In what was set to be the night in which Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar was set to face off with Gray Maynard for the third time in a fantastic trio of bouts, it is now set to be a card pieced together after being ravaged by injury and misfortune. After their classic title fight draw early this January, Edgar/Maynard III was set to be one for the ages. After drilling Edgar with shot after shot in round one of their last fight, Frankie Edgar somehow managed to find a way to hang on against challenger Gray Maynard and rode out the fight all five rounds. The fight went to a draw and Edgar retained his belt in what could have been the gutsiest performance in UFC history. Saturday the two were supposed to get in the cage on final time at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas instead both have had to pull out due to injury. After Edgar suffered broken ribs former WEC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis was approached to face Maynard, but that fight was scratched before it could even develop after Maynard sustained a knee injury in camp.
But the lightweight championship headliner wasn't the only fight to get scrapped from UFC 130. Rampage Jackson/Rashad Evans II was supposed to be in the works after Thiago Silva was forced to pull out due to a failed pre fight drug screen at UFC 125. Rashad Evans was scheduled to fight Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones for the title but the fight had to be postponed once Jones suffered an injury. Due to much bad blood and their overly hyped 2010 fight, Jackson/Evans II looked like a fight that would still draw many fight fans. Essentially with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's last victory over former champion Llyoto Machida a match with Evans could have potentially been a number one contenders match for Jones' title. Fearing a loss to Jackson could end his shot at a title the fight with Evans never got close and Matt Hamill was then signed to face Rampage Jackson to headline UFC 130.
Although not as stacked as some of the previous cards due to much fluctuation with the headlining fights UFC 130 still brings a lot to fight fans.
Former UFC Heavyweight champion Frank Mir takes on former IFL Heavyweight Champion and The Ultimate Fighter 10 winner(TUF 10) Roy "Big Country" Nelson.
Also in the heavyweight division one of MMA's tallest competitors Stefan "Skyscrapper" Struve will face Travis Brown.
In Welterweight action Thiago Alves will face Rick Story and in the Middleweight division Jorge Santiago will make his anticipated UFC debut against veteran American fighter Brian Stann.
Aside from the Pay Per View card Spike TV will also be airing two great preliminary fights in former WEC Champion Miguel Torres vs. Demetrious Johnson, and Kendall Grove vs. Tim Boetsch.
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