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Multiple winners of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) series have gone onto become UFC champions.But what about those TUF participants who came short of earning that guaranteed six-figure contract with the UFC? Many of these fighters have gone on to very succ…
Multiple winners of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) series have gone onto become UFC champions.
But what about those TUF participants who came short of earning that guaranteed six-figure contract with the UFC? Many of these fighters have gone on to very successful UFC careers of their own.
None of these fighters have been able to capture a title, but a couple have come very close and others have become perennial contenders.
Here are the 10 best TUF participants who didn’t win it all on their season.
On Saturday night, Clay Guida executed his game plan to perfection, took down a superior striker in Anthony Pettis and held him off long enough to win a decision. Some fans called it lay and pray and said it made a promising fight extremely boring.Othe…
On Saturday night, Clay Guida executed his game plan to perfection, took down a superior striker in Anthony Pettis and held him off long enough to win a decision.
Some fans called it lay and pray and said it made a promising fight extremely boring.
Others said it was the perfect way to shut down a fighter like Pettis, and that the constant submission attempts from Pettis on the bottom made it impossible for Guida to try and mount any offense of his own.
Obviously, there are two sides to every argument, but the one thing that tonight showed us is that Guida has become a serious contender for UFC gold.
Dana White has constantly told us that styles make fights, and if we believe him, then you have to believe that Guida’s style makes him a tough matchup for anyone in the division.
The dream skill set for Guida, a wrestler who likes to grind out opponents, comes down to three things.
Guida exhibited once again that he has the best cardio in the sport, going full speed at Pettis for 15 minutes and showing his submission defense has improved dramatically since joining Greg Jackson’s camp in late 2009.
On top of that, Guida’s chin has never come into question as he has never been knocked out in 40 career bouts and has very rarely been rocked. His insane recovery after being kicked in the face by Diego Sanchez comes to mind when you think about how awesome his chin is.
The bottom line is that while Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard are both wrestlers who sit at the top of the division, Guida is a real threat to whichever one of them wins their title fight later this year.
Edgar was able to stuff a few of Maynard’s takedowns back at UFC 125, but he lost his only fight to Maynard back in 2008 by being held on his back for three rounds.
You have to wonder if Guida’s relentless pressure would eventually get to him in a five-round title fight, as it is unlikely that Edgar could finish Clay.
On the other side, Maynard has one of the best wrestling pedigrees in the sport but he showed that his cardio is a bit lacking when he tired out against Edgar back on New Year’s Day.
If Guida was able to avoid the big shot and put the pressure on Maynard for the first couple rounds, he could possibly steal a decision in the later rounds.
A few years ago, it would have been laughable to even suggest that Guida would even be able to get a title shot in the UFC, never mind actually wear the belt.
But it seems like Greg Jackson has turned Guida into a focused, energy driven machine, and it is quite possible that the TUF 13 finale was the beginning of the ‘Era of the Carpenter.’
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
UFC president Dana White said there is a possibility that fans could see a rubber match between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, according to FightersOnly.com.While the idea is still unlikely at the moment, White said he expects to see both competitors …
UFC president Dana White said there is a possibility that fans could see a rubber match between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, according to FightersOnly.com.
While the idea is still unlikely at the moment, White said he expects to see both competitors prepared to fight when the time comes.
“When Frankie and Gray get healthy we will make that fight as soon as possible,” White told FightersOnly.com.
“Hopefully they are both healed in eight weeks and we can do it.”
Both Edgar and Maynard are currently out of action nursing their injuries. Maynard recently had surgery on his knee—which was plaguing him for a couple of months—and is expected to resume training soon.
But Edgar’s injury is more severe and could require more time to recuperate. The UFC lightweight champion is recovering from a nagging back injury. In fact, Edgar hoped to fight through the injury, but he was forced to pull out of his title bout at UFC 130.
Edgar and Maynard have met on two previous occasions. The more recent encounter saw both men fight to a draw and an immediate rematch was tentatively scheduled for UFC 130.
With this announcement from White, anticipation for a third bout between the two lightweights could not be any higher.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
Filed under: UFCIn a way, Gray Maynard has some cause to be thankful that UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar pulled out of their scheduled title fight at UFC 130 this weekend.
Though Maynard told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour …
Filed under: UFC
In a way, Gray Maynard has some cause to be thankful that UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar pulled out of their scheduled title fight at UFC 130 this weekend.
Though Maynard told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour that he would have been healthy enough to show up on fight night if Edgar hadn’t withdrawn with an injury first, the delay did give him the opportunity to address some lingering injury issues of his own.
“[It was] just some old stuff that I’ve been kind of going through for the last couple camps,” Maynard said. “I was like, well, this is for a title so I got to push through it. …Then Edgar pulled out and it was an opportunity to heal up, and I took that opportunity.”
“I would have had to,” he said. “It’s kind of like, if you’re going for the belt, you don’t pull out of a fight.”
