UFC working on pairing Anthony Pettis against Clay Guida

By Case Keefer (contact)

Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011 | 6 p.m.

Anthony Pettis emerged as the biggest victim after Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard fought to a draw in the lightweight championship fight at UFC 125.

Pettis, the final holder of the WEC lightweight belt before the merger with UFC, was next in line to receive a shot at the winner before the fight. But the draw forced UFC President Dana White to grant Maynard a rematch with Edgar before anyone else got a chance at the champion.

Instead of waiting around for the better part of a year to get his title opportunity, Pettis has decided to keep fighting. White confirmed in a conference call Tuesday that Pettis' next opponent likely would be Clay Guida, who submitted Takanori Gomi via guillotine choke at UFC 125.

"It's not a done deal," White said. "But it's a fight we're talking about."

The winner of Pettis vs. Guida likely would get an opportunity to face the lightweight champion next. Although no dates are set for either the Edgar-Maynard rematch or the Pettis fight, it should be at least four months because UFC's pay-per-view main cards are mostly set through UFC 129 on April 30 in Toronto.

Guida is the major beneficiary from the situation. He's won three fights in a row, but it was unclear how far away he was from the belt after the Gomi victory.

Beating Pettis, considered the top contender behind Maynard, would put him closer to a championship bout. After his UFC 125 victory, Guida said he was targeting a title shot sometime in the next year.

"There's no exact number, but I hope by the end of 2011 if I keep getting better at wrestling, striking and everything," Guida said.

White not sure what to expect from Lesnar on "The Ultimate Fighter"

It almost seemed unnatural that Brock Lesnar agreed to serve as a coach on the new season of "The Ultimate Fighter."

Lesnar loves fighting, but hates the media attention that comes along with it. That leads some to believe that Lesnar's stint as a coach on the show's 13th season will be a volatile one. White doesn't necessarily disagree.

"I'm already prepared for this mentally," White said. "It's going to be a tough season. I know it is. I deal with Brock in very short spurts. The guy fights two or three times a year and it's always tough. It's going to be a very interesting six weeks of filming."

Lesnar will coach against Junior Dos Santos when the show starts filming in town in two weeks. When White made the announcement on Tuesday's teleconference, he was bombarded with questions regarding whether or not Lesnar would embrace his role.

"Brock is not exactly a happy-go-lucky guy, so who knows?" White said. "Who knows what's going to happen this season? Who knows who's going to be there to coach and start trouble? I honestly don't know."

Hominick could punch ticket for featherweight championship fight

White raised the stakes for one of the main card fights on next Saturday's "UFC: Fight For The Troops 2" in Fort Hood, Texas.

White said if Mark Hominick defeated George Roop in their featherweight bout, he would receive a title shot against Jose Aldo at UFC 129 in Toronto. White is not sure who will fight Aldo if Roop wins.

"It's back to the drawing board," White said.

Aldo, who carried his WEC featherweight belt into the UFC, was supposed to make his debut against Josh Grispi at UFC 125. But he pulled out with a neck injury.

Dustin Poirier, a 21-year old up-and-comer, filled in for Aldo and upset Grispi. That result opened the possibility for Hominick to fight Aldo in his first official UFC defense.

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.