WEC 46: Varner vs. Henderson was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on January 10, 2010. It took place at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California.^[2]

Background[link]

Mark Hominick was scheduled to face Yves Jabouin on this card, but Jabouin has been forced off the card with an injury.^[3] Jabouin was replaced by WEC newcomer Bryan Caraway.^[4] Hominick and Jabouin would later face off at WEC 49 on June 20th, 2010, with Hominick winning via TKO.

Wagnney Fabiano was scheduled to fight Frank Gomez at this event, however Gomez withdrew with an undisclosed injury^[5] and was replaced by Clint Godfrey.^[6] The Fabiano/Gomez bout was also rescheduled for WEC 49, where Fabiano won by unanimous decision.

Bantamweight contests pitting Eddie Wineland against Rafael Rebello and WEC newcomer George Roop against the returning Jesse Moreng were both scratched from this card after Rebello and Moreng both withdrew from the event. Rather than find new opponents, Wineland and Roop were instead matched up against each other on this card.^[7]

A lightweight bout between Dave Jansen and Bendy Casimir was once linked to this event, though it was later confirmed that Jansen would instead be facing Kamal Shalorus.^[8]

This was the last WEC card to feature former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir on color commentary. He was officially replaced in April 2010 by Stephan Bonnar, who had filled in for Mir at WEC 47 due to training commitments.^[9]

The event drew an estimated 640,000 viewers on Versus.^[10]

Results[link]

Preliminary card[link]

• Bantamweight bout: Coty Wheeler vs. Will Campuzano

Campuzano defeated Wheeler via unanimous decision (30–26, 30–27, 30–27).

• Bantamweight bout: Eddie Wineland vs. George Roop

Wineland defeated Roop via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).

• Featherweight bout: Mark Hominick vs. Bryan Caraway

Hominick defeated Caraway via submission (triangle armbar) at 3:48 of round 1. This bout was aired on the live broadcast.

• Bantamweight bout: Wagnney Fabiano vs. Clint Godfrey

Fabiano defeated Godfrey via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).

• Bantamweight bout: Charlie Valencia vs. Akitoshi Tamura

Valencia defeated Tamura via split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28).

Main card[link]

• Featherweight bout: Mackens Semerzier vs. Deividas Taurosevičius

Taurosevičius defeated Semerzier via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).

• Featherweight bout: Mike Brown vs. Anthony Morrison

Brown defeated Morrison via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:54 of round 1.

• Lightweight bout: Dave Jansen vs. Kamal Shalorus

Shalorus defeated Jansen via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 29–28).

• Featherweight bout: Urijah Faber vs. Raphael Assunção

Faber defeated Assunção via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:49 of round 3.

• Lightweight Championship unification bout: Jamie Varner (c) vs. Ben Henderson (ic)

Henderson defeated Varner via submission (standing guillotine choke) at 2:41 of round 3 to become the undisputed WEC Lightweight Champion.

Bonus Awards[link]

Fighters were awarded $10,000 bonuses.^[11]

• Fight of the Night: Coty Wheeler vs. Will Campuzano

• Knockout of the Night: Not awarded as no matches ended with knockout

• Submission of the Night: Urijah Faber

Reported payout[link]

The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the California State Athletic Commission. It does not include sponsor money or "locker room" bonuses often given by the WEC and also do not include the WEC's traditional "fight night" bonuses.^[12]

• Benson Henderson: $22,000 (includes $11,000 win bonus) def. Jamie Varner: $18,000
• Urijah Faber: $52,000 ($26,000 win bonus) def. Raphael Assuncao: $13,000
• Kamal Shalorus: $10,000 ($5,000 win bonus) def. Dave Jansen: $4,000
• Mike Brown: $38,000 ($19,000 win bonus) def. Anthony Morrison: $4,000
• Deividas Taurosevičius: $14,000 ($7,000 win bonus) def. Mackens Semerzier: $4,000
• Charlie Valencia: $18,000 ($9,000 win bonus) def. Akitoshi Tamura: $8,000
• Wagnney Fabiano: $30,000 ($15,000 win bonus) def. Clint Godfrey: $3,000
• Mark Hominick: $10,000 ($5,000 win bonus) def. Bryan Caraway: $4,000
• Eddie Wineland: $8,000 ($4,000 win bonus) def. George Roop: $3,000
• Will Campuzano: $6,000 ($3,000 win bonus) def. Coty Wheeler: $3,000

