Tag: Gray Maynard

UFC 136 Fight Card: Gray Maynard Is "Pumped" to Fight Frankie Edgar Again

UFC lightweight contender Gray Maynard is looking forward to meeting lightweight champion Frankie Edgar in the Octagon again at UFC 136, and he’s had plenty of time to plan for it.The duo were originally supposed to squash their UFC 125 beef at UFC 130…

UFC lightweight contender Gray Maynard is looking forward to meeting lightweight champion Frankie Edgar in the Octagon again at UFC 136, and he’s had plenty of time to plan for it.

The duo were originally supposed to squash their UFC 125 beef at UFC 130, but both men were injured and the fight was delayed a further six events. However, Maynard was unfazed at his injury as well as the postponement of the match.

“It was easy to get back [into training],” Maynard said at a media call that BleacherReport.com attended. “I love to train. I only took off about three or four weeks because of a scope on my elbow. The whole time I planned out the camp I would have and it was all good.”

Their last fight, an epic encounter that ended in a controversial draw, was a crowd pleaser, but not everyone went home happy.

“The draw hurt a little bit,” he said. Fortunately for Maynard, the rematch was immediately booked. Now, he’s just ready and waiting. “I’m pumped to have it again and we’ll wait for the eighth.”

In the last fight, Maynard nearly finished Edgar with a long and devastating flurry of punches, but the champ ultimately pulled through and fought back to earn a draw. While being so close to a title yet so far would be devastating to a man of average mental toughness, it’s nothing too terrible for Maynard, who probably would’ve gotten bored as title-holder anyway.

“I’ve come close to a lot of goals. I also have a lot of goals that I did accomplish. It always feels really good at the time but the next day it’s always onto the next one.”

Their second title fight (which is actually their third fight overall) promises to be more intriguing than the first since now each man knows everything about the other man’s abilities.

What will Gray Maynard do to deal with the speed and agility of Frankie Edgar? How will Edgar handle Maynard’s size and strength?

The world will be waiting with bated breath until October 8th when the two fighters finally square off to decide who is the UFC lightweight champion.

 

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Gray Maynard Is "Obsessed" in Beating UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar

On October 8 in Houston, Texas, Gray “The Bully” Maynard is prepared to unleash nine months of pent-up frustration on the current UFC lightweight champion, Frankie Edgar.Speaking with Sportsnet.ca in Canada, Maynard spoke candidly about his past two ma…

On October 8 in Houston, Texas, Gray “The Bully” Maynard is prepared to unleash nine months of pent-up frustration on the current UFC lightweight champion, Frankie Edgar.

Speaking with Sportsnet.ca in Canada, Maynard spoke candidly about his past two matchups with Edgar.

“I’m not too embarrassed to say I’ve become obsessed with taking the UFC lightweight title from Frankie Edgar,” Maynard stated. “I beat Edgar when we fought in 2008 as contenders on the way up, and I beat him even worse on New Year’s Day for the belt, only for the judges to give it a draw.”

A realist, Maynard does not hold any animosity towards the current champion. “I am going into this fight angry. Not angry at Edgar—he did what he had to and is tough and a good fighter.,” Maynard said.

Wanting to prove to the world that he is the best lightweight fighter, Maynard told Sportsnet that this trilogy matchup with Edgar is “nothing personal with him, other than I need to beat him worse than ever to make sure everyone understands I am the best fighter at 155 pounds.”

Reflecting on their previous matchup in January, Maynard was pragmatic in the dissection of his performance. 

“In January, I knocked him down three times in the opening round, a lot of referees would have stopped it there and then, but he’s a tough guy and he hung in there. I made a couple mistakes in trying to finish him off too much and not being careful not to burn out, but I feel I won three rounds to two, plus I won the first round BIG and it should have been scored 10-7,” stated “The Bully.”

Not one to dish dirt on fellow fighters, Maynard spoke candidly regarding the politics associated with the fighting industry.

“I still don’t like talking crap about other fighters and competitors and I’m not going to do my worst Muhammad Ali impression to get a spotlight on myself. But, yes, it is frustrating I don’t get the credit I feel I have earned,” Gray stated.

