Tag: Gray Maynard (Page 3 of 4)

Edgar & Maynard both injured, UFC 130 bout off

May 9, 2011 / Drew Ellis

The UFC had some pretty sad news to report today.

It appears that both Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar, the main event fighters for UFC 130, are both injured and had to pull out of the schedule lightweight title fight on May 28.

The highly-anticipated third bout between UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and number one contender Gray Maynard will have to wait a little longer, as it was announced today that both fighters have suffered injuries in training camp that will take them out of the UFC 130 main event on May 28th.
Stepping up into the UFC 130 main event slot is the bout between former UFC light heavyweight champ Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Matt “The Hammer” Hamill, and moving to the Pay-Per-View card will be the Thiago Alves vs. Rick Story welterweight showdown.
In Spike TV prelim action, Tim Boetsch’s middleweight debut against Kendall Grove will join the bantamweight fight between Miguel Angel Torres and Demetrious Johnson.

This news only messes up an already messed up situation in the UFC lightweight division. The draw between these two at UFC 125 threw off plans for a title fight for Anthony Pettis and now fighters like Jim Miller and Gilbert Melendez are clamoring for a title shot as well.

UFC 130 is still a pretty solid card from top to bottom, but Rampage vs. Hamill is not an ideal main event these days.

Events, Fighters, News, UFC

Anthony Pettis Frankie Edgar Gilbert Melendez Gray Maynard Jim Miller Matt Hamill Quinton “Rampage” Jackson UFC 130

Top 10 Lightweight Rankings

May 4, 2011 / Drew Ellis

For the most part, rankings fighters in each division starts easy and ends tough.

That isn’t the case for my lightweight rankings.

Of any division in MMA, the lightweights are the toughest to sort through. The group is very top-heavy and even the distant contenders are hard to decipher.

Nonetheless, here is my top 10 list for the lightweights. Feel free to add your take on who should be in the top spots.

(If you need to go back and find my pound-for-pound, heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, or welterweight rankings, click on the links)

1. Frankie Edgar (13-1-1) – Edgar is the UFC Lightweight Champion and the lone lightweight in the world to clearly dominate the great B.J. Penn. Edgar will get his chance to put his stamp on the top spot when he faces Gray Maynard for the third time on May 28, but the fact that Edgar pulled out a draw at UFC 125 after that brutal first round is a testament to his abilities. Edgar’s speed, hands, and wrestling are a very impressive combination, especially for a man that could arguably fight at featherweight.

2. Gray Maynard (10-0-1) – Maynard has yet to lose and if he didn’t put everything he had into knocking Edgar out in the first round of their UFC 125 bout, he would be the champion today. Maynard was once just a wrestler, but is now showing strong striking ability. If he can put forth a full 25 minutes in May, he will become the champion and take over the top spot in my rankings.

Bellator, Dream, Fighters, Strikeforce, UFC

Anthony Pettis Clay Guida Dennis Siver Eddie Alvarez Frankie Edgar Gilbert Melendez Gray Maynard Jim Miller Lightweight Division Melvin Guillard Shinya Aoki

Pettis still No. 1 contender in UFC Lightweight Division

May 4, 2011 / Drew Ellis

In some news that was swept under the rug this past weekend due to all the excitement of UFC 129, UFC President Dana White confirmed that final WEC Lightweight Champion, Anthony Pettis, is still the No. 1 contender for the UFC title.

The lightweight division in the UFC may be the most stacked of any and it is starting to get crowded at the top.

Pettis was originally scheduled to get a crack at the title following Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard’s title fight at UFC 125, but a draw left the whole division wondering what was next.

White scheduled a third bout between Edgar and Maynard, which takes place at UFC 130 on May 28. Following that contest, Pettis will be the new No. 1 contender according to MMAWeekly.com, who spoke with White.

“It’s Pettis,” UFC President Dana White confirmed when asked who would be getting the next crack at the championship.
The confirmation obviously gives Pettis extra motivation going into the June fight with Clay Guida. A win guarantees a title shot, likely towards the end of 2011.
Pettis won’t focus on the title shot at this time though because the business at hand is beating Guida. Without that, White’s declaration of his title shot doesn’t even matter.

Pettis meets Guida at the Ultimate Fighter Season 13 Finale on Saturday, June 4. It will be Pettis’ toughest test to date and his first bout in nearly six months.

Fighters, News, Strikeforce, UFC

Anthony Pettis Clay Guida Frankie Edgar Gilbert Melendez Gray Maynard Jim Miller Strikeforce UFC

Best non-finishers in MMA

May 3, 2011 / Drew Ellis

AP Image Georges St. Pierre is quickly losing favor with MMA fans.

Saturday’s UFC 129 bout with Jake Shields brought St. Pierre brought another decision victory for the welterweight champion, which was his fourth straight decision win.

St. Pierre has not won by stoppage since Jan. 31, 2009 when B.J. Penn failed to answer the bell for the fifth round.

Fans are growing tired of St. Pierre’s decision wins and his lack of “killer instinct,” and want to see him be more aggressive and finish his opponents like he did on his first run to the UFC title.

Now with 22 career wins, St. Pierre has had 9 decision victories and 13 wins by knockout or submission.

With that in mind, here are some of the other top fighters in MMA that have a few too many decisions to their credit.

Jon Fitch (23-3-1, 13 Decision victories) – Fitch has pretty much become the measuring stick of this category. He is one of the best in the world, but he just can’t seem to finish fights. Fitch is now on a run of 9-straight fights that have went to the judges. His last finish came back in June of 2007.

Randy Couture (19-11, 8 Decision victories) – Though a Hall of Famer and a legend, finishing opponents wasn’t necessarily Couture’s forte either. Actually, some of “The Natural’s” biggest wins were decisions including his victories over Tito Ortiz and Tim Sylvia.

Fighters, News, UFC

Dominick Cruz Forrest Griffin Frankie Edgar Georges St. Pierre Gray Maynard Jon Fitch Lyoto Machida Randy Couture

UFC looking to use monitors for judges at UFC 130

April 26, 2011 / Drew Ellis

The judging system in MMA has long been debated and criticized over the years.

Now, with one of the most controversial bouts in UFC history set to have its rematch, the UFC is looking to avoid more controversy if at all possible

Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting reports that the UFC is looking to have monitors present for each of the judges at UFC 130, which takes place May 28 in Las Vegas.

The main event of UFC 130 is the third contest between UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Gray Maynard. Their last contest at UFC 125 ended in a draw after 25 minutes of action.

Marc Ratner, the UFC’s Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, informed MMA Fighting that the organization has formally submitted a request to the Nevada State Athletic Commission to install monitors as a backup viewing option for the judges assigned to score the bouts at UFC 130.

“I’ve emailed [NSAC Executive Director] Keith [Kizer] and asked him to put the request on the next agenda. We believe these monitors will be another look to help with the judges,” Ratner wrote via e-mail.

According to the UFC, California is the only state to ever provide monitors for judges while scoring MMA bouts.

I am all for helping judges make better decisions and if this will do it, sign me up.

I think judging in general is a hard issue to tackle because everyone has a different view of a fight and the 10-point scoring system leaves the door open for questionable results.

I for one also scored the Edgar-Maynard II bout at UFC 125 as a draw, with Maynard taking round one 10-8 and Edgar winning three of the remaining four rounds 10-9.

Hopefully UFC 130 will bring some closure to this rivalry and allow the UFC to move on in its stacked lightweight division.