Tag: Gray Maynard

UFC: Jim Miller Looking to Avenge Losses; Calls out Gray Maynard

Closing out 2012 with a blood-filled war against Joe Lauzon, longtime UFC veteran Jim Miller is ready to climb the ladder once again. And in the eyes of the New Jersey native, the next step comes in the form of two-time UFC title challenger Gray Maynar…

Closing out 2012 with a blood-filled war against Joe Lauzon, longtime UFC veteran Jim Miller is ready to climb the ladder once again. And in the eyes of the New Jersey native, the next step comes in the form of two-time UFC title challenger Gray Maynard.

Miller called out Maynard on Friday’s edition of MMAJunkie radio, where he was a call-in guest.

“I guarantee you nobody else is asking to fight Gray,” Miller said.

Not only was Maynard the original UFC 155 opponent of Joe Lauzon, but he previously faced Miller back at UFC 96. “The Bully” earned a clean sweep on the judges’ scorecards, which resulted in the only loss for Miller in his first 10 UFC contests.

Both Miller and Maynard have had a mixed bag of success in their most recent contests, with each man winning two of his last four contests.

Miller was riding the momentum of seven straight wins when he was steamrolled by now-champion Benson Henderson at UFC on Versus 5. He rebounded with a win over Melvin Guillard last January before being overwhelmed by Nate Diaz back in May.  His Fight of the Year victory over Lauzon allowed him to end 2012 on a high note.

Maynard was successful in his most recent bout, a split-decision against Clay Guida over the summer. That win followed a pair of unsuccessful attempts to wrestle the UFC lightweight championship away from Frankie Edgar in 2011.

This is a good fight for Gray to take, as he is looking to get back into the title picture sooner rather than later. However, with Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez entering the UFC in the near future, Maynard will need an impressive win against a top name if he is going to do that. If he can dominate Miller the second time around, a third shot at UFC gold is nearly a certainty.

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[VIDEOS] Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Donald Cerrone, + More Make Their Picks for Ben Henderson vs. Nate Diaz

Can you guys imagine what the MMA landscape will be like if Nate Diaz is able to defeat Ben Henderson on Saturday, thus becoming the lightweight champion? For starters, this article will be the first and last time you ever see the word “thus” in a sentence where the subject is a Diaz, but on the grander scale, just try and imagine the ways a Diaz with a belt will throw a wrench into the UFC’s plans. Interviews snippets will be so short and incoherent that MMA writers will be forced to resort to rambling, ludicrous conspiracy theories just to pass the time. And as for the brand-promoting public appearances that have become the standard for a champion? You can forget about those; we’re talking about a man who once tried to fight a fictional Brazilian character at a Jiu-Jitsu expo for Christ’s sake. If one fan even mentions the Maynard fight around Diaz in public, the UFC will probably have a full-scale riot on their hands.

If you would, just picture Nate Diaz at an anti-bullying seminar for a moment. After showing up 3 hours late and being reluctantly called to the stage, Diaz will deliver a one minute diatribe aimed at America’s “faggoty yoots” who should “just like, yeah, I dunno” before calling out “that bitch Georges,” his eyes never lifting from the linoleum floor. When he is informed that he is in fact the lightweight champion and can’t fight GSP right now, Diaz will declare that he’s “done with this shit” before slapping that stupid ass hat off the school’s gym teacher on his way out the door. Simply put, it will be glorious.

Anyway, MMAInterviews recently asked a bevy of pros including Frankie Edgar, Randy Couture, Gray Maynard, and Donald Cerrone to determine the likelihood of a world in which a Diaz is champion, and believe it or not, the overwhelming majority of them believe it’s something we should start preparing ourselves for.

Part 1 is above and part 2 is after the jump.

Can you guys imagine what the MMA landscape will be like if Nate Diaz is able to defeat Ben Henderson on Saturday, thus becoming the lightweight champion? For starters, this article will be the first and last time you ever see the word “thus” in a sentence where the subject is a Diaz, but on the grander scale, just try and imagine the ways a Diaz with a belt will throw a wrench into the UFC’s plans. Interviews snippets will be so short and incoherent that MMA writers will be forced to resort to rambling, ludicrous conspiracy theories just to pass the time. And as for the brand-promoting public appearances that have become the standard for a champion? You can forget about those; we’re talking about a man who once tried to fight a fictional Brazilian character at a Jiu-Jitsu expo for Christ’s sake. If one fan even mentions the Maynard fight around Diaz in public, the UFC will probably have a full-scale riot on their hands.