Maynard has defeated five of the top lightweights in the world prior to receiving his title shot with Edgar. A solid competitor, “The Bully” is all about wins and competing against the very best.

“I never complained when I had to fight top guy after top guy,” Maynard said. “That’s what competition is all about and what I’m all about. I don’t ask or want no gimmie fights. I didn’t complain about fighting five southpaws in a row, even though actually that did suck quite a lot. And I am not complaining now. This is just what I’m thinking ahead of this fight and I’m just being real and honest. And, honestly, I am ready for a war at UFC 136.”

Driven and focused, Maynard will stop at nothing to secure what he believes is his championship belt.

“Edgar knows that after two attempts, he’s come nowhere near close to beating me. He also knows I have the power to knock him out. Edgar will be better than ever for this fight, but so will I and my best beats his best every time. Next Saturday, he will be in pain. He will be hurt come October 8th,” Maynard concluded.

UFC 136 will be Maynard’s chance at redemption against Edgar. You can follow Gray Maynard’s tweets up til fight day @GrayMaynard.

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UFC 136: Jose Aldo Ready To Defend His Gold Against Veteran Florian

When he left World Extreme Cagefighting as its final featherweight champion, many expected Jose Aldo (19-1) to be the first man not named Urijah Faber to come from the promotion and gain mainstream success in the UFC.His dynamic striking, engaging pers…

When he left World Extreme Cagefighting as its final featherweight champion, many expected Jose Aldo (19-1) to be the first man not named Urijah Faber to come from the promotion and gain mainstream success in the UFC.

His dynamic striking, engaging personality and seeming invincibility in the 145lbs. realm provided the fuel, all he had to do was put it together.

Booked to fight on New Year’s Day 2011, Aldo had to pull out of his first defense of the newly-created UFC featherweight title due to injury. He was re-booked to defend against Mark Hominick at UFC 129 in Toronto, where the biggest crowd in North American MMA history saw what he was all about.

A five round war against the home favourite Hominick ensued, a memorable scrap that had Rogers Centre bouncing and made both combatants $129,000 richer as a result of matching ‘Fight of the Night’ bonuses.

“It couldn’t have been a much better night. Fighting in the UFC for the first time and defending my title for the first time was great.”

Now, in his second defense—another that was rescheduled due to injury—Aldo will see veteran contender Kenny Florian across the cage. Florian, a longtime staple of the UFC, dropped to featherweight after two failed attempts to win gold at lightweight.

Aldo has great respect for the challenger, and doesn’t take offense to a notion many have that Florian is moving down solely to take his title away.

“It’s a natural transition for Kenny, a lot of guys move up and down in weight. I’m focused on my training, I respect Kenny, I don’t take it personally.”

For Florian, the fight is a chance at cementing his legacy as a champion, instead of the best bridesmaid the UFC has ever seen. Aldo has a legacy of his own to protect, seen by many as a top pound-for-pounder and a man who could reign atop the division for as long as he sees fit.

However, after a video of Aldo’s battle with cutting weight for the Hominick fight recently surfaced online,  the possibility that he may elect to compete at a higher weight class seems to be growing more realistic.

“Since I started training martial arts, going back to my jiu-jitsu days, I’ve always been cutting a lot of weight. I’m comfortable now at 25 years old cutting that weight, but there may come a time when I’m older that I have to look at going to lightweight. Right now though, I’m okay cutting the weight. Before [UFC 129] we were working on putting on muscle mass, that might have been why that weight cut was a little bit more.”

Regardless of where his future lies and what his plans are, the violent Brazilian has one task at hand at the moment, that of a very crafty, very talented veteran on October 8. Kenny Florian is no joke for anyone, and Aldo knows what he’s up against.

“I’ve fought taller guys, guys with longer reach. All I can do is expect to impose my gameplan and win the fight.”

The talking is done. All that’s left is to lock the cage door and see which man is better. The champion believes it’s him, and he’ll look to prove it at UFC 136.

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UFC 136 Preview: 8 Things to Watch for

With UFC 135 in the books, much of the focus in MMA has turned to UFC 136. Taking place October 8th from Houston, Texas, UFC 136 will be headlined by two championship fights. Kenny Florian will challenge Jose Aldo for the featherweight title,…

With UFC 135 in the books, much of the focus in MMA has turned to UFC 136. 

