(Hey Ross, why do you gotta be so, like, aggressive? Just take a hit of this and chillllllllll. Photo via Getty.)
Given what we recently found out about Krzysztof Soszynski’s struggles with memory loss following his 39-fight career, it’s almost inevitable that we’d be asking the same questions about Gray Maynard following his second round TKO loss to Ross Pearson at Fight Night 47 last weekend. It was the third straight loss to come in such fashion for the TUF 5 alum and former title challenger, who was previously blitzkrieged by Nate Diaz and TJ Grant in previous appearances, and perhaps the hardest to swallow amid concerns pertaining to his chin in recent months.
While the ceaseless career of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has taught us that the UFC will rarely force a fighter they consider a “draw” into retirement, one has to imagine that Dana White will at least discuss the possibility with Maynard in the near future, right? Well at the Fight Night 47 post-fight press conference, White addressed such concerns:
He came here, he fought. He’s been cleared medically to fight. I think the kid is healthy.
But, you know, it’s probably a discussion we might have. I’m not looking to chase Gray out of the game or anything like that. I’ll talk to him though. These guys go through extensive medical testing and we know getting knocked out isn’t good for you. But we’ll see. He’s a young guy, he’s talented. We’ll see what he wants to do.
Right, because I’m sure that Gray will say anything other than “I just got caught/give me another shot/I had a bad camp.” Have we not yet learned that a fighter’s willingness and his abilities are two different entities? DO NONE OF US EVEN *REMEMBER* BIG NOG VS. NELSON?!!!
And no, Dana, Gray Maynard is not “a young kid.” He is a 35 year old, grown-ass man. In terms of MMA years, he’s actually toward the elder side of the pack. Vitor Belfort is only 37 years old and needs a constant flow of synthetic testosterone just to keep from shrinking into the void where his muscles used to be. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is only 38 years old, but has fought like a mummy on stilts since at least 2012.
But Maynard passed his pre-fight medicals, right? You know who else passed their pre-fight medicals: Ross Clifton.
As Old Dad so eloquently put it, it’s not just that Gray Maynard has dropped his past 3 fights by TKO, it’s that he appears to have gone down easier and each every time. He’s got nothing left to prove and he’s about as far from title contention as humanly possibly, so why let this charade carry on? I know, the UFC should not be able to forcibly end someone’s way of earning money, especially considering that Maynard was never exactly a big enough star to call it a career tomorrow and start counting his millions. But enough is enough already, isn’t it?
My theory, however, is that Maynard’s waning skills are less attributable to his getting older than they are to the fact that Frankie Edgar is a soul sucking parasite from another planet. Just look at most of the names on his record and tell me I’m wrong.
–B.J. Penn: Beaten into retirement
–Ben Henderson: Smoked by Anthony Pettis in their rematch, actually defeated by Edgar at least once
-Gray Maynard: 1-3 since fighting Edgar
-Matt Veach: Dead. (not really, but he might as well be)
-Sean Sherk: Fought once more in the UFC, then disappeared off the face of the earth
-Hermes Franca: Dead. (not really, but hopefully)
The list goes on and on. Instead of forcing Gray into retirement, what we need to do is band together and force Edgar into some sort of contraption that allows us to harness his energy and use it for world domination. WHO’S WITH ME?!