Tag: Gray Maynard

Falling Action: Best and Worst of UFC 118

Filed under: UFCThe UFC’s grand James Toney experiment is over, according to Dana White. Whether it was a success or not depends on the hypothesis you started with, but unless you happen to be Toney or one of his hype men, chances are you saw this comi…

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The UFC’s grand James Toney experiment is over, according to Dana White. Whether it was a success or not depends on the hypothesis you started with, but unless you happen to be Toney or one of his hype men, chances are you saw this coming.

But while this fight was undoubtedly a sideshow attraction from the very beginning, it did have some benefits. For one, it got some attention from the types of fans and media who might not otherwise have cared about this card. It seems a little doubtful that they all became instant converts upon seeing Gray Maynard lay on top of Kenny Florian, but who knows.

The important thing is that the opportunity to have a famous boxer compete on MMA’s biggest stage finally presented itself, then refused to stop presenting itself, then mumbled some absurd, semi-coherent threats at everyone within earshot, and then the UFC finally made it happen. Now that we’ve done it, let’s not do it again until we find someone willing to put in the work and take it seriously.

Now on to the big winners, losers, and everything in between from UFC 118.

UFC 118: Gray Maynard Beats Kenny Florian

Filed under: UFCGray Maynard became the UFC’s No. 1 lightweight contender Saturday at UFC 118, but he wasn’t very exciting in the process.

Maynard beat Kenny Florian by unanimous decision, staying undefeated in his professional MMA career and controll…

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Gray Maynard became the UFC’s No. 1 lightweight contender Saturday at UFC 118, but he wasn’t very exciting in the process.

Maynard beat Kenny Florian by unanimous decision, staying undefeated in his professional MMA career and controlling the fight with a wrestling style that is brutally effective but not particularly entertaining to the fans.

“I’d love to come back here and have you guys cheer for me some time,” Maynard said as the fans booed him at the end of a fairly boring fight.

UFC 118 Spotlight Deserved by Frankie Edgar in Rout of Legendary Penn

Filed under: UFCBOSTON — Once again, the headlines were stolen from Frankie Edgar, this time by an out-of-shape boxer who was quite predictably beaten.

All Edgar did at UFC 118 was beat the guy considered the best lightweight of all time … again.

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BOSTON — Once again, the headlines were stolen from Frankie Edgar, this time by an out-of-shape boxer who was quite predictably beaten.

All Edgar did at UFC 118 was beat the guy considered the best lightweight of all time … again.

All he did was silence any believers that BJ Penn was the better fighter the first time around, and that he’d never figure out a way to fool the judges twice.

Edgar didn’t just shut out Penn; he hurled a perfect game.

Dana White on Kenny Florian: ‘He Chokes in the Big Fights’

Filed under: UFC, NewsBOSTON — After a three-round drubbing with a lightweight title opportunity on the line, Kenny Florian dejectedly walked out of the octagon.

By all rights, Florian should have at least felt soothed by the embrace of his city. The…

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BOSTON — After a three-round drubbing with a lightweight title opportunity on the line, Kenny Florian dejectedly walked out of the octagon.

By all rights, Florian should have at least felt soothed by the embrace of his city. The 34-year-old lightweight graduated from Boston College and he owns an academy in neighboring Brookline. Instead, he heard a chorus of disappointment, led by his boss.

“I hate to say this because I don’t want to take anything away from Gray Maynard, but I think Kenny is just one of those guys who chokes in big fights,” UFC president Dana White said. “I’m not bad-mouthing him or trying to disrespect him; I’m just being honest. Every time it’s a big fight and there’s a lot of things on the line, Kenny just … Kenny’s hands are unbelievable. Kenny’s ground is unbelievable. Kenny usually kicks guys to the body and legs so hard that he busts guys up. You didn’t see any of that tonight. He stood there and stared at Gray Maynard for three rounds.”

Gray Maynard Defends ‘Smart’ Victory Over Kenny Florian at UFC 118

Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, VideosBOSTON — Gray Maynard secured his spot as the No. 1 contender in the lightweight division with his win over Kenny Florian at UFC 118.

MMA Fighting spoke to Maynard about his performance, finally…

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BOSTON — Gray Maynard secured his spot as the No. 1 contender in the lightweight division with his win over Kenny Florian at UFC 118.

MMA Fighting spoke to Maynard about his performance, finally getting a title shot and why he feels like he is ready to make a serious run as champion.

Check out the video interview below.

UFC 118: By the Odds

Filed under: UFCUFC 118 in Boston is just a few hours away, so in order to get a perspective on the action from the people who are paid to know winners from losers, let’s examine tonight’s main card betting odds.

With one new champ defending his tit…

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UFC 118 in Boston is just a few hours away, so in order to get a perspective on the action from the people who are paid to know winners from losers, let’s examine tonight’s main card betting odds.

With one new champ defending his title against the man he took it from, and one boxing great crossing over into a brand new sport that he seems to only barely understand, you’d think there would be a vast difference in the odds on the two co-main event bouts. In reality, the two lines are more similar than you might think, and they favor neither the champ nor the big-mouthed boxer.

Let’s break it down below and see who the smart choices are at UFC 118.