UFC 136 Preview - Gray Maynard

One of the most dynamic wrestlers in the UFC will step into the cage this Saturday and attempt to do what only he has before. Gray “The Bully” Maynard will finally get his second shot at the UFC Lightweight Title on Saturday as he takes on Frank “The Answer” Edgar.
Maynard comes into the fight undefeated, with one draw and one no contest on his record. The draw was against Frank Edgar, and the no contest came against Rob Emerson in a bout where both fighters were declared unfit to continue. In the bout with Emerson, Maynard was executing a slam to escape a submission. Emerson’s ribs snapped and he immediately tapped out, while Maynard was judged to have knocked himself unconscious with the force of the slam.
In his Mixed Martial Arts career, Maynard has defeated talented Russian striker Dennis Siver, Jim Miller, Nate Diaz, and constant title-challenger, Kenny Florian. His most notable victory is against the man with whom he also holds a draw, current UFC Lightweight Champion, Frank Edgar.
In their first outing, Maynard utilized his wrestling background, honed at Michigan State University, to outpoint Edgar. At the time of their initial meeting, they had both had three fights inside the Octagon, and both were undefeated. Neither was thought of as the next big thing, but here they are, winners of last year’s Fight of the Year award. The second meeting was a highly anticipated one. Fans all over the world tuned in to see the two incredible lightweights go at it, and go at it they did. Both fighters swung for the fence from the get-go, and didn’t stop, even in the closing seconds of the fight. Edgar-Maynard II is famous for its first round; because it was one of the most dominant rounds a fighter has ever turned it.
Maynard threw all he had at Edgar. He knocked him down three times, and it looked like he was going to put Edgar away early, but Edgar showed incredible resolve and fought through the round. In total, Maynard landed 43 strikes to Edgar’s head, and still just couldn’t capture the finish.
From there, Maynard looked sluggish, and got tagged over and over. It never looked like Edgar was going to finish the fight, but it became clear that he was on his way to out-pointing the exhausted Maynard. When the final results come in, the judges split between the two champs at 48-46 apiece and the final judge scored the contest at draw at 47-47, making the fight a split draw.
Both fighters were understandably frustrated, and a rematch was instantly booked. Injuries to both fighters postponed the bout from its original booking at UFC 130. In their third, and final meeting according to UFC President Dana White, Maynard will have a tough fight. He unloaded everything he had in the first round and couldn’t finish, so he will try and spread out his attack over the five rounds. Doing this will enable Edgar to execute his game plan and pick his shots. With his superior speed, Edgar will trounce Maynard on the feet, and his speed will also nullify Maynard’s stellar wrestling. Besides, even if he can’t avoid the ground, Edgar is by no means a slouch on the ground. The assistant wrestling coach at Rutgers University will take this one with a TKO in the second round, and move on to a whole host of challengers in the loaded lightweight division.