As we reported in our Main Card Recap, Anthony Pettis was going to get the next shot at Frankie Edgar after tonight's title fight ended in a draw. The announcement was made by UFC VP Craig Borsari at the post fight press conference after he spoke to UFC Prez Dana White, who was unable to attend the presser.

Understandably, the boss has had a relatively quick change of heart. White told Yahoo's Kevin Iole a few hours later that Maynard gets the rematch...

"I had the whole Pettis thing with the belt on my mind and so I said, 'Yeah, Pettis gets the next shot.' But then when I thought about it more, how can I in good conscience not give that shot to Gray Maynard? It's a no-brainer. He came in there and he fought his ass off and he deserves that rematch. That was a great fight and they deserve to do it again."

Five rounds, two fighter, three judges, three different scores, one bittersweet decision...the dreaded draw.

Coming in to the main event of UFC 125 the common wisdom went something like this...Maynard has to get Edgar down and use his superior wrestling to win while Edgar has to keep it standing and use his striking to get the "W' and keep his belt. Who would have thought that the fight would play out almost the exact opposite of what we all thought coming in?

Maynard opened in round one utterly content to keep the fight standing and trade with the ultraquick Edgar. It became apparent why he was so comfortable with over 3 1/2 minutes left in the round when Maynard landed a left hook that floored Edgar. For the remainder of the round, Edgar took a beating, hitting the deck like a drunken sailor numerous times and being on the edge of a stoppage several times. Edgar showed tremendous heart in surviving what could have been a 10-7 round, but was a 10-8 at a minimum. The second saw Maynard unsuccessfully headhunting to finish the job, allowing Frankie to win the round with the faster exchanges. Maynard returned to form in the third, earning a close round, only to see Edgar win the fourth more decisively. The fifth was another close round that could have been scored either way, but we saw it for Maynard because of his ability to land the bigger shots. I scored it 48-46 for Maynard, as one judge did (10-8, 9-10, 10-9, 9-10, 10-9) but could see how it could have been scored a draw at 47-47, as another judge did. However, when the third judge gave rounds 2 through 5 to Edgar and a 48-46 win, we end up with a bittersweet draw and a devastated Gray Maynard who was sure he'd won the fight. Given that WEC Champ Anthony Pettis was awarded the next title shot, Maynard is now left out in the cold and without an immediate rematch. Here's hoping that the UFC offers him the option of waiting for the winner of the Edgar/Pettis title shot. Both fighters were awarded their win bonuses as well as an extra $60K each for Fight of the Night.

In the co-main event, Brian Stann showed why he asked to Chris Leben as he TKO'd "The Crippler" in the first round. Stann now wants a shot at Wanderlei Silva, a smart choice so he can have more time to work on the missing element of his game...wrestling. Stann is a very strong striker at Middleweight and definitely put himself on the map with a big win over a resurgent Leben.

In earlier action, Clay Guida submitted Takanori Gomi in the second round while pocketing $60K for Submission of the Night, Thiago Silva utterly destroyed an overmatched Brandon Vera who left the cage with a visibly broken nose and Stun Gun Kim outgrappled Nate Diaz for a unanimous decision.

Marcus Davis had a nice run at 170 pounds for a while but had a tough run lately, losing three of his last four to Dan Hardy, Ben Saunders and Nate Diaz. That prompted Davis to drop to 155, where he debuted against a very tough, often wild, Jeremy Stephens.

Davis dominated the first round with superior technical striking wihle also using his strength to push Jeremy up against the cage. The second saw more of the same early, but finished with Stephens trying several submissions. The third started slow until Stephens threw a huge, haymaker right hand that landed on the button and knocked Davis out cold.

Josh Grispi is one of the hardest hitters in the 145 pound division and was supposed to take on Jose Aldo for the title tonight. When Aldo got hurt and had to pull out, former 155er Dustin Poirier took the fight on short notice and moved to 145 for the first time. Great move for Poirier as he dominated Grispi in all three rounds with superior striking. A listless looking Grispi had no answer for Poirier, doing little more than covering up when Dustin came at him guns blazing. Huge win for Poirier and a serious learning experience for the young Grispi.

