In a fight that can only be summed as a total disappointment, Gray Maynard hand his hand raised via split decision over Clay Guida. The bout took a few bizarre turns with Maynard even allowing Guida to hit him a few times without doing anything in return. Fans were expecting a five round action packed roller coaster of a fight but instead were treated to two fighters who were too timid.
What We Will Remember From This Fight:
Obviously fans will remember how much of a disappointment this fight was. Guida and Maynard were expected to go back and forth over the course of 25 minutes. Instead, Guida chose to dance while Maynard was visibly frustrated with the lack of engagement.
Fans will also remember Maynard dropping his hands to allow Guida to hit him and then Maynard immediately stuffing a takedown right after.
What We Learned About Gray Maynard:
Well Maynard was supposed to look like a brand new fighter after switching his training camps. At some points he showed better footwork in being able to cut Guida off but for the most part he looked like the same Maynard as before.
He still swung with wild haymakers and didn’t seem capable of streamlining his punches and kicks into combinations. Only in the final minutes of the fight did Maynard showcase his striking skills.
Maynard may also be a bit disappointed with his wrestling in this fight as well. Guida was able to fend off Maynard’s takedown attempts, something that shouldn’t have happened given how powerful Maynard’s wrestling has looked.
What We Learned About Clay Guida:
For five rounds Guida utilized his trademark dance to bait Maynard into following him around the cage but couldn’t fully capitalize. It looked as if Guida wanted to use the same gameplan as his teammate Carlos Condit used at UFC 143 but was unable to.
Condit was able to land counter punches and clearly won that fight. Guida may have landed more punches but in no way could he be declared the winner of anything except a marathon.
Guida was able to stun Maynard a number of times and even made him bleed in the opening round but Guida was entirely too timid. The normally overly-aggressive fighter fought too safe and it cost him.
Maynard may have not done much to be called a winner either but the only thing Guida won this night was the chance to compete in the next Tour de France.
What’s Next for Gray Maynard:
It’s highly unlikely Maynard will be competing for the lightweight title in 2012 as this performance means Maynard will need to face another top contender. A bout against Anthony Pettis could serve as a title eliminator or a rematch with Frankie Edgar should Edgar fail to win the title.
What’s Next for Clay Guida:
A long look in the mirror. It’s one thing to fight smart or fight safe. Guida did neither as those both involve the word “fighting.” The fact it took a referee’s warning in the final round to finally light a fire under Guida’s behind is perhaps the most telling about Guida’s performance tonight.
Two-straight losses have effectively cemented Guida’s place as the gatekeeper of the lightweight division. Hopefully his next bout doesn’t come after another lengthy layoff because it clearly affected him.
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