Tag: Gray Maynard

Gray Maynard Returns at UFC 160, Faces Ever-Rising Prospect T.J. Grant


(I tell you what, if Maynard is able to catch Grant in his patented Indian rug burn, this shit is gonna be all over.) 

Figuratively speaking, Gray Maynard has not been involved in a UFC fight since he came up short against Frankie Edgar at UFC 136 in October of 2011. Sure, he did his best to nullify the “offense” of Clay Guida at UFC on FX 4 last June, but that exercise in tedium was less a fight and more like watching your cataract-stricken friend try to wrangle up all the cuccos in Kakariko Village on The Legend of Zelda. Although “The Bully” was expected to face Joe Lauzon at UFC 155 last December, he was forced out of the bout with a knee injury that has sidelined him ever since.

But if the above gif is any indication, Maynard has been staying quite active on the sidelines and will be more than ready for his return to the octagon on May 25th at UFC 160, where he will face the streaking veteran T.J. Grant in a battle of top contenders. Grant has been on something resembling a killing spree lately, collecting four straight wins including a first round annihilation of Matt Wiman at UFC on Fox 6 last month. The far-and-away most impressive aspect of Grant’s recent wins has been the drastic improvement to his stand up game, an attribute he credits to the time he spent training in Thailand.

In a way, this fight is kind of a lose-lose for Maynard, at least by Ed Soares’ concept of the term.


(I tell you what, if Maynard is able to catch Grant in his patented Indian rug burn, this shit is gonna be all over.) 

Figuratively speaking, Gray Maynard has not been involved in a UFC fight since he came up short against Frankie Edgar at UFC 136 in October of 2011. Sure, he did his best to nullify the “offense” of Clay Guida at UFC on FX 4 last June, but that exercise in tedium was less a fight and more like watching your cataract-stricken friend try to wrangle up all the cuccos in Kakariko Village on The Legend of Zelda. Although ”The Bully” was expected to face Joe Lauzon at UFC 155 last December, he was forced out of the bout with a knee injury that has sidelined him ever since.

But if the above gif is any indication, Maynard has been staying quite active on the sidelines and will be more than ready for his return to the octagon on May 25th at UFC 160, where he will face the streaking veteran T.J. Grant in a battle of top contenders. Grant has been on something resembling a killing spree lately, collecting four straight wins including a first round annihilation of Matt Wiman at UFC on Fox 6 last month. The far-and-away most impressive aspect of Grant’s recent wins has been the drastic improvement to his stand up game, an attribute he credits to the time he spent training in Thailand.

In a way, this fight is kind of a lose-lose for Maynard, at least by Ed Soares’ concept of the term. On one hand, Grant would make for another solid win in Maynard’s column, but on the other, he is still a relatively unknown commodity as far as casual audeinces go. While a win for Maynard would pretty much solidify the theory that he is a perennial top contender without likely earning him another title shot, a win for Grant would skyrocket him to the top of the division while sending Maynard careening down the ranks.

Also on tap for UFC 160 is an intriguing battle at lightweight that pits the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov against Abel Trujillo, who displayed some of the nastiest knees to the body this side of St. Pierre/Serra 2 in his promotional debut victory over Marcus LeVesseur at UFC on Fox 5. Currently 3-0 in the UFC, Nurmagomedov is on the heels of a first round TKO via hellstorm of elbows over a roided-up Thiago Tavares at UFC on FX 7. 

Will Trujillo be able to stop the freight train that is Nurmagomedov, or will the Russian roll through yet another opponent? Let’s just hope both fights are entertaining, or we’re pretty sure all of these dudes will be out of a job come May 26th.

–J. Jones

Gray Maynard Draws TJ Grant in Lightweight Showdown at UFC 160

The UFC may find their next No. 1 contender at lightweight in May when Gray Maynard squares off with TJ Grant as part of the UFC 160 card headed to Las Vegas. The bout marks Grant’s fifth fight at lightweight. Maynard returns to action almost a year af…

The UFC may find their next No. 1 contender at lightweight in May when Gray Maynard squares off with TJ Grant as part of the UFC 160 card headed to Las Vegas.

The bout marks Grant’s fifth fight at lightweight. Maynard returns to action almost a year after his last fight in the Octagon, after dealing with injuries that sidelined him for the better part of the last 12 months.

