanimous, decision at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi earlier this year.

Florian and Maynard each has a legitimate argument for a shot at the title.

Florian, while he has already failed in two attempts to acquire the gold – once to Sean Sherk and another to Penn – has defeated Clay Guida and Takanori Gomi since the loss to Penn. Beating Maynard, a fellow Top 10 ranked lightweight, would put him over the top in regards to earning his way back.

Maynard, on the other hand, hasn’t suffered a defeat yet in his young career. His professional record stands at 9-0. He’s looking to Florian as the final ingredient to a recipe to the title that has included wins over Nate Diaz, Roger Huerta, Jim Miller, and perhaps most importantly, current champion Frankie Edgar.

The Edgar versus Penn bout headlines UFC 118, the promotion’s debut in Boston, with UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture squaring off with boxing champion James Toney in the co-main event.