If you would, just picture Nate Diaz at an anti-bullying seminar for a moment. After showing up 3 hours late and being reluctantly called to the stage, Diaz will deliver a one minute diatribe aimed at America’s “faggoty yoots“ who should “just like, yeah, I dunno” before calling out “that bitch Georges,” his eyes never lifting from the linoleum floor. When he is informed that he is in fact the lightweight champion and can’t fight GSP right now, Diaz will declare that he’s “done with this shit” before slapping that stupid ass hat off the school’s gym teacher on his way out the door. Simply put, it will be glorious.

Anyway, MMAInterviews recently asked a bevy of pros including Frankie Edgar, Randy Couture, Gray Maynard, and Donald Cerrone to determine the likelihood of a world in which a Diaz is champion, and believe it or not, the overwhelming majority of them believe it’s something we should start preparing ourselves for.

By a final tally of 8 to 3 (with 4 undecided), it appears as if Diaz would be the heavy favorite coming into Saturday’s fight. The most telling pick in my opinion would be that of former champ Frankie Edgar, who you might recall actually beat Ben Henderson at UFC 150 yet was declared the loser (YEAH, I SAID IT). Edgar believes Diaz will lay a good old fashioned 209 curb-stomping on Henderson. The bookies, however, do not share this sentiment, as Henderson is currently a slight favorite hovering around -155.

So we might as well get the obligatory question out of the way: Who do you like for this fight and how, Potato Nation?

–J. Jones

Gray Maynard on Injury: "My Knee Was Bothering Me for Three Years"

Most people probably couldn’t tell by looking at him, but UFC lightweight Gray Maynard has been pushing through pain during a great deal of his career.During an interview with host Ariel Helwani on Fuel TV’s UFC Tonight, Maynard discussed at lengt…

Most people probably couldn’t tell by looking at him, but UFC lightweight Gray Maynard has been pushing through pain during a great deal of his career.

During an interview with host Ariel Helwani on Fuel TV‘s UFC Tonight, Maynard discussed at length the injury that eliminated him from a UFC 155 main card fight with Joe Lauzon on December 29th in Las Vegas.

Maynard cited that his knee had a medial tear and lateral tear, both further complied with additional injuries and years of scar tissue. Although he tried to push through the pain for two weeks, Maynard chose to make an early call before it got too close to UFC 155:

I had a hamstring issue and then I had the knee issue. I’m actually going to fly from here to get a scope on my knee. I’ll be out for a month, so [it] left me no time to train. [I] wanted to tell [the UFC] kinda early, not “late”-late. They got a great guy in for me. That’s gonna be an awesome fight.

It’s been bothering me for about three years, to be honest. Then it happened again about two weeks ago, and then the hamstring and the knee. It was just—I couldn’t train. At all.

Maynard speculated that he would need some time to get his knee checked out and “heal up a bit” before returning to training. By his own estimation, the lightweight title contender could be back in fighting shape by early February at the soonest.

Maynard noted that there are speculations about fights with Eddie Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez, but didn’t indicate that anything was in the works just yet. Helwani pressed Maynard for a prediction on the upcoming UFC lightweight title fight between champion Ben Henderson and challenger Nate Diaz, but “The Bully” couldn’t decide between them on the spot.

Maynard’s last fight in the Octagon resulted in a critically-panned bout against Clay Guida, who was criticized for avoiding exchanges with his heavy-handed opponent.

Maynard would win a close split-decision nonetheless, snapping a two-fight winless streak from failed bids at then-champion Frankie Edgar’s lightweight title.

Despite a 1-1-1 record in his last three fights, Maynard is still considered by many publications to be one of the top five lightweights on the UFC roster.

Prior to challenging Edgar for the UFC Lightweight Championship, “The Bully” racked up an impressive undefeated streak (10 wins and one no contest) against high-profile opponents. After losing a semifinal exhibition match against Nate Diaz in Season Five of The Ultimate Fighter, Maynard rebounded with victories over the likes of Kenny Florian, Jim Miller and Roger Huerta.

Notably, Maynard is one of only two men to have defeated Edgar (the other being current champion Henderson). He also defeated Nate Diaz in a January 2010 rematch during a UFC Fight Night event.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Shane Carwin, Gray Maynard Both Pull Out of December Fights Due to Knee Injuries


(In a related story, Roy Nelson was recently diagnosed with advanced dickdo disease.)

