(Despite Gray’s best efforts to convince him, Nate Diaz simply wasn’t having any of his “I’m just looking for where I parked my car” defense. via Getty)
Having dropped 3 out of his last 4 fights and not competed in over a year, Nate Diaz will return to the octagon this Saturday to take on rising contender Michael Johnson in the co-co main event of UFC on FOX 17. If the photos circulating the web are any indication, it looks like Diaz is finally starting to take this sh*t seriously, which is a good thing, because when he does, you get results like the ones above.
It may not have been the trilogy fight that any of us were asking for, but Diaz’s performance against Gray Maynard at the TUF 18 Finale in November of 2013 was easily one of his greatest to date — an absolutely savage display of the Diaz’s “punches in bunches” style of boxing and his quickest UFC finish to boot. So to celebrate the arrival of UberDiaz to the UFC’s graces, let’s relive the night he turned a former title challenger in a mumbling, stumbling monster from an Abbott & Costello movie.
(Despite Gray’s best efforts to convince him, Nate Diaz simply wasn’t having any of his “I’m just looking for where I parked my car” defense. via Getty)
Having dropped 3 out of his last 4 fights and not competed in over a year, Nate Diaz will return to the octagon this Saturday to take on rising contender Michael Johnson in the co-co main event of UFC on FOX 17. If the photos circulating the web are any indication, it looks like Diaz is finally starting to take this sh*t seriously, which is a good thing, because when he does, you get results like the ones above.
It may not have been the trilogy fight that any of us were asking for, but Diaz’s performance against Gray Maynard at the TUF 18 Finale in November of 2013 was easily one of his greatest to date — an absolutely savage display of the Diaz’s “punches in bunches” style of boxing and his quickest UFC finish to boot. So to celebrate the arrival of UberDiaz to the UFC’s graces, let’s relive the night he turned a former title challenger in a mumbling, stumbling monster from an Abbott & Costello movie.
Video after the jump.
I’m just saying, if this Nate Diaz shows up to the cage on Saturday, “The Menace” is gonna be in for a looooong night.
A once-in-a-lifetime meeting between two of MMA’s brightest stars will take place on a wrestling mat at Sunday’s Grapple at The Garden event.
In the hallowed halls of Madison Square Garden, two-time UFC lightweight title contender Gr…
A once-in-a-lifetime meeting between two of MMA’s brightest stars will take place on a wrestling mat at Sunday’s Grapple at The Garden event.
In the hallowed halls of Madison Square Garden, two-time UFC lightweight title contender Gray Maynard and surging World Series of Fighting lightweight contender Ozzy Dugulubgov will return to their grappling roots and compete in the sport that started it all.
Maynard, a two-time state champion and collegiate All-American from Michigan State University, credits his wrestling years for molding him into the man he is today.
The chance to perform in front of millions under the bright lights of the UFC is a unique opportunity, but nothing could ever trump the nostalgia gained from throwing on the old wrestling singlet and stepping back onto the mat.
“It’s the sport that created who I am,” Maynard told Bleacher Report. “I wouldn’t be where I am if I didn’t do that sport, so it’s a good opportunity. Of course, I’ll keep doing it whether it’s coaching or whatever it is my whole life. It’s good to get back and compete for sure.”
The overused moniker of blood, sweat and tears is often tossed around with little meaning for nearly every sport. But few athletes understand sacrifice like those involved in wrestling.
There are no multimillion dollar contracts or blue-chip sponsors. For wrestlers, only the priceless title of self-fulfillment lies at the end of the beaten path filled with broken bones and crushed dreams. It’s a sport that is known to turn young boys into men.
Dugulubgov was one of those young boys.
Born and raised in the war-torn Russian region of North Caucasus, the WSOF star cut his teeth in wrestling by getting into street fights. He once told NBC Sports that it wasn’t out of the ordinary for the average street fight in North Caucasus to turn into a wrestling match, where guys were actually trying to score points on one another.