Taking place October 8th from Houston, Texas, UFC 136 will be headlined by two championship fights. 

Kenny Florian will challenge Jose Aldo for the featherweight title, while Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard will have their highly anticipated third bout for the UFC lightweight title. 

Here are some things to look out for on what should be an exciting night of fights.

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UFC 136: Will Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard Deliver the Excitement Again?

Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard will square off at UFC 136 in what is already one of the most anticipated bouts of 2011.This won’t be the first time these two fighters met. Not even the second. UFC 136 will be the third time Edgar and Maynard will meet….

Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard will square off at UFC 136 in what is already one of the most anticipated bouts of 2011.

This won’t be the first time these two fighters met. Not even the second. UFC 136 will be the third time Edgar and Maynard will meet.

The first time these two mixed martial artists met was at a UFC Fight Night in April of 2008. Less talked about then, Maynard left Broomfield, Colorado victorious, giving Edgar the first defeat of his career.

Since then, Edgar has gone on to defeat UFC veteran B.J. Penn to be declared the UFC lightweight champion. Maynard went on to defeat notable opponents in Roger Huerta, Nate Diaz and Kenny Florian.

After both fighters went on unbeaten streaks, they crossed paths and met again at UFC 125 in what would end up being one of the greatest bouts in UFC history.

In a five-round battle, Maynard dominated action early, rocking the lightweight champion in the very first round.

All but down and out, Edgar battled back to win the second round, making it known to all why he was champion of the 155 weight class.

The tides turned when Maynard took advantage of the third round as it appeared he was well on his way to being declared the new champion of the lightweight division.

Edgar had other plans when he locked in a guillotine choke that nearly put Maynard to sleep. Maynard somehow broke loose from the submission and both fighters headed to the fifth and final round.

Both fighters were drained, but that didn’t stop them from swinging away at one another. After a few failed takedowns, the final bell rang as the results where now in the hands of the judges.

The judge’s scorecards read 48-46, 46-48 and 47-47, declaring the bout a draw.

An immediate rematch was put into place as both fighters will meet at UFC 136 in an epic grudge match.

The only question that remains is, can Edgar and Maynard deliver the excitement again?

Absolutely.

Edgar knows his days of being a UFC champion may be numbered and will be in the best shape of his life. The same came be said for Maynard, who appears much larger than the champion.

They key to this grudge match is who can set the tone. Maynard, who let Edgar battled back to a draw, won’t make the same mistake twice.

While this fight is unpredictable, expect similar excitement as when these two last met at UFC 125.

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UFC 136’s Frankie Edgar Prepares for Title Defense Against Gray Maynard

UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar (13-1-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC) is in the final weeks of preparation for his title defense against Gray Maynard (10-0-1 MMA, 8-0-1 UFC) at UFC 136 on October 8. The fight is Edgar’s third title defense and he’s now return…

UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar (13-1-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC) is in the final weeks of preparation for his title defense against Gray Maynard (10-0-1 MMA, 8-0-1 UFC) at UFC 136 on October 8.

The fight is Edgar’s third title defense and he’s now returning to the Octagon for the second time in 2011.

Earlier this year, the champion was put to the test in a five-round draw and his elite conditioning helped him survive a dominant opening round from Maynard.

Edgar was able to escape a 10-8 opening round to even the scorecards. While a draw isn’t ideal, his supreme work ethic, which had him in phenomenal shape, played a huge factor in the fight.

TRX and Prime One Video recently caught up with the champion to get his thoughts on training.

“I consider myself (to be) one of the hardest training guys in this sport,” Edgar said. “I know a lot of guys train hard, but for me, for myself I don’t compare myself to anybody else because you can’t do that. Everyone is an individual, so I know I push myself to the limits every day.”

He’ll once again put his skills to the test in hopes of retaining the lightweight championship and in order to do so, he will have to be in top form.

The Toyota Center in Houston, Texas plays host to the event with Edgar and Maynard as the night’s headliner.

For additional information, follow Joshua Carey on Twitter

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