External links[link]

• Official WEC website

References[link]

Jamie Varner
Born	James Christopher Varner (1984-10-12) October 12, 1984 (age 27) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Other names	C-4
Nationality	American
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight	156 lb (71 kg; 11.1 st)
Division	155 170
Reach	72.0 in (183 cm)
Fighting out of	Glendale, Arizona
Team	MMA Lab
Years active	2003–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total	29
Wins	20
By knockout	7
By submission	11
By decision	2
Losses	6
By submission	3
By decision	3
Draws	1
No contests	2
Other information
University	Lock Haven University
Notable school(s)	Deer Valley High School
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
last updated on: September 09, 2009

James Christopher Varner (born October 12, 1984) is a mixed martial artist who fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former WEC Lightweight champion and holds notable victories over Donald Cerrone, Edson Barboza, and Drew Fickett.

Mixed martial arts career[link]

Ultimate Fighting Championship[link]

Varner competed twice in the UFC. His first appearance was against lightweight veteran Hermes Franca, which Varner lost via submission (armbar) in round 3. His final appearance was against formerly undefeated Jason Gilliam, which he won via first round submission (rear naked choke). After this win, Varner transferred to the WEC.

World Extreme Cagefighting[link]

Varner successfully defended his WEC Lightweight Championship belt against the previously undefeated Marcus Hicks on August 3, 2008.^[1]

He retained his title on January 25, 2009 against Donald Cerrone at WEC 38.^[2] The fight was highly competitive and won the Fight of the Night award. However, the fight was stopped prematurely in the fifth round when Cerrone hit Varner's temple with an illegal knee while Varner was still on the ground. Varner was given time to recover, but he was unable to continue, noting that he had double vision and had sustained a broken hand.

The controversial nature of the stoppage and many fans' disapproval of the result tarnished Varner's reputation as a tough fighter. The months following led to potential rematch opportunities which never occurred, amidst speculation that Varner was avoiding the fight and exaggerating an array of injuries that preceded the Cerrone match. This, as well as Varner's subsequent inability to perform since the Cerrone fight (despite Cerrone's ability to do the contrary), led the WEC to set up an interim title bout between Cerrone and Henderson. Henderson defeated Cerrone via unanimous decision to win the WEC Interim Lightweight Championship.

Jamie Varner was defeated by fighter Ben Henderson with a guillotine choke on January 10, 2010 at WEC 46 to unify the WEC Lightweight Championship.^[3]

Varner was expected to face Kamal Shalorus on April 24, 2010 at WEC 48,^[4] but the bout was called off due to an injury sustained by Shalorus. Varner/Shalorus was then rescheduled for June 20, 2010 at WEC 49.^[5] The match ended in a split draw.

Varner faced Donald Cerrone in their highly anticipated rematch on September 30, 2010 at WEC 51.^[6] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Varner faced Shane Roller on December 16, 2010 at WEC 53.^[7] He lost via submission in the first round and was subsequently released from the promotion.^[8]

Post Zuffa[link]

In his first post-Zuffa fight, Varner fought Tyler Combs for XFO and won via submission in the first round. He was also in negotiations for a possible fight against Dream lightweight champion Shinya Aoki at the end of May 2011,^[9] but the bout did not materialize.

Varner headlined Titan Fighting Championships 20 against late replacement Dakota Cochrane on September 23, losing by unanimous decision.^[10]

Varner has signed a three fight contract with XFC. He debuted on the XFC 14 show, defeating Nate Jolly via KO in round one. He returned on the XFC 16 High Stakes card which took place on February 10, 2012 from the Knoxville Civic Auditorium-Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee.^[11] He defeated Drew Fickett via strikes at just 40 seconds into round one.

Return to the UFC[link]

It was announced May 1, 2012 that Varner would replace Evan Dunham, who suffered an injury, to fight Edson Barboza at UFC 146. It was Varner's first appearance in the Octagon since UFC 68.^[12] Varner defeated the then-undefeated Barboza by TKO due to punches in the first round.

Mixed martial arts record[link]

Personal life[link]

He is an alumnus of Deer Valley High School in Glendale, Arizona, where he also was a part of the Deer Valley Skyhawk Wrestling Team. He attended Lock Haven University where he joined the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity (he is not listed in the PI registry, if he joined it was after college) and spent his time at that school training both as a wrestler and a boxer, where he was NCBA (National Collegiate Boxing Association) Champion for the nationally recognized Lock Haven University boxing team. Also attended PCC(Pima Community College) outside of Maricopa county in Arizona.