As the son of Anatoli Dugulubgov, a wrestling legend and national champion, Ozzy never had the option of losing street confrontations. He has carried the many lessons taught by his father into adulthood.
Like Maynard, Dugulubgov is overwhelmed by the nostalgic trip down memory lane that Sunday’s wrestling match gives him.
“Wrestling is one of the sports that I loved in my childhood,” Dugulubgov said when speaking with Bleacher Report. “It’s an amazing art in my eyes. It’s the sport that I believe that every man who’s able to do it should do it and have a chance to try. It’s an amazing art, not just physically but mentally as well.
“Honestly, I’m never excited for my fights. It’s always like, ‘Let me go and complete my task.’ I’m always looking at it like I have a task to complete. The wrestling for me is like a big game, like a big excitement. I’m very happy to be there, and I can’t wait to be there, and I’m really looking forward to Sunday.”
Grapple at the Garden is a major event that will feature a plethora of familiar faces from the MMA and grappling community, including Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, Bellator bantamweight champ Joe Warren, Olympic gold medalist and five-time Russian world champion Khadjimurad Gatsalov and Armenian world champion Arsen Julfalakyan.
The event will also feature collegiate competition between 25 teams representing NCAA Divisions I to III, as well as NJCAA junior colleges and NCWA club programs.
Tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased online at www.TheGarden.com, all Ticketmaster locations and the Madison Square Garden box office. The event will also air live on pay-per-view, as well as in iPPV format on GFL.tv.
All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. JordyMcElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.
(Woah, hold on a second, Nate. We both see those tiny Christina Aguilera monsters scurrying around on the canvas, right? Photo via Getty.)
Thanks in part to Joe Rogan’s heartfelt and brutally honest call for UFC heavyweight and close friend Brendan Schaub to retire, head trauma has once again been thrust into the limelight of the MMA blogosphere (along with, you know, that multimillion dollar lawsuit thingy). And honestly, it’s a difficult discussion to have when the people calling for so-and-so’s retirement are the very same who have a good chuckle every time some dude gets felled like a oak tree. If we tune in each weekend with the expectation (and dare I say it, hope) of seeing a fighter get his lights turned off, then who are we to tell them when *we’ve* grown tired of seeing it happen?
Look no further than the case of Gray Maynard, for instance. Just a few years ago, Maynard was considered to be one of the toughest fighters in the lightweight division — a man who was just barely edged by Frankie Edgar after inflicting some trauma of his own on the former champ. In the time since, “The Bully” has dropped four out of his past five contests, with every last one of those losses coming via an increasingly difficult to watch form of TKO.
The cries for Maynard to simply give up on his dream and retire have grown louder with each skull-shattering loss, but the TUF 5 alum has refused to hear them. In a move that is sure to draw the same cringeworthy reaction from those critics, Maynard recently signed an eight fight extension with the UFC that will most certainly account for a couple more black spots on his brain in the not-so-distant future.
After the jump: More details on Maynard’s eight-fight deal. Plus, Pat Barry goes on the defensive (no!), and Jens Pulver unretires again (NOOOO!!!!).
(Woah, hold on a second, Nate. We both see those tiny Christina Aguilera monsters scurrying around on the canvas, right? Photo via Getty.)
Thanks in part to Joe Rogan’s heartfelt and brutally honest call for UFC heavyweight and close friend Brendan Schaub to retire, head trauma has once again been thrust into the limelight of the MMA blogosphere (along with, you know, that multimillion dollar lawsuit thingy). And honestly, it’s a difficult discussion to have when the people calling for so-and-so’s retirement are the very same who have a good chuckle every time some dude gets felled like a oak tree. If we tune in each weekend with the expectation (and dare I say it, hope) of seeing a fighter get his lights turned off, then who are we to tell them when *we’ve* grown tired of seeing it happen?
