Gray Maynard
BornBradley Gray Maynard
(1979-05-09) May 9, 1979
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Other namesThe Bully
NationalityAmerican
Height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb)
DivisionFeatherweight
Lightweight
Reach70 in (178 cm)[1]
StyleWrestling
Fighting out ofLas Vegas, Nevada, United States
TeamXtreme Couture (2006–2011, 2014–present)[2]
American Kickboxing Academy (2011–2014)[2]
Nova União[3]
RankBlue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[4]
WrestlingNCAA Division I Wrestling[5]
Years active2006–present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total22
Wins13
By knockout2
By decision11
Losses7
By knockout5
By decision2
Draws1
No contests1
Amateur record
Total1
Wins1
Other information
UniversityMichigan State University
Notable school(s)St. Edward High School
Durango High School
Bonanza High School
WebsiteOfficial UFC Profile
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Bradley Gray Maynard (born May 9, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight and Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Between 2008 and 2011, he competed in a noted rivalry with former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar.[6] Maynard competed in college wrestling at Michigan State University, and made his UFC debut in 2007.

Background

Maynard's father, Jan, was a two-time Ohio high school state wrestling champion. He also has a sister named Misty.[7] Maynard attended Bonanza High School and Durango High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, before he transferred to St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio for two years. While at St. Ed's he wrestled for coach Greg Urbas,[8] and excelled in its wrestling program.

In 1997, he placed second in the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) state tournament in the 140 lb weight class for Division I. In 1998, he was the state champion at the 152 lb weight class.[9] His high school record was an impressive 135–16, including being undefeated in his sophomore and senior years.[10] His nickname of "Bully" came from his dog, Hank, a bull terrier he rescued.[7] Maynard wrestled alongside former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans at Michigan State University. They were also roommates. He was redshirted in his freshman year. In 2001, he placed eighth at the NCAA Division I Collegiate Wrestling Championship at 157 lb weight class. In 2002 and 2003, he placed seventh.[11] The performance earned the MSU co-captain All-American honors for the third time in his collegiate career.[12]

Upon graduation, Maynard ranked 11th all-time in MSU history with 106 career wins and seventh with 26 falls.[13] After not making the 2004 US Olympic wrestling team, Maynard considered retirement from the sport. He was then recruited to be a sparring partner for mixed martial arts fighter and former Lightweight UFC champion B.J. Penn. With his exposure to the new sport, Maynard sought to compete in it. With his wrestling connections, he eventually became a student and training partner of UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture.[14]

Mixed martial arts career

The Ultimate Fighter

Maynard was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 5, which featured Lightweights exclusively. He was selected by B.J. Penn to be on his team and was Penn's pick to make it to the finals.

Maynard beat Wayne Weems in the preliminary round. In the quarterfinals, Maynard faced Brandon Melendez in a tough matchup and won the fight with a guillotine choke in the second round. He lost his semifinal matchup in the second round against Nate Diaz due to guillotine choke.

As part of The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale preliminary Card on June 23, 2007, Maynard fought Rob Emerson in a controversial Lightweight fight. Maynard seemed to be in control of the fight in round one. During the second round he picked up Emerson and slammed him to the mat. Emerson immediately tapped out because of an injury to his ribs. The referee believed that Maynard also could not continue because he seemed to have hit his head on the mat and knocked himself out due to the force of his own slam. Since both fighters could not continue he ruled it a "No Contest". UFC President Dana White commented, "I know one thing, that Maynard was out cold". Maynard did not agree, and cited the cage-side doctors, who, after testing Maynard, found he had suffered no concussion during the bout.[15]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In his next fight he took on Joe Veres at UFC Fight Night 11 and knocked him out with the first punch he threw, after nine seconds. It was the second fastest knockout in UFC history (at that time, see UFC 102). Next Maynard won a unanimous decision victory over Dennis Siver at UFC Fight Night 12 earning scores of (29–28, 30–27, and 29–28). At UFC Fight Night 13, he faced lightweight standout Frankie Edgar in the first bout of their rivalry. Maynard won a 30–27 unanimous decision on all cards to hand Edgar his first loss. He used his superior wrestling to control the fight, winning a decision.

Maynard also worked as an assistant wrestling coach for Forrest Griffin as part of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest.

Maynard earned a unanimous decision over Rich Clementi at UFC 90. In his fight, Maynard once again showed his superior wrestling as he controlled Clementi on the ground for 3 rounds. He did however appear notably disappointed during his post fight interview that he was unable to finish the fight.

Maynard then fought at UFC 96, against lightweight Jim Miller, winning by unanimous decision once again, with all three judges scoring the bout 30–27. Maynard kept the fight on the feet inversing his wrestling skills with excellent takedown defense and displayed solid standup skills, particularly looping bodyshot combos.