Varner was instrumental in the legalization and forthcoming athletic sanctioning of mixed martial arts in the state of Arizona after giving testimony to the sport's legitimacy and ongoing development as an athletic profession.^[13]

References[link]

External links[link]

• http://www.mmajacked.com/jamievarner MMAJacked Prosite
• Professional MMA record for Jamie Varner from Sherdog
• http://www.jamievarner.com Official Site
• http://www.mtxaudio.com/mma/view_bio.aspx?u=17 Bio at MTX MMA Website

Urijah Faber
Born	Urijah Christopher Faber (1979-05-14) May 14, 1979 (age 33) Isla Vista, California, United States
Other names	The California Kid
Nationality	American
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight	135 lb (61 kg; 9.6 st)
Division	Bantamweight Featherweight
Reach	69.0 in (175 cm)
Fighting out of	Sacramento, California
Team	Team Alpha Male
Trainer	Thonglor "Master Thong" Armatsena Fabio "Pateta" Prado
Rank	Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Wrestling	NCAA Division I Wrestling
Years active	2003–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total	31
Wins	26
By knockout	7
By submission	14
By decision	4
By disqualification	1
Losses	5
By knockout	2
By decision	3
University	University of California, Davis
Notable school(s)	Lincoln High School
Website	http://www.urijahfaber.com/
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
last updated on: November 23, 2011

Urijah Christopher Faber^[1] (born May 14, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. Faber won the WEC featherweight championship at WEC 19 on March 17, 2006 and held the title for over two years until his loss to Mike Brown at WEC 36 on November 5, 2008. As of November 2011, Faber is ranked the #2 bantamweight in the world by Sherdog.^[2]

Faber is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt under Fabio "Pateta" Prado,^[3] who, under Carlson Gracie Jr., is a 5th degree black belt.

Early life[link]

Faber was born on May 14, 1979, in Isla Vista, California, to Theo and Suzanne Faber, and grew up in Lincoln. He is of Dutch descent on his fathers side and Italian descent on his mothers side.^{[citation needed]} He went to Glen Edwards Middle School for Jr. High and Lincoln High School for high school.^[4] He has two siblings, an older brother named Ryan and a younger sister named Michaella. His sister almost died after a Thanksgiving 2011 car accident.^[5] Faber graduated from the University of California at Davis with a Bachelors degree in human development.

Mixed martial arts career[link]

Faber made his professional MMA debut as part of the Gladiator Challenge promotion on November 12, 2003, defeating Jay Valencia by a guillotine choke at 1:22 of round 1. Faber then defeated George Adkins by TKO (strikes) on February 12, 2004, earning a shot at GC Bantamweight champion, David Velasquez. On June 6, 2004, Faber defeated Velasquez by unanimous decision, becoming the new GC Bantamweight champion. In his first title defense, Faber defeated Del Hawkins by TKO(strikes) at 3:19 of the first round on August 19, 2004. After this fight, Faber began to take fights in both GC and King of the Cage, GC's parent promotion.

Upon moving to KOTC, Faber defeated Rami Boukai by majority decision on September 24, 2004, barely a month after his last fight. On November 14, 2004, Faber defeated Eben Kaneshiro by submission (strikes) to win the KOTC Bantamweight championship, co-holding it with the GC Bantamweight title.

On March 13, 2005, Faber made his return to GC, defeating David Granados by rear naked choke at 2:13 of round 1. On May 7, 2005, he defended his KOTC belt for the first time, defeating Hiroyuki Abe by TKO (cut) at 2:37 of the third round. Returning to GC on September 10, 2005, Faber had his first defeat, losing the GC Bantamweight championship to Tyson Griffin by TKO (strikes) at :05 seconds of round 3.

On October 29, 2005, Faber defended his KOTC title again, defeating Shawn Bias by guillotine choke at 1:24 of the first round. He returned to GC on December 11, 2005, defeating Charles Bennett by rear naked choke at 4:38 of round 1. Faber then fought at a TKO Major League MMA event on January 8, 2006, facing Ivan Menjivar. Faber won by disqualification at 2:02 of the second round when Menjivar landed an illegal kick to a downed Faber.