Look no further than the case of Gray Maynard, for instance. Just a few years ago, Maynard was considered to be one of the toughest fighters in the lightweight division — a man who was just barely edged by Frankie Edgar after inflicting some trauma of his own on the former champ. In the time since, “The Bully” has dropped four out of his past five contests, with every last one of those losses coming via an increasingly difficult to watch form of TKO.
The cries for Maynard to simply give up on his dream and retire have grown louder with each skull-shattering loss, but the TUF 5 alum has refused to hear them. In a move that is sure to draw the same cringeworthy reaction from those critics, Maynard recently signed an eight fight extension with the UFC that will most certainly account for a couple more black spots on his brain in the not-so-distant future.
But according to the former #1 contender, he’s had all the necessary MRI’s and stuff, so we should all just stop worrying! As he told Bloody Elbow:
I wanted to take a little time off. My last three fights were all TKOs, so I took time off after each bout, just in case. There’s been lots of talk about traumatic head injuries, so I wanted time to heal up. Every time I would talk to Dana, he would have me go get checked out, head to toe with MRIs and all kinds of stuff. I realize that this career won’t last forever. I have a daughter now, too. I have to take care of myself.
Those last two statements, you guys. I just can’t.
Speaking of head trauma, there aren’t many fighters who have suffered more of it in the past 4 years than Jens Pulver, who has retired and unretired no less than 16 times in that span. With his career record ever-nearing the .500 mark, Pulver most recently came out of his retirement over the weekend, announcing that he would be facing the currently unbeaten Fransino Tirta at ONE FC 26 in February. It is a questionable move for the 40-year-old, to put it lightly, but one that fits into the former UFC champion’s “take no prisoners” lifestyle.
While being a smart enough guy to both acknowledge and address our concerns for his health, Pulver told MMAJunkie that, “Life isn’t guaranteed, but you ride that son of a bi-ch until the wheels fall off.”
“That’s the way I look at it,” Pulver continued, “Now, let me find out that I have dementia and then come back and talk to me. Let’s see if I say the same thing then.”
There’s really not much you can say about a man who simply refuses to heed the words of his naysayers, so let’s just hope that it doesn’t take a horrific mental disease in order to finally get Pulver to do so. It seems to be headed that way, though.
Also mentioned in Old Dad’s riveting/depressing latest read was Pat Barry, the former UFC fighter and current kickboxer who has been viciously knocked out in his past 3 performances across both platforms. His most recent bout against Zack Mwekassa at Glory 16 was a particularly tough loss to watch, and was followed by the usual cries for him to retire. Chief among them was Barry’s former training partner Brock Lesnar, who had been calling for Barry to hang up his gloves dating back to his final fights in the UFC.
But “HD” simply isn’t hearing it.
“People tell you, ‘Come on man, you’ve got to stop,’” said Barry to MMAJunkie. “But what do you care? Don’t you want to see people get bludgeoned out there? Don’t you want to see people get high-kicked unconscious? Isn’t that what you’re watching these highlights and stuff for? And yeah, they do want to see that. So why do you suddenly care about me now?”
It takes me back to my opening point, and one we have discussed countless times before. As fans of combat sports, we are inherently drawn to the spectacle of seeing someone get dropped with a head kick, or submitted with a leg lock (unless the person doing the submitting is Rousimar Palhares), etc. It’s why we tune in week after week — to see the most dangerous athletes in the world battle in the ultimate test of technique, heart, or some combination of the two — and simultaneously why we so passionately object when we feel a fighter is being misappropriated, often by their own doing.
But to quote Saccaro, “In an age when athletes are shooting themselves in the chest to preserve their battered brains for study, we have to ask ourselves what combat sports (and even contact sports in general) are worth.”
(Hey Ross, why do you gotta be so, like, aggressive? Just take a hit of this and chillllllllll. Photo via Getty.)