Phil Baroni has a reputation for having huge power and a shallow gas tank. He moved up to 185 after a loss to Amir Sadollah at 170 in his first fight back in the UFC. Since then he did a full camp with famed MMA camp, AKA, and swore ths would be the beginning of his run at Middleweight. Brad Tavares gained national attention on The Ultimate Fighter. True to form, Baroni rocked Tavares early but was unable to capitalize. Tavares landed a headkick that staggered the New York Badass and followed up with some big blows that ends the fight in the first round.

Mike Brown came into tonight's event as a big favorite over fellow Featherweight Diego Nunes. Brown dominated the first round, closing Nunes' eye and manhandling him. The second saw Brown slow considerably as Nunes put on a kicking clinic...ax kicks, spinning back kicks, roundhouse kicks...you name it. The controversy of the round came midway through when Nunes grabbed the fence two times in a span of 30 seconds with no warning from the referee. The third was close to score, with Brown scoring a few quick takedowns but Nunes successfully working the kicking game again. Two judges see it for Nunes, who gets the biggest win of his 17 fight career.

Greg Soto was very verbal coming into UFC 125 that he would be the better grappler walking into the cage when he faced fellow high level grappler Daniel "Ninja" Roberts. He was proven wrong when Roberts aggressively nailed a kimura toward the end of the first round. Soto had his moments early but the Ninja moved to 12-1 winning the grappling war.

UFC 125 is the first card of 2011 and it should be an amazing card. Pro MMA Radio and Bodybuilding.com are on site to bring you all the action so make sure to check back early and often. ION Television will be broadcasting three prelims at 9PM EST adn then we'll roll into the main card at 10 EST on Pay Per View.

Antonio McKee hasn't lost a fight in seven years, amassing a 25-3 record and an MFC Lightweight Title through a dominant wrestling style. Jacob Volkmann, on the other hand, successfully won two straight since dropping down to 155 from welterweight. The first round was razor thin as the two felt each other out and neither had much of an advantage. The second was all Volkmann as he had McKie fighting off a rear naked choke for over three minutes. McKee took the third with a late takedown but looked like his trademark cardio lost a battle with a first time Octagon adrenalin dump. Two of three judges see it Volkmann 29-28 as he earns a split decision victory and hands McKee his first loss in seven years.

The WEC has earned a reputation for putting on the most exciting cards in all of MMA with one amazing fight card after another. Tonight, in the promotion's final and historic card, the fighters outdid themselves. While the undercard showcased one highlight reel finish after another, the final fight that will ever carry the WEC name, a Lightweight Title scrap between champion Benson Henderson and challenger Anthony Pettis will go down as one of the best fights in WEC history.

The two battled back and forth through the first four rounds, splitting them two apiece. Ben got the better of Anthony in the first round courtesy of several takedowns and some solid ground and pound. Pettis oustruck Ben in the second to earn the round and then pulled ahead by taking the third after spending over two minutes on Ben's back in the standing position while trying to lock in a rear naked choke. The fourth was a narrow round for the champion, tying the score at two rounds apiece going into the final, deciding championship round. Pettis looked solid on the feet and carried a striking advantage into the final 90 seconds of the round. Then it happened. Pettis literally walked up the cage and threw a kick off the cage that landed flush on Henderson's face, knocking him to the ground. Pettis swarmed and a groggy Henderson did his best to survive and try to get a takedown. As the horn sounded, everyone in attendance was dumbfounded at what they just witnessed with that kick...the "Showtime Kick". While Pettis said that they practice the kick in the gym all the time, nailing it in the final deciding seconds of a title fight is another thing entirely. Pettis earns a unanimous decision, the WEC Lightweight Title and a date with the winner of the UFC Lightweight Title fight between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard.

In the other title fight of the evening, Dominick Cruz used fast footwork an in and out style and wrestling to earn a unanimous decision over Scott Jorgensen and keep his WEC Bantamweight belt and simultaneously become the first ever UFC Bantamweight Champ. It may very well have earned him a date with former Featherweight World Champ Urijah Faber.

In earlier action, the WEC's most exciting fighter, Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone submitted Chris Horodecki with a triangle choke and Kamal Shalorus earned a split decision over Bart Palaszewski.