Maynard won against Roger Huerta via split decision at UFC Fight Night 19. During the fight, he had Huerta in a visibly deep kimura, though his opponent refused to submit.

Maynard defeated TUF 5 lightweight champion Nate Diaz via split decision at UFC Fight Night 20.[16]

Maynard defeated Kenny Florian on August 28, 2010 at UFC 118 via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, and 29–28). Maynard took Florian down at will and controlled him on the mat, thus becoming the #1 contender for the UFC Lightweight Championship.

In a Fight of the Night winning contest, Maynard and the champion Frankie Edgar fought to a split draw on January 1, 2011 at UFC 125, resulting in Edgar retaining his belt. Early reports were that the former WEC champion Anthony Pettis would receive the next title shot, but Dana White later announced that instead Edgar vs Maynard 3 would be the next lightweight title fight at UFC 130.[17][18] On May 9, it was announced that injuries to both forced the fight to be removed from the card. Many consider the second fight with Edgar as one of the greatest fights in UFC history.

The third bout between Edgar and Maynard took place on October 8, 2011 as the main event of UFC 136.[19] Maynard was defeated by Edgar via KO at 3:54 of round 4, resulting in the first official loss of his career. After a first round similar to the first round in their bout at UFC 125, Edgar was able to close in on Maynard landing more shots and becoming the aggressor. He finished Maynard with a flurry of punches, starting with an uppercut that rocked Maynard.[20]

On November 21, 2011 Maynard's Head boxing coach Gil Martinez told The MMA Show, that Maynard would be leaving Xtreme Couture gym for American Kickboxing Academy.

Maynard fought Clay Guida at UFC on FX 4.[21] He won the bout via split decision.

Maynard was expected to face Joe Lauzon on December 29, 2012 at UFC 155.[22] However, Maynard pulled out of the bout citing a knee injury and was replaced by Jim Miller.[23]

Maynard next faced T. J. Grant at UFC 160 on May 25, 2013.[24] Dana White announced at the UFC on Fox 7 post-fight press conference that he expects that the winner of the Maynard/Grant fight to get a UFC Lightweight title shot against Benson Henderson.[25] Maynard lost the fight via TKO in the first round.

A rubber match with Nate Diaz took place on November 30, 2013 at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale.[26] Maynard lost via TKO in the first round.

Maynard was expected to face Fabrício Camões on August 2, 2014 at UFC 176.[27] However, after UFC 176 was cancelled, Maynard/Camões was rescheduled and expected to take place on August 16, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 47.[28] In turn, Maynard stepped up as an injury replacement for Abel Trujillo after he pulled out of a bout with Ross Pearson.[29] He lost the fight against Pearson by TKO in the second round.[30]

After the loss to Pearson, signed a new, eight-fight contract and moved back to Las Vegas to train at Xtreme Couture.[31][2]

Maynard faced Alexander Yakovlev on April 4, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 63.[32] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[33]

Maynard faced Fernando Bruno in a featherweight bout on July 8, 2016 at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale.[34] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[35]

Maynard faced Ryan Hall on December 3, 2016 at The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale.[36] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[37]

Maynard faced Teruto Ishihara on July 7, 2017 at The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale.[38] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[39]

Maynard returned to lightweight against Nik Lentz on October 6, 2018 at UFC 229.[40] He lost the fight via TKO in the second round after being dropped by a head kick and finished with punches.[41] A year later, Maynard revealed that he had parted ways with the UFC after a tenure which lasted over a decade, covering almost his whole professional mixed martial arts career.[42]

Personal life

Maynard and his longtime girlfriend are currently engaged.[43] Maynard has a daughter, Estella (born 2013).[2]

Gray Maynard co-starred in the movie, Art of Submission with Ving Rhames and Ernie Reyes, Jr.

Maynard also was an Assistant Coach alongside Forrest Griffin and Tyson Griffin with head coach Rich Franklin on the last episode of the 11th season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Collegiate wrestling