Given what we recently found out about Krzysztof Soszynski’s struggles with memory loss following his 39-fight career, it’s almost inevitable that we’d be asking the same questions about Gray Maynard following his second round TKO loss to Ross Pearson at Fight Night 47 last weekend. It was the third straight loss to come in such fashion for the TUF 5 alum and former title challenger, who was previously blitzkrieged by Nate Diaz and TJ Grant in previous appearances, and perhaps the hardest to swallow amid concerns pertaining to his chin in recent months.
He came here, he fought. He’s been cleared medically to fight. I think the kid is healthy.
But, you know, it’s probably a discussion we might have. I’m not looking to chase Gray out of the game or anything like that. I’ll talk to him though. These guys go through extensive medical testing and we know getting knocked out isn’t good for you. But we’ll see. He’s a young guy, he’s talented. We’ll see what he wants to do.
Right, because I’m sure that Gray will say anything other than “I just got caught/give me another shot/I had a bad camp.” Have we not yet learned that a fighter’s willingness and his abilities are two different entities? DO NONE OF US EVEN *REMEMBER* BIG NOG VS. NELSON?!!!
(Hey Ross, why do you gotta be so, like, aggressive? Just take a hit of this and chillllllllll. Photo via Getty.)
Given what we recently found out about Krzysztof Soszynski’s struggles with memory loss following his 39-fight career, it’s almost inevitable that we’d be asking the same questions about Gray Maynard following his second round TKO loss to Ross Pearson at Fight Night 47 last weekend. It was the third straight loss to come in such fashion for the TUF 5 alum and former title challenger, who was previously blitzkrieged by Nate Diaz and TJ Grant in previous appearances, and perhaps the hardest to swallow amid concerns pertaining to his chin in recent months.
He came here, he fought. He’s been cleared medically to fight. I think the kid is healthy.
But, you know, it’s probably a discussion we might have. I’m not looking to chase Gray out of the game or anything like that. I’ll talk to him though. These guys go through extensive medical testing and we know getting knocked out isn’t good for you. But we’ll see. He’s a young guy, he’s talented. We’ll see what he wants to do.
Right, because I’m sure that Gray will say anything other than “I just got caught/give me another shot/I had a bad camp.” Have we not yet learned that a fighter’s willingness and his abilities are two different entities? DO NONE OF US EVEN *REMEMBER* BIG NOG VS. NELSON?!!!
And no, Dana, Gray Maynard is not “a young kid.” He is a 35 year old, grown-ass man. In terms of MMA years, he’s actually toward the elder side of the pack. Vitor Belfort is only 37 years old and needs a constant flow of synthetic testosterone just to keep from shrinking into the void where his muscles used to be. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is only 38 years old, but has fought like a mummy on stilts since at least 2012.
But Maynard passed his pre-fight medicals, right? You know who else passed their pre-fight medicals: Ross Clifton.
As Old Dad so eloquently put it, it’s not just that Gray Maynard has dropped his past 3 fights by TKO, it’s that he appears to have gone down easier and each every time. He’s got nothing left to prove and he’s about as far from title contention as humanly possibly, so why let this charade carry on? I know, the UFC should not be able to forcibly end someone’s way of earning money, especially considering that Maynard was never exactly a big enough star to call it a career tomorrow and start counting his millions. But enough is enough already, isn’t it?
My theory, however, is that Maynard’s waning skills are less attributable to his getting older than they are to the fact that Frankie Edgar is a soul sucking parasite from another planet. Just look at most of the names on his record and tell me I’m wrong.
The list goes on and on. Instead of forcing Gray into retirement, what we need to do is band together and force Edgar into some sort of contraption that allows us to harness his energy and use it for world domination. WHO’S WITH ME?!
On Saturday night, Gray Maynard suffered his fourth loss by (T)KO in as many fights. His only win since 2010 was a split-decision win over Clay Guida. He has suffered two first-round TKOs, a fourth-round knockout and then a second-round TKO Saturday.
