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On Wednesday night, the Ultimate Fighting Championship presents the deepest lineup of fights it has ever run on free television. While the show lacks a blockbuster main event, it is filled with quality fighters and compelling fights.
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The bout between Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar is indicative of the card's depth. It isn't guaranteed to be televised and hasn't generated significant discussion within the fight community. Yet it is an intriguing fight with potential lightweight title ramifications.
When Edgar debuted at UFC 67, he was a complete unknown. That changed in a hurry. Edgar's fight with Tyson Griffin was a fight of the year candidate, and Edgar handed Griffin the only loss of his well-decorated MMA career.
By the end of 2007, Edgar was a known commodity. He maintained his undefeated MMA record by scoring two more UFC victories, including one over tough contender Spencer Fisher. Those wins put Edgar in the mix for a future lightweight title shot. For the low key Edgar, the added attention had little effect.
"I approach every fight the same way," Edgar says. "I don't get too caught up in the hype. I concentrate on taking care of business and the job at hand."
The job in this case is finding a way to defeat Maynard, a rising fighter who presents a formidable challenge to Edgar's undefeated record.
Edgar has utilized his Division I wrestling background to outwrestle and control opponents in MMA, but he will have trouble doing so against Maynard. Maynard entered MMA following a successful wrestling career at Michigan State, where he placed in the NCAA championships. Maynard's amateur wrestling credentials are slightly better than those of Edgar, and he has a little bit of a natural size edge as well.
Both fighters downplay the role their backgrounds will play. Maynard says that the amateur wrestling background "doesn't really count because you can't throw punches and kicks." Edgar similarly notes that "it all depends on how it translates to the fight game."
In spite of those denials, young fighters frequently rely on the discipline they are most familiar with. Strikers fall back on striking, jiu jitsu experts fall back on submissions, and wrestlers fall back on wrestling. It can be demoralizing for a fighter to be bested at his own game.
To prepare for the fight, Edgar has mixed up his training between his New Jersey home and the San Jose-based American Kickboxing Academy. Maynard spent eight weeks at Xtreme Couture, where one of his primary training partners was former Edgar opponent Tyson Griffin.
Training with a quality camp has become a must in MMA, particularly for younger fighters. "This sport is changing every day," Maynard says, "so you've got to keep up."
Maynard and Edgar are preparing hard because they each recognize the other as a real challenge.
"I'm confident," Edgar notes. "But I'm expecting a tough a fight."
"He's a tough kid," Maynard says of his opponent. "Unless I get a good clean one in for the KO, I'm expecting a three-round brawl."
Todd Martin has covered mixed martial arts for the Los Angeles Times, Wrestling Observer, SI.com and CBSSports.com. He can be reached at ToddMartin4L@aol.com.