You especially don’t pull out of a fight that was already nearly snatched away from you once. After fighting to a draw with Edgar at UFC 125 in January, Maynard was dismayed to hear UFC president Dana White announce that Edgar would move on with other title defenses, leaving Maynard behind despite the inconclusive result.
“I’m in this sport for one reason, and that’s to be at the top,” Maynard said. “The cash, all that stuff, it’s cool, but that’s not why I’m doing it. I’m not in it for that. I’m going to be the best. I want to be the best. I heard that, and you just don’t know what will happen. Will I have a chance again? If I do, it’ll take a long time. How am I going to change up things? You’ve just got all these emotions, and it’s hard to deal with. All your dreams and your goals, it could be gone.”
At least, that’s what he thought until White called to tell Maynard he’d had a change of heart.
“He called me and I was in my hotel room. I was just, you know, I didn’t know what I was going to do. And he called me and he said, ‘It’s f–king yours, kid.’ I think I almost cried, probably. I think I told him I loved him and it went quiet for a minute. Then he was like, ‘Well alright, get to work.'”
And while Maynard said he wasn’t aware of any offer to fight Anthony Pettis after Edgar’s injury withdrawal, he did elaborate on some of the headline-grabbing comments he made about the last reigning WEC lightweight champ.
In a previous interview Maynard had questioned Pettis’ credentials, suggesting that he hadn’t faced enough high-level competition to deserve a shot at a top UFC contender. Though it surprised some to hear the usually reserved Maynard speak so strongly about a fellow fighter, Maynard hardly seemed to realize that it was noteworthy at all.
“I don’t keep up with the news that much, and I remember I was doing probably like three or four interviews. Every interviewer, obviously trying to get things going, was like, ‘Well Anthony, he says that you don’t deserve the title.’ I thought, well, if we’re giving opinions here, then here’s my opinion. … I think Anthony’s a tough kid. He’s young. As for who he’s gone up against, a couple tough guys, but nobody proven, I guess.”
But don’t expect Maynard to make a habit of trash-talking other fighters or, for that matter, trying to get himself noticed on the internet. Even though the UFC is now offering financial incentives for fighters who master Twitter, Maynard remains a mostly passive user for the same reasons that he’s typically soft-spoken in interviews.
“You got everybody trying so hard to get out there, and I don’t know if it’s my attitude, but I don’t really give a f–k. …I’m just me, and that’s not me. These guys are acting like, I don’t know, you’re a gimmick. Do you want to be that or is it you? I don’t know. It’s a gimmick, I think, and it’s not me.”
As for the people – and there are plenty of them – who tell him he should adopt a more vibrant or controversial persona to hype fights? Well, let’s just say they’re probably wasting their breath on Maynard.
“98 percent of the people I talk to are like, ‘Man, you got to build this fight up. You got to do this.’ If the guy’s an a–hole then I’ll tell him he’s an a–hole. But if he’s not, then there’s nothing to talk about.”
UFC lightweight Gray Maynard’s chances of capturing the UFC lightweight title appear to be anything but realistic, as the Xtreme Couture fighter is reportedly undergoing knee surgery, according to Heavy.com.The time frame for Maynard is unknown, but he…
UFC lightweight Gray Maynard’s chances of capturing the UFC lightweight title appear to be anything but realistic, as the Xtreme Couture fighter is reportedly undergoing knee surgery, according to Heavy.com.
The time frame for Maynard is unknown, but he says that he is in great spirits.
“I just had a minor scope on my knee, but everything is going great,” Maynard confirmed to Heavy.com.
Heavy.com also reports that Maynard was suffering from lingering knee issues that were troubling him for months.
Maynard said he had planned to fight through the injury, but after learning his opponent, Frankie Edgar had to withdraw due to a back injury, Maynard decided to pull out as well.
As a result, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Matt Hamill have been slotted in the main event spot. It is expected both Edgar and Maynard will return and meet in a rematch this fall.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive, VideosThe MMA Hour returns on Monday with another stacked lineup. Here’s a list of who will be stopping.
* Former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner will be in studio to talk about life after WEC.
…
Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive, Videos
The MMA Hour returns on Monday with another stacked lineup. Here’s a list of who will be stopping.
* Former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner will be in studio to talk about life after WEC.
* Lightweight Roger Huerta will update us on where he’s been and where’s headed next.
* Golden Glory trainer Martijn de Jong will discuss Glory World Series and upcoming fights for Alistair Overeem, Jon Olav Einemo, Marloes Coenen and others.
* UFC lightweight contender Gray Maynard will talk about his recent injury and when he expects to return to action.
* And MMA Fighting’s Ben Fowlkes will stop by to preview UFC 130 and look at other news making headlines in MMA.
Of course, we’ll be taking your calls. Give us a shout at: 212-254-0193 or 212-254-0237.
*** You can now stream the show live on your iPhone or iPad by clicking here.
Watch the show live below beginning at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. Subscribe to The MMA Hour on iTunes: audio feed here; video feed here. Download previous episodes here. Listen to the show via Stitcher here.