Number one Welterweight title-shot contender, Gray Maynard pretty much told MMAFA he’s not all that impressed with Mr. “Showtime Kick,” Anthony Pettis. In the interview, Maynard sums up his opinion of Pettis by saying:
“I mean, who has he fought? I’ve been in the trenches this whole time fighting the toughest guys. He throws one kick and then he’s the greatest in the world? Let’s look at who he’s fought. Ben Henderson is the best name. And I don’t mind fighting him; I don’t care if I win the belt and then I have to take him on. But for me, guys like Miller, Melendez and all of these guys who have been on the f***ing grind, fighting the best competition for the past few years… that’s what I look at. Who have you fought? I don’t care about how good you looked when you fought a scrub. That doesn’t matter. If a guy isn’t good then you’re not supposed to look good. And for me, [Pettis] has fought one good guy in Ben, and he isn’t proven yet. He’s tough as hell, but we’ll see.”
Um… Maynard… has… a… point? But to Pettis’ credit, he’s also finished 3 of his last four fights, and all things considered, the Ben Henderson victory could be looked at as a TKO. Maynard, though extremely deserving of his UFC 130 rubber match, hasn’t finished anyone since a KO over Joe Veres in 2007. *Note: that KO did come in the first 9 seconds of the first round.
Both fighters have earned our respect and we can’t wait to see Maynard vs. Edgar 3 or that Anthony Pettis vs. Clay Guida upcoming June 4th spectacle.