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
22 matches 13 wins 7 losses
By knockout 2 5
By decision 11 2
Draws 1
No contests 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 13–7–1 (1) Nik Lentz TKO (head kick and punches) UFC 229 October 6, 2018 2 1:19 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Return to Lightweight.
Win 13–6–1 (1) Teruto Ishihara Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption Finale July 7, 2017 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 12–6–1 (1) Ryan Hall Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions Finale December 3, 2016 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 12–5–1 (1) Fernando Bruno Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia Finale July 8, 2016 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Featherweight debut.
Loss 11–5–1 (1) Alexander Yakovlev Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Mendes vs. Lamas April 4, 2015 3 5:00 Fairfax, Virginia, United States
Loss 11–4–1 (1) Ross Pearson TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Bader vs. St. Preux August 16, 2014 2 1:35 Bangor, Maine, United States
Loss 11–3–1 (1) Nate Diaz TKO (punches) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate Finale November 30, 2013 1 2:38 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 11–2–1 (1) T. J. Grant TKO (punches) UFC 160 May 25, 2013 1 2:07 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States UFC Lightweight title eliminator.
Win 11–1–1 (1) Clay Guida Decision (split) UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida June 22, 2012 5 5:00 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Loss 10–1–1 (1) Frankie Edgar KO (punches) UFC 136 October 8, 2011 4 3:54 Houston, Texas, United States For the UFC Lightweight Championship.
Draw 10–0–1 (1) Frankie Edgar Draw (split) UFC 125 January 1, 2011 5 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States For the UFC Lightweight Championship. Fight of the Night.
Win 10–0 (1) Kenny Florian Decision (unanimous) UFC 118 August 28, 2010 3 5:00 Boston, Massachusetts, United States UFC Lightweight title eliminator.
Win 9–0 (1) Nate Diaz Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz January 11, 2010 3 5:00 Fairfax, Virginia, United States
Win 8–0 (1) Roger Huerta Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard September 16, 2009 3 5:00 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
Win 7–0 (1) Jim Miller Decision (unanimous) UFC 96 March 7, 2009 3 5:00 Columbus, Ohio, United States
Win 6–0 (1) Rich Clementi Decision (unanimous) UFC 90 October 25, 2008 3 5:00 Rosemont, Illinois, United States
Win 5–0 (1) Frankie Edgar Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon April 2, 2008 3 5:00 Broomfield, Colorado, United States
Win 4–0 (1) Dennis Siver Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Swick vs. Burkman January 23, 2008 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Win 3–0 (1) Joe Veres KO (punch) UFC Fight Night: Thomas vs. Florian September 19, 2007 1 0:09 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
NC 2–0 (1) Rob Emerson NC (double TKO) The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale June 23, 2007 2 2:39 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Win 2–0 Brent Weedman Decision (unanimous) WEF: Orleans Arena June 10, 2006 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 1–0 Joshua Powell TKO (punches) Title Fighting Championships 1 April 21, 2006 1 2:56 Des Moines, Iowa, United States

The Ultimate Fighter 5

Professional record breakdown
3 matches 2 wins 1 loss
By knockout 1 0
By submission 1 1
By decision 0 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 2–1 Nate Diaz Submission (guillotine choke) The Ultimate Fighter 5 2 1:17 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Semi-finals
Win 2–0 Brandon Melendez Submission (guillotine choke) The Ultimate Fighter 5 2 4:07 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Quarter-finals
Win 1–0 Wayne Weems TKO (punches) The Ultimate Fighter 5 January 2007 1 2:47 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Preliminary bout

Amateur mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
1 match 1 win 0 losses
By knockout 0 0
By submission 0 0
By decision 1 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 1–0 Evan Dunham Decision (Unanimous) SF (SportFight) 15 8 April 2006 3 3:00 Oregon, United States

