Gray Maynard Defeats Nate DiazYou know a rivalry is personal when one guy head-butts the camera into oblivion. It’s too bad Gray Maynard can’t do that in the octagon. Instead, he decided to abandon his first class wrestling in favor of striking with someone who has 6 inches of reach on him. Not a smart move. The fact that Gray won the fight is irrelevant. Randy Couture tried to tell Gray that getting emotional is “not his game”. That’s true. Gray’s game is wrestling. However Nate Diaz was able to lure Gray into a slug-fest. If there’s anything Diaz hates, it’s being held down by a superior wrestler. Unfortunately for him, these two basically cancelled each other out on the feet. Gray is the more powerful puncher. He also landed more punches than his opponent did. Maybe Nate should have trash-talked some more. Despite all the standing and swinging, this fight was booed by the fans. They reminded me of a child who wants to hear a story after bedtime. The crowd didn’t want to sit around for the plot; they just wanted the happy ending. More than that, they wanted to see a clear winner and there was none here. This match was supposed to catapult Gray Maynard into the #1 contenders spot. Instead, Frankie Edgar gets the spot, despite having lost to Maynard over a year ago. Gray is undefeated in the octagon. So, why is he being passed over by someone who has lost more? It’s because Edgar has finished more fights. Until Gray is able to use his skills to put his opponents in real jeopardy, he’s going to be on deck for a while longer. It’s okay if you can’t knock your opponent out while you’re both standing. That’s why you can use your wrestling to put the man down – and then attack from there. As for Nate, that crazy kid wants to fight at 170. Now that he’s had a few post-puberty years to fill out his frame, he might be able to pull it off. At the very least - since he won’t be dehydrated anymore - he’ll be able to find more ways to say “bitch” to his opponents. Back to: UFC Fight Night 20 Results
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