It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Gray Maynard in the cage.
Since his last bout (an uninspiring affair with Clay Guida), Maynard has been on the sidelines, rehabbing a leg injury while watching the rest of the lightweight division go on without him.
Much has changed since Maynard last fought for the mantle of lightweight king, back at UFC 136 in October 2011.
Since that time, he’s seen his conqueror dethroned by Benson Henderson, who has in turn defended his title three times and is but one victory away from becoming the most successful UFC champion the division has ever seen.
Meanwhile, Frankie Edgar has been in high-profile fights ever since, headlining both cards in his battles with Henderson and then again against pound-for-pound notable Jose Aldo.
At UFC 160, Maynard will look to step back into what is now a very crowded room, and waiting to greet him at the door is a very tough and capable fighter in TJ Grant, who looks to make a statement at Maynard’s expense.
This is by no means an easy bout for “The Bully,” at least on paper, but he’s in a division that is perhaps the toughest in the sport and Grant is just one example of this.
There will be no easy touches for him in the foreseeable future, and while he may have aims at knocking Henderson off his perch, he’s got a lot of work to do in order to get within striking distance.
Anytime a fighter suffers a devastating loss, it seems to haunt their steps for quite a while. When you couple that with the frustrating experience of trying to chase Clay Guida down for the better part of 25 minutes, and a lengthy rehab following injury after that, things that once seemed clear suddenly seem cloudy.
Here are the three basic questions we have about Gray Maynard as he returns to action on May 25, 2013.