H…
On Saturday night, Gray Maynard suffered his fourth loss by (T)KO in as many fights. His only win since 2010 was a split-decision win over Clay Guida. He has suffered two first-round TKOs, a fourth-round knockout and then a second-round TKO Saturday.
He was ranked No. 12 going into the fight, but with a loss to the unranked Ross Pearson, Maynard will likely drop out of the top 15.
Many are hoping that Maynard will retire, as his chin has shown serious problems as of late, but should he stick around, let’s check out four fights for him to take next.
The race to become a future title contender in the UFC light heavyweight division is still taking shape and the main event of Fight Night 47 put the spotlight on two fighters who were looking to take a big step toward the top of the division.
Both Ryan…
The race to become a future title contender in the UFC light heavyweight division is still taking shape and the main event of Fight Night 47 put the spotlight on two fighters who were looking to take a big step toward the top of the division.
Both Ryan Bader and Ovince Saint Preux had put together solid winning streaks going into their showdown on Saturday night, and there was plenty on the line when they collided in Bangor, Maine.
The Ultimate Fighter season eight winner had found success in three of his last four outings coming into Fight Night 47, including dominant one-sided victories in his two most recent showings.
The former Arizona State University wrestling standout’s wins over Anthony Perosh and Rafael Cavalcante brought him one step closer to earning a place in the elite tier of the 205-pound fold, and he was going to need to add another notch in the win column against Saint Preux to carve out his place on the light heavyweight divisional hierarchy.
The same rang true for OSP, as the former University of Tennessee football player had been making waves of his own under the UFC banner. The former Strikeforce veteran won his first four showings inside the Octagon, and a win over Bader would catapult him into a whole new level of competition at 205.
While Saint Preux had quietly climbed the ladder going into Saturday night, a main event showcase against a perennial Top 10 staple was going to be the biggest test of his career.
Once the cage door closed, a grind fest began. While both fighters were slinging heavy shots in the early goings, the main story of the fight was Bader’s wrestling. The Power MMA leader used his grappling pedigree to slam and roll Saint Preux all around the Octagon en route to the unanimous decision victory. It wasn’t pretty, but OSP had zero answers for the wrestling prowess of the heavy-handed, Arizona-based fighter.
While the main event featured two fighters looking to solidify themselves as potential title contenders, the co-main event was fought under different circumstances.
Gray Maynard was once considered one of the top lightweight fighters in the world, but the Bully had fallen on rough times as of late and desperately needed a victory to remain relevant in the ultra-competitive mix at 155 pounds. A win over Ross Pearson would prove he still had more to give inside the Octagon. However, a loss would prove disastrous for a fighter who nearly claimed the lightweight strap back in 2011.
It was a similar picture for the Real Deal. Where the former TUF winner was once a promising prospect at 155 pounds, a rocky patch sent the British slugger looking for success in featherweight waters.
Unfortunately for Pearson, he would meet even more adversity and decided to return to his natural weight class in hopes of re-establishing his footing. While his fights against Melvin Guillard and Diego Sanchez would end in controversial fashion, the Englishman still felt he had some momentum going into his tilt with Maynard at Fight Night 47.
There was plenty on the line between the two lightweights, and it was Pearson who would take the big step forward. The Real Deal weathered Maynard’s aggression in the first round only to catch the former title challenger with a stiff shot in the second and pound out the victory. It was undoubtedly the biggest win of Pearson’s career, and he did it in impressive fashion.
In addition to the two bouts at the top of the card, there was plenty of action that went down in Bangor on Saturday night. There were plenty of good scraps and a few phenomenal comebacks that showed just how unpredictable MMA can be.
Let’s take a look at the good, bad and strange from Fight Night 47.
The Good
Ryan Bader is a fighter who has always been close to breaking through into the elite level of the light heavyweight division. The 31-year-old has put together several streaks throughout his time in the UFC, but each time Darth appeared to be gaining momentum, he would suffer a setback at the hands of one of the divisional elite.
