Gray Maynard Guarantees He Will Put Ross Pearson’s Chin To The Test
UFC lightweight competitor Gray Maynard has only won one fight since 2010, and has been knocked out two times on the bounce in his most recent outings. TKO losses to TJ Grant and Nick Diaz have seen ‘The Bully’ ejected from his long-held top 10 ranking, and really make his UFC Fight Night 47 scrap against Ross Pearson a do-or-die situation.
Speaking with MMAJunkie, Maynard addresses recent comments made by ‘The Real Deal’ about having a weak chin:
“Did I get completely knocked out cold and stiff? No. I got clipped. They attacked me good, and I stood up (right after). Obviously if you take a lot like that, you’re going to be out of it, but I’ve never been out cold. That’s the great part about it,” Maynard said. “Saturday night, he can put that to the test, and I can guarantee I’m going to put his chin to the test. Let’s just see.”
Although Maynard has been knocked out in three of his last four outings, he still seems to have overall confidence in his ability to take a punch. One thing is for sure though, Pearson has the power to find out for sure if Maynard’s chin is suspect. ‘The Real Deal’ is a very slick, powerful and technical boxer, and ‘The Bully’ may want to go back to his wrestling roots for this one.
Pearson was last seen losing an extremely controversial decision to Diego Sanchez at Fight Night 42 in New Mexico, but has clearly been given the step up in competition that Dana White referred to. A two-time UFC title challenger, and holder of the fourth fastest KO in UFC history, it would be foolish for the Brit to overlook Maynard even with his recent form.
Wins over George Sotiropoulos, Ryan Couture, (arguably) Diego Sanchez and Dennis Siver have shown that Pearson can win big fights when it counts, and a win over ‘The Bully’ could potentially have the Englishman close to a title shot at 155 pounds. So who takes it, the British boxer or the Arizona ‘Bully’?