World Extreme Cagefighting[link]

On March 17, 2006, Faber competed for the first time in the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion, beating Cole Escovedo by second round doctors stoppage and winning the WEC Featherweight Championship. On May 13, 2006, he fought for the KOTC Bantamweight title for the third time, defeating Charlie Valencia by rear naked choke at 3:09 of the first round. Faber then returned to GC July 1, 2006 and defeated Naoya Uematsu by TKO(strikes) at 3:35 of round 2 to reclaim the GC Bantamweight championship, thus holding three titles at once. Faber then took a fight in the Full Contact Promotions organization on September 9, 2006, defeating Enoch Wilson by TKO (strikes) at 1:01 of the second round. On October 28, Faber returned to KOTC and defended his title for the fourth and last time, defeating Bibiano Fernandes by TKO (cut) at 4:16 of round 1. Faber later vacated his KOTC and GC titles upon signing a contract with the WEC after it was purchased by Zuffa in December 2006.

At WEC 25: McCullough vs. Cope on January 20, 2007, Faber defended his WEC Featherweight title for the first time since winning it ten months prior, defeating Joe Pearson by submission(strikes) at 2:31 of the first round. At WEC 26: Condit vs. Alessio on March 24, 2007, he successfully defended his title for a second time by defeating Dominick Cruz by guillotine choke at 1:38 of round 1, the only loss on Cruz's record.

At WEC 28: WrekCage on June 3, 2007, Faber defeated Chance Farrar by rear naked choke at 3:19 of the first round. In his postfight interview, Faber called out K-1 Hero's 2005 middleweight (154 lb) tournament champion Norifumi Yamamoto, though this fight has yet to take place. After this match, Faber took a six month break between fights, the longest of his career. He came back at WEC 31: Faber vs. Curran on December 12, 2007, defeating Jeff Curran by guillotine choke at 4:34 of the second round. Also on this card was the WEC debut of Jens Pulver, who was moving back down to featherweight from the 155 lb lightweight division. In Jens WEC debut, he submitted Cub Swanson in the first round of their match setting up a title match between Pulver and Faber. Pulver and Faber both commented in their postfight interviews that they wanted to fight each other, and the match was signed for June 1, 2008 at WEC 34: Faber vs. Pulver. Faber and Pulver fought a constant back-and-forth battle, but neither man was able to finish the other and the fight went the full five rounds, the first time in Faber's WEC career that one of his fights had gone the distance. The judges scored the bout a unanimous decision for Faber, 50–45, 50–44 and 50–44. This fight also marked both the first time that one of Pulver's fights at featherweight had gone to decision and the first time Pulver had been defeated at that weight class.

Losing the title[link]

Faber was next scheduled to fight Mike Brown at WEC 36 on September 10, 2008 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. However, this fight was postponed due to the threat of Hurricane Ike and was rescheduled for November 5, 2008 at the same location. Faber was defeated via TKO at 2:23 of the first round.

Road back to the title[link]

On January 25, 2009 at WEC 38 Faber fought Jens Pulver in a rematch, with Faber winning by guillotine choke at 1:34 of the first round. Post-fight, Faber addressed WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown, who was seated at ringside and announced he wanted a shot at regaining his title. When Brown made his first successful title defense at WEC 39 in Corpus Christi, Texas, he responded to Faber's comments by saying that a rematch between the two of them was something "the fans want to see."

Faber was defeated a second time by Mike Brown at WEC 41 on June 7, 2009 by a unanimous decision (49–46, 49–46 and 48–47) in front of his hometown crowd in Sacramento. Early in the fight, Faber broke his right hand and later dislocated his left thumb, resorting to using primarily elbows and kicks starting in round 3. Nonetheless, even in the fifth round Faber threw 15 left hooks or jabs, many of which connected. Sherdog and ESPN.com in a post-fight article noted that Faber's "right hand was no match for the top of Mike Brown's head." Immediately after the fight, Faber stated that despite the close (but controversial nevertheless) decision, he would still like another fight against Brown. Though a lot of people thought Faber's incredible heart and performances in rounds 1, 3 and 5 did enough to win himself (Faber) the fight, as Faber very easily won first round, out-striking Brown and then suffering those hand injuries at the end of the round and controlled rounds 3 and 5 with multiple accurate and quick leg and body kicks as well as in round 5 surprisingly left hook and jabbing strikes. However Brown won round 2 dominantly and won round 4 closely, which is what the judges thought was more significant to give Brown the controversial decision victory.