That said, the Power MMA leader has been on a hot streak as of late and had won two consecutive fights heading into his tilt with Ovince Saint Preux. The bout with OSP represented his last step before elevating to the next level of competition in the 205-pound fold, and the Arizona-based fighter handled the challenge with ease.
Though Bader has been known to get caught up in slug fests in the past, he stuck to his game plan against Saint Preux and consistently put the former University of Tennessee football player on his back.
When the final bell sounded, it was Bader winning the unanimous decision victory to pick up his third consecutive win inside the Octagon. While Bader said he was going to address a few injuries in the aftermath of this fight during his post-match interview, a potential bout with either Alexander Gustafsson, Rashad Evans, or Anthony Johnson would make perfect sense.
Coming into Fight Night 47, Ross Pearson had been riding an emotional roller coaster. His two most recent fights had ended in controversial fashion, and while he was unable to notch a win in either bout, the Real Deal still felt he had some solid momentum heading into Saturday night.
While the British slugger was originally slated to face Abel Trujillo on the card, an injury suffered by the Team Blackzilians fighter forced him to withdraw, and the UFC tapped former title challenger Gray Maynard to step into the co-main event slot opposite Pearson. Although a last-minute change of opponent can be difficult to deal with, the Bully had far more name value than Trujillo so Pearson was eager to accept.
The biggest question coming into the matchup was whether or not Pearson could stop Maynard’s wrestling, and it was an aspect he struggled with in the opening frame. Yet, as things got underway in the second round, Pearson picked up on Maynard’s timing and started to do damage with his boxing.
After Pearson dinged up Maynard with a few solid shots in the second round, he landed a stiff right that wobbled the perennial title contender. Once Pearson recognized he had his opponent in trouble, he amplified the pressure and pounded out the victory.
With the win over Maynard, the Sunderland, England native not only picks up the biggest win of his career, but will take a nice jump up the rankings in the 155-pound fold. It was a sharp performance for Pearson at Fight Night 47, and his next opponent will certainly come from the elite tier of the stacked lightweight division.
***
In 2012 Tim Boetsch was quietly making a case for title contention in the middleweight division. That said, losses in three of his next four fights pushed him to the edge of obscurity in the 185-pound fold. The Barbarian came into his bout against surging prospect Brad Tavares in desperate need of a victory, and in the early goings, that didn’t look like it was going to happen. The young Hawaiian battered Boetsch early, but as he’s proven in the past, the gritty veteran isn’t out until the referee steps in. And that’s precisely what happened.
As Tavares waded in with a right hand, Boetsch countered with a left that dropped the Ray Sefo protege to the canvas. Tavares attempted to scramble out, but Boetsch connected with a right hand and ended the fight. With the win, Boetsch will remain relevant in the middleweight division and picked up a huge win in front of his hometown crowd.
***
It was a wild frenzied fight between Seth Baczynski and Alan Jouban from the get go. Both fighters came out looking to impose their respective wills, and Baczynski had the edge early on when a left hook put the undefeated prospect down on the canvas. Yet Jouban would recover and turn the tides with a flurry of his own, putting the TUF alum away with a swarm of shots against the cage. In addition to making an impressive UFC debut, Jouban also showed he has heart to go along with his model looks.
***
The action in the heavyweight division can be unforgiving at times, and Shawn Jordan had certainly been on the business end of things recently. The former LSU alum had suffered back-to-back knockout losses coming into his tilt with Jack May on Saturday night and desperately needed a victory to keep his place on the UFC roster. While there was nothing pretty about it, Savage hung tough and ultimately pounded out the stoppage victory midway through the final round. The win over May is Jordan’s first victory since June 2013 and will ensure the American Top Team fighter lives to see another day inside the Octagon.