Well, we saw this one coming a mile away. After suffering a “minor knee injury” back in September, Shane Carwin has now pulled out of his scheduled fight against Roy Nelson at the TUF 16 Finale on December 15th, due to a knee injury that may or may not be related to the last one. UFC president Dana White confirmed the bad news last night, and said that the promotion is looking for a new opponent for Nelson.

It’s a terrible setback for Carwin, who hasn’t competed snce June 2011 due to a series of neck and back surgeries, and was already forced to drop out of a fight with Nelson at UFC 125. Carwin hasn’t won a fight since his knockout of Frank Mir in March 2010, and at age 37, his competitive days are running out. There’s no word yet on the severity of Shane’s injury, or when he might return to action.

And by the way, this means that five of the last seven U.S. seasons of TUF — 10, 11, 13, 15, and now 16 — as well as one of the two international seasons (TUF Brazil), have ended with the coaches’ fight being canceled or delayed. Spooky. We’ll let you know when Roy Nelson picks up his replacement opponent. Our suggestion: How about Pat Barry, who’s already booked on the card against Shane Del Rosario?

And hey, speaking of UFC stars who have to pull out of fights next month due to knee injuries…


(In a related story, Roy Nelson was recently diagnosed with advanced dickdo disease.)

Well, we saw this one coming a mile away. After suffering a “minor knee injury” back in September, Shane Carwin has now pulled out of his scheduled fight against Roy Nelson at the TUF 16 Finale on December 15th, due to a knee injury that may or may not be related to the last one. UFC president Dana White confirmed the bad news last night, and said that the promotion is looking for a new opponent for Nelson.

It’s a terrible setback for Carwin, who hasn’t competed since June 2011 due to a series of neck and back surgeries, and was already forced to drop out of a fight with Nelson at UFC 125. Carwin hasn’t won a fight since his knockout of Frank Mir in March 2010, and at age 37, his competitive days are running out. There’s no word yet on the severity of Shane’s injury, or when he might return to action.

And by the way, this means that five of the last seven U.S. seasons of TUF — 10, 11, 13, 15, and now 16 — as well as one of the two international seasons (TUF Brazil), have ended with the coaches’ fight being canceled or delayed. Spooky. We’ll let you know when Roy Nelson picks up his replacement opponent. Our suggestion: How about Pat Barry, who’s already booked on the card against Shane Del Rosario?

And hey, speaking of UFC stars who have to pull out of fights next month due to knee injuries…

It was also confirmed yesterday that lightweight contender Gray Maynard recently caught a knee injury in training that will prevent him from meeting Joe Lauzon at UFC 155: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez II, December 29th in Las Vegas. According to Maynard’s manager, the Bully suffered tears in both the medial and lateral meniscus in his knee, and will undergo surgery next week. His recovery time is only expected to be three-to-five weeks before he can resume training. Maynard’s last appearance was that weird split-decision over Clay Guida in June.

Stepping in to replace Maynard against Lauzon will be Jim Miller, who will attempt to rebound from his submission loss to Nate Diaz in May. Better than nothing, I guess. The current lineup of UFC 155 looks like this…

Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez
Forrest Griffin vs. Phil Davis
Tim Boetsch vs. Chris Weidman
Alan Belcher vs. Yushin Okami
Chris Leben vs. Karlos Vemola
Brad Pickett vs. Eddie Wineland
Phil De Fries vs. Matt Mitrione
Michael Johnson vs. Myles Jury
Leonard Garcia vs. Cody McKenzie
Byron Bloodworth vs. Erik Perez

Gray Maynard Injured, Jim Miller vs. Joe Lauzon Set for UFC 155

Injuries, injuries and more injuries.Shortly after announcing that UFC heavyweight Shane Carwin had blown out his knee, the promotion has now revealed that lightweight Gray Maynard is sidelined from his UFC 155 bout with Joe Lauzon.However, this fight …

Injuries, injuries and more injuries.

Shortly after announcing that UFC heavyweight Shane Carwin had blown out his knee, the promotion has now revealed that lightweight Gray Maynard is sidelined from his UFC 155 bout with Joe Lauzon.

However, this fight has a ready replacement.

Jim Miller will be stepping in for Maynard against Lauzon, although it’s uncertain if this bout will remain a title eliminator situation.

Maynard last competed this past June as one-half of the main event at UFC on FX 4, winning a split decision against Clay Guida. Notably, the match was critically panned by fans and pundits alike, as Guida opted to use frantic footwork in order to avoid Maynard’s heavy hands.