Pay-per-view bouts

No. Fight Event City Venue PPV Buys
1. Edgar vs. Maynard 2 UFC 125 Las Vegas, Nevada MGM Grand Garden Arena 270,000[45]
2. Maynard vs. Edgar lll UFC 136 Houston, Texas Toyota Center 225,000[46]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Bader vs. Saint Preux". UFC.com. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Brett Okamoto (April 1, 2015). "What happened to Gray Maynard". ESPN.
  3. ↑ "A Last Roll of the Dice for Gray Maynard at Featherweight | VICE Sports". Archived from the original on 2017-02-25. Retrieved 2017-02-24.
  4. ↑ Junior Samurai (January 3, 2012). "Gray Maynard earns Jiu-Jitsu blue belt in Rio". GracieMag.com.
  5. ↑ "Gray Maynard - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Fighter Rankings - UFC ®". UFC.
  7. 1 2 "Interview with UFC Fighter Gray Maynard". Criticalbench.com. December 2010. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
  8. ↑ Gray Maynard (December 17, 2009). "Charities and Christmas gift idea".
  9. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). alumni.sehs.net. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ↑ "Gray Maynard Bio - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". msuspartans.com.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "National Wrestling Hall of Fame". wrestlinghalloffame.org. Archived from the original on 2010-11-11.
  12. ↑ "Nick Simmons and Gray Maynard Earn All-America Honors At NCAA Wrestling Championships".
  13. ↑ "Nick Simmons and Gray Maynard Place Seventh At NCAA Wrestling Championships".
  14. ↑ "Maynard Eager to 'Blankey' the 155 Pound Division". UFC.com. June 19, 2007. Archived from the original on June 25, 2007.
  15. ↑ "Notes: Maynard beats himself". Yahoo! Sports. June 23, 2007.
  16. ↑ "Gray Maynard Leaves Gray Area at UFC Fight Night 20". 5thround.com. Archived from the original on January 13, 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
  17. ↑ John Morgan (January 2, 2011). "UFC boss has change of heart, Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard III up next". MMAJunkie.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2011.
  18. ↑ "Dana White Confirms Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard III at UFC 130". MMAFighting.com. January 14, 2011.
  19. ↑ Helwani, Ariel (July 15, 2011). "Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard Agree to Meet for a Third Time at UFC 136". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  20. ↑ Wagenheim, Jeff (October 11, 2011). "Edgar finds appeal in vulnerability". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  21. ↑ "Guida vs. Maynard headlines UFC on FX 4". mmajunkie.com. March 18, 2012. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012.
  22. ↑ "Joe Lauzon vs. Gray Maynard slated for UFC 155 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com. August 23, 2012. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013.
  23. ↑ "Gray Maynard injured, Jim Miller steps in to face Joe Lauzon at UFC 155". mmajunkie.com. November 14, 2012. Archived from the original on January 3, 2013.
  24. ↑ Erickson, Matt (February 20, 2013). "Maynard-Grant, Nurmagomedov-Trujillo added to UFC 160 in May". MMAjunkie.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  25. ↑ Grienke, Keith (April 20, 2013). "Dana White Announces TJ Grant/Maynard Winner to Fight for UFC Lightweight Title". TopMMANews.com. Archived from the original on April 23, 2013. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  26. ↑ Dana Becker (September 8, 2013). "Gray Maynard-Nate Diaz III Set For Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale". fightline.com. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  27. ↑ Tristan Critchfield (2014-05-20). "Lightweights Gray Maynard, Fabricio Camoes Added to UFC 176 in Los Angeles". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2014-05-20.
  28. ↑ Staff (2014-07-09). "Fabricio Camoes vs. Gray Maynard shifts to UFC Fight Night 47 in Maine". MMAJunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
  29. ↑ Jacob Cooper (2014-08-04). "Abel Trujillo out, Ross Pearson now meets Gray Maynard at UFC Fight Night 47". cagepages.com. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
  30. ↑ Steven Marrocco (2014-08-16). "UFC Fight Night 47 results, photos: Ross Pearson drops Gray Maynard in second". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
  31. ↑ Chuck Mindenhall (27 Dec 2014). "Gray Maynard inks new deal, looking for February or March return". mmafighting.com.
  32. ↑ Matt Erickson (2015-02-02). "Gray Maynard vs. Alexander Yakovlev added to UFC Fight Night 63 in Virginia". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-02-02.
  33. ↑ Brent Brookhouse (2015-04-04). "UFC Fight Night 63 results: Alexander Yakovlev extends Gray Maynard's slide". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-04-04.
  34. ↑ Staff (2016-05-13). "Gray Maynard heads to 145, meets Fernando Bruno at TUF 23 Finale". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  35. ↑ Brent Brookhouse (2016-07-08). "TUF 23 Finale results: Gray Maynard outlasts Fernando Bruno in sloppy slugfest". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
  36. ↑ Shaun Al-Shatti (2016-09-14). "Gray Maynard vs. Ryan Hall slated for TUF 24 Finale". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
  37. ↑ Steven Marrocco (2016-12-03). "TUF 24 Finale results: Ryan Hall kicks, flops way past frustrated Gray Maynard". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
  38. ↑ Staff (2017-04-19). "Gray Maynard vs. Teruto Ishihara set for TUF 25 Finale in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
  39. ↑ "TUF 25 Finale results: Gray Maynard smothers Teruto Ishihara with wrestling for easy win". MMAjunkie. 2017-07-07. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  40. ↑ "Gray Maynard returns to lightweight vs. Nik Lentz at UFC 229 in Las Vegas". MMAjunkie. 2018-08-21. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
  41. ↑ "UFC 229 play-by-play and live results". MMAjunkie. 2018-10-06. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  42. ↑ Farah Hannoun (November 29, 2019). "Off Guard: No longer with UFC, free agent Gray Maynard trying to figure out what's next". mmajunkie.com.
  43. ↑ "Shades of Gray: An exclusive interview with UFC lightweight Gray Maynard". MMAMania.com. October 24, 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
  44. ↑ Chiapetta, Mike (30 November 2011). "2011 World MMA Awards Results". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  45. ↑ "UFC 125: Resolution | MMA Event". Tapology. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  46. ↑ "UFC 136: Edgar vs Maynard 3 | MMA Event". Tapology. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
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