The undercard action will be tough to beat but if you're a fan of the WEC you know that there is never a disappointing card. The main card is loaded with great fights, including two big title fights that will determine the last men to ever hold the WEC Bantamweight and Lightweight titles. Scottie Jogenesen will try to dethrone Bantam Champ Dominick Cruz and Anthony "Showtime" Pettis seeks to take Benson Henderson's Lightweight belt from the champion in Ben's hometown. As if that weren't enough motivation to get in front of your television, one of MMA's most exciting fighters, Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone will stand and bang with heavy handed Chris Horodecki. We'll recap the historic event this Monday, December 20th at 6PM PST, 9PM EST on Pro MMA Radio right here on Bodybuilding.com with the man who founded the WEC, Reed Harris. Don't miss tonight's fights, or Monday's show!

How stacked is WEC 53? Former WEC Lightweight Champion Jamie Varner and All American wrestler Shane Roller, who was one fight away from fighting for the title tonight, didn't make the main card! Varner, an Arizona native, would be expected to have a significant advantage on the feet while Roller would probably be the better wrestler, but not my much. Roller showed vastly improved standup but got a bit too comfortable and got rocked by a big left hook. Roller scrambled to get a takedown and immediately took Varner's back. The end came a minute later by Roller's favorite submission, a rear naked choke.

In the final undercard bout of the evening, Danny Downes upset Chinese import Tiequan Zhang with a convincing unanimous decision. Zhang won the first round, threatening with several deep chokes that left people wondering how Downes continued to breathe. The 23-year old kept his compusure and took a rapidly gassing Zhang down in the second and third rounds and dishing out an unhealthy dose of ground and pound that left no doubt about the decision.

Ivan Menjivar's 21-7 MMA record is impressive for a debuting WEC fighter, until you look at who has he fought. Then it becomes ridiculously impressive. The former welterweight and lightweight fighter now fighting in the featherweight division has fought Matt Serra, Jason Black, Jeff Curran, Joe Lauzon, Urijah Faber, Caol Uno, Bart Palaszewski, Vitor Ribeiro and current training partner Georges St. Pierre. He didn't get an easy draw in his first fight back, getting hard hitting Brad Pickett. Pickett had won nine straight before losing to number one contender Scott Jorgensen in his last fight, earning Fight of the Night honors. Who knows what will happen later, but he could be in great shape to make it two straight awards after the fast paced, 15-minute war tonight. The difference....this time Pickett won, 29-28 on all three scorecards. Pickett took the first and third rounds while surviving a huge overhand right in the second round that could have ended it.

Eddie Wineland was the first WEC Bantamweight Champion and came into tonight's fight with debuting Ken Stone on a three-fight win streak. Stone had gone 9-1 in his young MMA career and the reports coming out of the highly respected American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida were that he was a dynamic fighter to watch for. Stone looked impressive early with some strong inside leg kicks and a nice spinning back fist. Stone jumped on Wineland, pulling guard and beginning to position for a guillotine. Wineland calmly walked him over to the cage and slammed Stone into the mat, knocking him out cold. Think Gerald Harris/David Branch or Rampage/Arona. That's four straight first round finishes tonight and four straight wins for Wineland as he makes his case to enter the discussion of bantamweight contenders.

Danny Castillo and Will Kerr came into their bout with the knowledge that their Zuffa careers were on the line. Castillo had gone 4-3 and Kerr 1-1 in the WEC and the current depth of the UFC's lightweight division would have to be unforgiving to the loser. That's pressure. Kerr opened up with a flying knee that missed, went for a guillotine and ended up on the bottom. He came close on a knee bar but after some tense moments Castillo was able to rain down some big punches to the body that caused Kerr to drop his hands a bit. Castillo then landed several huge shots to Kerr's head that left Kerr unconscious and Castillo with his ticket punched to the UFC.

Ricardo "The Bully" Lamas now knows what it's like to be on the other side of the bully equation. Brazilian Yuri Alcantara landed a thunderous left hand that crumpled Lamas in the first round and gave Alcantara his eighth win in 2010, running his MMA record to 24-3. Alcantara will make an interesting addition to the UFC's stacked lightweight division.