Prior to that, Maynard came up short in two bids to take Frankie Edgar’s lightweight title, with a split draw decision at UFC 125 and a fourth-round KO loss at UFC 136.

Miller has also fallen on hard times lately, losing in violent fashion against Nate Diaz by guillotine submission at UFC on Fox 3. Miller’s sitting at 1-2 in his last three matches, with his other loss coming at the hands of current UFC lightweight champion Ben Henderson.

UFC 155 will be the promotion’s last event in 2012, taking place in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on December 29th.

It’s unknown what spot Miller vs. Lauzon will take on the card, which is planned to feature a heavyweight title fight between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez as the main event. Alistair Overeem was originally planned for the bout, but is serving suspension for elevated testosterone levels following a positive drug test.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

*Fingers Crossed* Guida vs. Hioki, Grant vs. Wiman, + More Added to Stacked UFC on FOX 6 Card


(We know, Clay, we had a hard time watching your last fight too.) 

It’s looking like the crippling power of this year’s injury curse is going to be tested early come 2013, because the UFC’s first major network event of the year is currently stacked with more budding talent than a Miss Teen USA pageant. Aside from the Cerrone/Pettis, Jackson/Teixeira, and Dodson/Johnson fights that were announced earlier this week, the UFC has recently announced that Clay Guida will be making his featherweight debut again Hatsu Hioki at the same event as well.

Guida’s last performance saw him channel Steve Prefontaine for the majority of five rounds against Gray Maynard at UFC on FX 4, earning him his second straight loss at lightweight following his much more exciting loss to current champion Benson Henderson at the inaugural UFC on FOX event.

Despite the fact that he is coming off a close decision loss to Ricardo Lamas at the same event, there’s no denying that Hioki is still considered to be one of the top contenders at 145, so a win over Hatsu is not only essential for Guida — he has never dropped three straight in his MMA career — but would easily launch him up the list of potential contenders to boot. Let’s just hope he brings a more aggressive strategy against Hioki or we could be in for a long three rounds.

Also booked for UFC on FOX 6…


(We know, Clay, we had a hard time watching your last fight too.) 

It’s looking like the crippling power of this year’s injury curse is going to be tested early come 2013, because the UFC’s first major network event of the year is currently stacked with more budding talent than a Miss Teen USA pageant. Aside from the Cerrone/Pettis, Jackson/Teixeira, and Dodson/Johnson fights that were announced earlier this week, the UFC has recently announced that Clay Guida will be making his featherweight debut again Hatsu Hioki at the same event as well.

Guida’s last performance saw him channel Steve Prefontaine for the majority of five rounds against Gray Maynard at UFC on FX 4, earning him his second straight loss at lightweight following his much more exciting loss to current champion Benson Henderson at the inaugural UFC on FOX event.

Despite the fact that he is coming off a close decision loss to Ricardo Lamas at the same event, there’s no denying that Hioki is still considered to be one of the top contenders at 145, so a win over Hatsu is not only essential for Guida — he has never dropped three straight in his MMA career — but would easily launch him up the list of potential contenders to boot. Let’s just hope he brings a more aggressive strategy against Hioki or we could be in for a long three rounds.

Elsewhere on the card…

A matchup between surging lightweights T.J. Grant and Matt Wiman is also in the works for the UFC’s return to Fox. Despite fighting in the UFC for over three years, one could argue that Grant finally had his coming out party in his last fight against Evan Dunham at UFC 152. The submission specialist actually managed to outstrike the striker for the majority of the fight, mutilating Dunham’s face worse than Mark Dacascos does a Japanese accent en route to a unanimous decision victory. It was Grant’s third straight victory since dropping to lightweight and sixth overall under the Zuffa banner. Wiman is also coming off the biggest win of his career, having submitted undefeated submission whiz Paul Sass via first round armbar at UFC on FUEL 5 in his last octagon appearance. The TUF 5 alum has now won 5 of his last 6 fights.

And finally, the featherweight pairing of two top contenders in Erik Koch and Ricardo Lamas — which was originally reported to be transpiring at UFC 155 — has also been added to the January 26th Fox card. No word yet on whether or not the UFC will bring the winner of the Guida/Hikoi fight into the octagon afterward to engage in a good old fashioned staged confrontation, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed.

Oh yeah, a heavyweight matchup between Mike Russow and Shawn Jordan has also been added to UFC on Fox 6, but judging by their last performances, you probably couldn’t give a shit.

Now here’s a cat attacking a small child. Good day.

–J. Jones