Gray Maynard defeats Florian for shot at lightweight title
After Gray Maynard barely scraped out a controversial split-decision victory in his last fight against Nate Diaz, he had some commentators wondering whether the rising lightweight prospect had been a little over-rated, and wondered whether he was ready for a title shot. But on Saturday at UFC 118 he proved to everyone he was ready, defeating long-time 155lb star Kenny Florian to earn himself a shot at the title.
Maynard, now 10-0, was able to effectively strike with Florian, a noted kickboxer, and take him down when he needed to take a decision, which saw two judges score the three-round fight 30-27, and one judge 29-28, to let him remain undefeated.
Round one largely proved to be a feeling out process, with neither fighter engaging early until Florian fired a blocked head kick. After some inconclusive striking, Maynard was able to take him down and punch him from the top a few times to steal a slow, tight first round.
But after that Maynard was better able to assert himself. Maynard was always known for his dominating wrestling game, and he was able to use it well, timing Florian’s strikes to catch him with his guard down to put the longtime contender on his back.
By round three Florian likely knew he needed a victory, but was unable to get much accomplished, with Maynard still using dominating top control, and Maynard blocking Florian’s attempt at a head-kick knockout. Florian attempted some submissions, but Maynard escaped for the win.
A victory would have given Florian a third shot at the lightweight crown, after he twice felt short, once in attempts against Sean Sherk, and once against B.J Penn. After the fight, UFC president Dana White said Florian, who’d come in as a slight favourite, hadn’t performed under pressure.
“"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,” said White. “...He stood there and stared at Gray Maynard for three rounds."
White’s frustration may be based on the fact that Maynard is less marketable than Florian, having a reputation of being a boring fighter who is happy to grind out decision wins rather than finish opponents. He has now won seven straight decisions.
But fortunately for Maynard, one of those victories was against the current champion, Frankie Edgar, who he’ll face next. Maynard beat Edgar in 2008, earning a 30-27 unanimous decision.
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