UFC officials made the announcement about the lightweight fight late Thursday night.

Gray Maynard will look to get back into the title picture when he returns to action in May after knee surgery kept him out of his last scheduled bout in December. The former Michigan State wrestler had to go under the doctor’s knife to repair damage to both his medial and lateral meniscus, putting him out of training for more than a month.

Now healthy and back in the gym, Maynard will look to make a strong statement with his next fight and hopefully take one more step towards securing another title shot in the UFC’s 155 pound division.

Facing Maynard at UFC 160 will be Canadian grappler and recent lightweight import TJ Grant.

Debuting in the UFC as a welterweight, Grant went 3-3 overall, but never looked outclassed even against bigger fighters at the time. Grant lost a very close majority decision to current top-ranked UFC welterweight Johny Hendricks in 2010, but eventually made the move down to lightweight where he’s shown true dominance.

Grant has gone 4-0 since dropping to 155 pounds, and after besting Evan Dunham at UFC 152, he returned and obliterated Matt Wiman by knockout in the first round at UFC on FOX 6 in January.

Now, Grant has his best and biggest shot to make a real impact in the lightweight division as he faces a former title contender in Gray Maynard. 

With champion Benson Henderson battling Gilbert Melendez in April, and current top lightweight contender Anthony Pettis dropping down to 145 pounds for a showdown with featherweight champion Jose Aldo in August, the fight between Maynard and Grant could be pivotal in the UFC lightweight championship picture.

 

Damon Martin is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report.

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Gray Maynard Pushing for Fourth Fight with Edgar, Coaching Spot on TUF

One of the most popular trends in MMA these days is fighters keeping their name in the headlines by calling out opponents. Gray Maynard is no different. Maynard has been on the shelf for several months now, most recently pulling out of a bout with Joe …

One of the most popular trends in MMA these days is fighters keeping their name in the headlines by calling out opponents. Gray Maynard is no different.

Maynard has been on the shelf for several months now, most recently pulling out of a bout with Joe Lauzon at UFC 155. Lauzon would lose to another top lightweight, Jim Miller, which forced Maynard to set his sights on newly minted top contender Anthony Pettis.

With Pettis now planning to drop to 145 lbs to fight Jose Aldo for the featherweight belt, Maynard is once again without a hypothetical opponent. That in mind, he is now setting his sights on an old foe, Frankie Edgar. These, and much more, come from Maynard’s Twitter:

Indeed, Maynard seems to be throwing all his calling-out eggs into the Frankie Edgar basket.

Maynard and Edgar combined to create one of the best MMA trilogies of recent years. Still, courtesy of a draw in their initial rematch, a fourth fight between the two would effectively serve as a rubber match, with the record currently standing at 1-1-1.

The match makes perfect sense for Maynard, who is in desperate need of a big fight after a knockout loss to Frankie Edgar, and a much-loathed fight against Clay Guida. A bout with Edgar, especially one built up through a season on The Ultimate Fighter, would keep him in the limelight and keep him relevant at the top of the lightweight picture.

That said, Edgar’s future remains uncertain. Even though Edgar was a highly successful lightweight, his small size worked against him in some fights, particularly those with now-champion Benson “Smooth” Henderson. This resulted in a well-received drop to featherweight that scored him a title fight with Jose Aldo.

Edgar lost in somewhat-controversial fashion to Aldo, making it a mystery whether he will stay at featherweight for another fight with Aldo, return to lightweight or perhaps even drop down further and make a run at bantamweight.

Either way, a fourth match between Edgar and Maynard would likely be welcomed by fans.

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Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar: 5 Reasons It’s Too Close to Call

In the main event of UFC 156, UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will take on former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar. This could be the most exciting featherweight championship fight in MMA history. It could also be one of the closest.&nbsp…

In the main event of UFC 156, UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will take on former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar. 

This could be the most exciting featherweight championship fight in MMA history. 

It could also be one of the closest. 

While some may believe Aldo’s striking alone is enough to give him the edge, Edgar has never been stopped in his MMA career and may be faster than any opponent that Aldo has ever faced. 

This fight could go down to the judges. 

Here are the reasons why they could have a very difficult decision to make. 

