Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard
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Frankie Edgar Frankie Edgar| Date | April 2, 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Title(s) on the line | UFC Lightweight Championship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Frankie Edgar versus Gray Maynard is a series of Lightweight mixed martial arts bouts held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Between 2008 and 2011, the UFC booked three contests between the fighters. Edgar, the quicker of the two, utilized speed and precise striking.[3] Maynard, the more accomplished wrestler, relied on power and ground control.[4]
In April 2008, Maynard won their first meeting by decision. On January 1, 2011, the two met in a highly acclaimed rematch, in which Maynard challenged Edgar for the UFC Lightweight Championship. After the rematch resulted in a draw, Edgar won the third meeting by knockout in October 2011.
Prior to fighting in mixed martial arts, Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard each competed in amateur wrestling. Edgar became an All-American at Clarion University, graduating in 2005.[5] Maynard, a three-time All-American who competed in the NCAA Championships, graduated from Michigan State University in 2003.[6] In making the transition to MMA, Edgar utilized a successful combination of boxing, speed, and wrestling.[3] Maynard, a powerful striker, largely relied on his ability to out-wrestle opponents.[4][7]
First fight
| Date | April 2, 2008 | ||||||||||||
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| Tale of the tape | |||||||||||||
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| Result | |||||||||||||
| Mayard wins by Unanimous Decision | |||||||||||||
After joining the Ultimate Fighting Championship's lightweight division, Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar fought for the first time on April 2, 2008 at UFC Fight Night 13. The event took place in Broomfield, Colorado.[8] At the time of this encounter, both were undefeated. Edgar expressed confidence prior to the event, but remarked that he was "expecting a tough fight."[9] Maynard stated, "Unless I get a good clean one in for the KO, I'm expecting a three-round brawl."[9]
Maynard utilized superior wrestling to earn a unanimous decision victory by a score of 30–27.[8] In 2009, Edgar credited this fight as a positive turning point in his career. "The Maynard loss definitely opened my eyes. I started training with Ricardo Almeida and the [Renzo] Gracie team. That's where I've been the past year, and I think it had helped me tremendously." He also anticipated an eventual rematch with Maynard. "I think if [Maynard] keeps going where he's going, and I go where I plan on going, I think we'll eventually have to meet up. That would be something that I'd like to see in the future, but I'm not dwelling on it because I think if you dwell on losses you're not really going to focus on what you have ahead of yourself."[10]
On April 10, 2010, Edgar won the UFC Lightweight Championship at UFC 112. He defended the belt in August at UFC 118, while Maynard won a title shot on the same night.[11]
