Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title challenger Gray Maynard will make his return to the cage at TUF 24 Finale on Dec. 3 live from Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, per a recent report by Las Vegas Review-Journal (later confirmed by UFC). Maynard, who will be making his second appearance at 145 pounds, will challenge former TUF winner Ryan Hall.
It’s matchup that will pin one of the best wrestlers in the featherweight division in Maynard against one of the best grappling specialists in Hall.
Maynard, 37, made a successful featherweight debut this past July when he defeated Fernando Bruno via unanimous decision at TUF 23 Finale. It was his first UFC victory since defeating Clay Guida back in 2012 in one of the worst main event fights in promotional history. “The Bully” had fallen on tough times after losing four-straight bouts from 2013-2015 to the likes of Nate Diaz, T.J. Grant, Ross Pearson and Alexander Yakovlev.
Hall, 31, will make his first Octagon appearance since defeating Straight Blast Gym knockout star Artem Lobov at TUF 22 Finale last December. With only six professional mixed martial arts (MMA) bouts to his name, Hall will look to use Maynard’s notoriety and high-profile name to further expand his own UFC stock.
TUF 24 finale will be headlined by a flyweight title fight between current champion Demetrious Johnson and the winner of TUF Season 24 Flyweight Tournament.