Is It Already Time For Gray Maynard To Hang Up The Gloves?
When the dust settled on last night’s TUF 18 Finale Nate Diaz had utilized his trademark boxing to earn a trilogy-clinching win over rival Gray Maynard. But there was a more serious undertone to the bout’s results.
It was Maynard’s third knockout loss in his last four fights, including his second straight first round stoppage loss. “The Bully’s” chin appears to be failing him. That’s far from a good thing in the competitive UFC lightweight arena.
So what happened to Maynard? People are saying that he fell off the map almost instantly, but the truth is he was never a dynamic fighter to begin with. When “The Bully” won seven straight fights from September 2007 to August 2010 they were all by decision. He avoided getting knocked out with his smothering wrestling game and looked like a true title contender in the process.
Then came his feud with former UFC champion Frankie Edgar. Maynard defeated Edgar at UFC Fight Night 13 but the two were destined for a rematch at UFC 125, this time with the belt on the line. Despite rocking Edgar with a huge punch early on, Maynard saw victory slip through his grasp when Edgar weathered the storm.
The fight was ruled a draw. After both combatants healed up from injuries a rematch was set for UFC 136.
What resulted may be one of the most scintillating bouts to ever take place in the Octagon, but Maynard once again fell short of his ultimate goal. The fight started out just like their second matchup with Maynard unleashing shots that appeared to have “The Answer” all but finished.
Edgar endured once more, this time fighting back with a devastating TKO finish that defined the underdog champion’s career. Maynard returned to win his next bout, a highly lackluster decision over Clay Guida at UFC on FX 4, but he was never the same fighter after UFC 136.
He lost in devastating fashion when he fought T.J. Grant at UFC 160 this May. That brings us to his brutal knockout loss last night. Diaz nailed “The Bully” with a torrent of punches that had Maynard seemingly out on his feet until the referee stepped in to stop the bout. Right after that Maynard crashed headfirst into the canvas in a scary scene.
Scary enough to suggest that it may be time for the thirty-four year old to stop fighting the best lightweight mixed martial artists in the world. After all, what is there left for Maynard to accomplish? His time in the limelight fighting top fighters is clearly over. There’s simply no reason for him to move forward taking the extreme amount of punishment that he’s absorbed in recent bouts.
When a fighter’s chin betrays him, it’s often a sudden decline. Take Chuck Liddell for example. Maybe the long feud with Edgar took too much out of him, or maybe his chin just never got tested.
But it’s clear that Maynard can’t bully foes like he was once able to.
In a division full of elite talent like lightweight, only the best will rise to the top. Maynard isn’t one of those top contenders anymore. He’ll drop sharply from his previous ranking of number five and may fall out of the top 10 altogether. He is light years away from title contention and arguably miles away from any true relevancy.
So is it time for Maynard to hang up the gloves? My answer is yes, that the amount of punishment he’ll likely absorb to continue fighting just isn’t worth it. What are your thoughts on the subject?
Photo Credit: Bruce Fedyck for USA TODAY Sports