***
Thiago Tavares had been on the sideline for a good stretch but finally made his return to the Octagon at Fight Night 47. In addition to getting back to work, the stocky Brazilian was also making his featherweight debut against seasoned veteran Robbie Peralta. While there were questions as to how the lay off and weight cut would affect his performance, Tavares wasted no time silencing those doubts as he smashed the Californian via rear-naked choke en route to one of his most impressive showings in years.
***
Due to the current lack of depth in the upper tier of the flyweight division, the winner of the bout between Jussier Formiga and Zach Makovsky was going to take a huge step up the ladder. Both men had solid momentum going into the tilt, but when the action got underway it was all Formiga. The Brazilian outworked and out-wrestled the former NCAA Div. I standout en route to the unanimous decision victory. With the win over Fun Size, Formiga has now won three of his last four showings and is guaranteed to draw one of the division’s bigger names in his next outing.
***
Tom Watson came into Fight Night 47 needing a win, which is exactly what transpired in his tilt with Sam Alvey. Kong jumped out to an early lead in the bout as he battered Smiling Sam’s lead leg and scored frequently while fighting at a distance. The scrappy Brit was up two rounds on the judges’ cards going into the final frame and managed to survive a late charge from the MFC veteran to pick up his first win since February 2013.
***
When a fighter makes their UFC debut there is a lot of pressure to make a lasting impression, and Frankie Saenz let it all hang out. He came out after Nolan Ticman from the opening bell and kept the pressure on full steam until the final bell. While he wasn’t able to put his opponent away, Saenz’s performance was all heart and fury from the get go. When the final bell sounded, it was a clean sweep on the judges’ scorecards as Saenz picked up his first victory under the UFC banner.
The Bad
It is cliche to say a fighter’s back is against the wall, but that was certainly the case for Gray Maynard coming into Fight Night 47.
Where the Bully once had the lightweight strap within his grasp back in 2011, things have gone downhill for him in the three years since. After suffering a knockout at the hands of his rival Frankie Edgar in their trilogy bout at UFC 136, Maynard has found victory in only one of his four showings since, with each of his three defeats coming by way of getting finished by the opposition.
While the former three-time All-American looked sharp in the first round of his tilt against Ross Pearson on Saturday night, the Real Deal picked up on his timing and landed a starching right hand that wobbled Maynard in the second round. Once the Power MMA transplant was rocked, the British slugger poured it on and pounded out the stoppage with flurry on the canvas.
With the loss being Maynard’s third consecutive setback via knockout, it will be difficult for the former contender to hold onto his spot in the elite level of the division. Furthermore, Maynard suggested he had thoughts of retiring following his previous loss against Nate Diaz, so it will be interesting to see what decision he makes about his fighting career.
***
This may seem to be a strange place to put someone who actually won their fight, but Sara McMann really needed to show more. When she stepped in to face Lauren Murphy, it was the former Olympic silver medalist’s first outing since her disappointing loss to Ronda Rousey back in February. There is a lot of expectation surrounding McMann and that just wasn’t the performance she needed. While she jumped out to an early lead, the rest of the fight was spent stalling and riding out the clock. She ultimately took the split decision nod on the judges’ cards, but moved the needle she did not.
The Strange
After a lengthy layoff from UFC events, there was a high probability for some strangeness to occur when the action resumed inside the Octagon. Yet things were relatively quiet in Bangor, Maine on Saturday night.
While most of the bouts on the card were straight-up, action-packed scraps, there were two tilts that proved just how unpredictable mixed martial arts can be. Alan Jouban weathered an early storm to rebound and knockout Seth Baczynski, just as hometown hero Tim Boetsch bounced back from an early drubbing to level Hawaiian striker Brad Tavares.
In both cases, the fighters who ultimately emerged victorious were taking a beating only to snatch victory in brutal fashion. That’s what makes MMA a crazy game, folks. And that’s what makes every fight worth watching.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
A once-in-a-lifetime meeting between two of 