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Gray Maynard: ‘Whether Now or Later, Pettis and I Are on a Collision Course’

Gray Maynard is set on making 2013 the year he climbs back to title contention.After a knee injury forced him out of a scheduled bout with Joe Lauzon at UFC 155, “The Bully” is ready to get his run to the top of the lightweight division back on track. …

Gray Maynard is set on making 2013 the year he climbs back to title contention.

After a knee injury forced him out of a scheduled bout with Joe Lauzon at UFC 155, “The Bully” is ready to get his run to the top of the lightweight division back on track. The 155-pound weight class is arguably the most competitive under the UFC banner and the former Michigan State wrestling standout is looking to face the best the division has to offer.

With that in mind, Maynard has his sights set on an early summer return and would love nothing more than to mix it up with newly-minted No. 1 contender Anthony Pettis.

Maynard was in attendance this past weekend in Chicago when the former WEC lightweight champion steamrolled Donald Cerrone in their showdown at UFC on Fox 6. The first-round TKO win over “Cowboy” put Pettis in the position to wait for the winner of Henderson versus Melendez at UFC on Fox 7 in April.

While Maynard doesn’t discount the importance of having a title shot hanging in the future, he also knows firsthand how much can go wrong in the process. Fighters get injured, rematches happen and if Pettis‘ shot at the crown is pushed back, Maynard extended the invitation to punch his dance ticket.

“Pettis is the fight I would love to have,” Maynard told Bleacher Report. “At the same time, I understand why he would wait for a title shot. That is what we are all working towards and if that is on his plate then I get sitting out. But things rarely go as planned in this game and if something happens as a result of the Henderson vs. Melendez fight and Pettis decides he’s tired of waiting then I’d be happy to oblige him. The way I see it, whether it happens now or later, Pettis and I are on a collision course.

“He does some exciting things inside the cage and I think it would be a great challenge trying to solve that puzzle. I watched him beat Cerrone this weekend, but “Cowboy’s” style was the perfect matchup for Pettis to do what he does best. Cerrone comes forward with a straight up and down Muay Thai-style and Pettis was able to dictate space and get off on him. That’s not the way I fight and I think I would present some difficult challenges for him.”

Coming off a win over Clay Guida last June in Atlantic City, Maynard appeared ready to regain his footing in the lightweight division. But following a knee injury suffered during training along with a lengthy recovery time, the 33-year-old once again found himself waiting as the divisional race continued.

Rather than focus on the negatives, Maynard has used the opportunity to heal up additional nagging injuries which have lingered for some time. The TUF alum is now prepared to begin his journey back to the sport’s biggest stage and is fully aware of the shark tank he will return to.

“The lightweight division is crazy right now,” Maynard said. “You take the top guys and put them in a fight and it’s anyone’s game on any given day. There is no rankings when it comes to title contention. It is who is winning big fights and making the most noise. Right now that guy is Anthony Pettis and why wouldn’t I want to fight him? Check my resume. I’ve only fought the top guys. I have wins over Frankie Edgar, Nate Diaz, Jim Miller, all who are or have been top-level guys in this weight class.

“I’m kind of in Purgatory right now,” Maynard added. “I’m not in Heaven and I’m not in Hell. I’m not on the doorstep of a title shot but I’m not out of the picture either. Having to drop out of the Lauzon fight and the time off has been difficult, but I’m choosing to only focus on the positives. I’ve had a lot of nagging injuries that have lingered over the past and this time away has allowed me to heal them up and become totally healthy for the first time in years. I’m going to come back stronger and better than ever and the I guarantee I’m making a run at that lightweight title.”

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10 Memorable Moments from the UFC’s Past Januarys

The UFC will bring two big free events to the masses in 2013, and we will undoubtedly be given more astonishing moments that will stick with us for a long time.January events are stuck between the New Year’s and Super Bowl cards that are so highly tout…

The UFC will bring two big free events to the masses in 2013, and we will undoubtedly be given more astonishing moments that will stick with us for a long time.

January events are stuck between the New Year’s and Super Bowl cards that are so highly touted, but still find a way to deliver big.

UFC 18 was the first ever event to kick off the new year for the UFC. Bas Rutten TKO’d Tsuyoshi Kosaka, Tito Ortiz stopped Jerry Bohlander, Evan Tanner debuted, and Pat Miletich defended his UFC Lightweight Championship.

Since that event in 1999, the UFC has given us many more moments as the calendar turned to a new year.

Here are 10 memorable moments from past Januarys.

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