Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard – UFC 125 and UFC 136
Jan. 1, 2011 and Oct. 8, 2011
Few have heart like [autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag], and it was evident in both his rematch and trilogy fights with [autotag]Gray Maynard[/autotag].
Lightweight champion Edgar faced Maynard at UFC 125, this time with a title on the line. Maynard handed Edgar his first career loss in 2008, defeating him via unanimous decision.
Things would get ugly for Edgar early when he was dropped by a big Maynard left hook, which had him stumbling and rolling all over the octagon. Maynard threw the kitchen sink at Edgar, but remarkably a bloody Edgar made it out of the round.
And in Round 2, he was bopping around like nothing had happened. He even picked Maynard up and slammed him, swinging the momentum his way. Edgar continued to circle around, light on his feet, as the two went back and forth, exchanging blows and takedown attempts for the remainder of the fight.
Due to the big 10-8 first round for Maynard, the fight was ruled a draw, and Edgar retained his title in one of the biggest displays of heart that you’ll ever see in the octagon.
Edgar closed the chapter in their trilogy bout at UFC 136, where incredibly enough he was rocked not once, but twice in Round 1, finding himself in a reoccurring nightmare start. But this time, the rest of the fight would play out differently. Edgar weathered the storm and put the nail in the coffin by stopping Maynard in Round 4, leaving no doubt.
Up next: The bantamweight GOAT bounces back from his injury nightmare