Faber appeared on WEC 43 as a guest commentator and returned to action in January. He submitted Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Raphael Assuncao via rear naked choke in third round at WEC 46,^[6] earning the Submission of the Night award.^[7]

With the victory over Assuncao, Faber earned a shot to fight Jose Aldo for the WEC Featherweight Championship on April 24, 2010 at WEC 48.^[8] He was dominated throughout the fight by Aldo, mostly by his kicks that sent him to the canvas several times. Faber lost via unanimous decision.^[9]

Move to Bantamweight[link]

Faber decided to move down to Bantamweight after his defeat by Jose Aldo at featherweight. Faber was set to move back down to bantamweight against Japanese striker Takeya Mizugaki on August 18, 2010 at WEC 50.^[10] However, Faber was forced off the card with an injury. As a result, Mizugaki was also pulled from the event.^[11] Faber defeated Mizugaki via first round rear naked choke at WEC 52, earning Submission of the Night honors.^[12][13] With the victory over Mizugaki, Faber won his ninth WEC bout, a promotional record he shares with Antonio Banuelos and Poppies Martinez.

Ultimate Fighting Championship[link]

On October 28, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were brought over to compete in the 2 new weight divisions.^[14] Upon his UFC debut, Faber was the only WEC fighter to compete in the promotion before Zuffa, LLC owned them, compete exclusively for the WEC until the UFC/WEC merger, and then move over to the UFC.

Faber defeated former WEC Bantamweight Champion Eddie Wineland via unanimous decision in his UFC debut on March 19, 2011 at UFC 128.^[15]

A rematch with Dominick Cruz, whose only defeat came by Faber in 2007, took place on July 2, 2011 at UFC 132, in which Faber lost via unanimous decision, the bout earned Fight of the Night honors.^[16]

Faber faced Brian Bowles on November 19, 2011 at UFC 139.^[17] Faber defeated Bowles via second round submission (guillotine choke), earning Submission of the Night honors. Faber is now expected to fight a trilogy with Dominick Cruz.^[18]

Following his win at UFC 139, Faber was selected to be a coach on The Ultimate Fighter: Live opposite Dominick Cruz.^[19] Following the conclusion of the reality show, Faber/Cruz III was expected to take place on July 7, 2012 at UFC 148.^[20] However, Cruz was forced to pull out of the bout citing ACL injury.^[21] Faber will remain on the card and face Renan Barão in a bout for the UFC Interim Bantamweight Championship.^[22]

Personal life[link]

Faber has been dating Rachelle Leah since the latter part 2011.

Championships and awards[link]

Mixed Martial Arts[link]

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Fight of the Night (One Time)
  • Submission of the Night (One Time)
• World Extreme Cagefighting
  • WEC Featherweight Championship (One time)
  • Five successful title defenses
  • Fight of the night (Two Times)
  • Submission of the Night (Three Times)
  • Most consecutive title defenses in the WEC (Five)
• King of the Cage
  • KOTC Bantamweight Championship (One time)
  • Four successful title defenses

Mixed martial arts record[link]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Urijah Faber

• Official UFC Profile
• Official website
• Professional MMA record for Urijah Faber from Sherdog

Gray Maynard
Born	Bradley Gray Maynard (1979-05-09) May 9, 1979 (age 33) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Other names	The Bully
Nationality	American
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1]
Weight	155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
Division	Lightweight (155 lb)
Reach	70 in (178 cm)
Fighting out of	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Team	American Kickboxing Academy
Rank	blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[2]
Wrestling	NCAA Division I Wrestling
Years active	2006 – present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total	13
Wins	10
By knockout	2
By decision	8
Losses	1
By knockout	1
Draws	1
No contests	1
Amateur career
Total	1
Wins	1
Other information
University	Michigan State University
Notable school(s)	St. Edward High School Durango High School Bonanza High School
Website	Official UFC Profile http://www.graymaynard.com/
last updated on: March 7, 2012

Bradley Gray Maynard (born May 9, 1979) is an American amateur wrestler and professional mixed martial artist, who competes as a lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has recorded one of the fastest knockouts in UFC history, at 9 seconds against Joe Veres. He is one of only two fighters to hold a win over former champion Frankie Edgar, with whom he has a noted rivalry. As of March 2012, Maynard is ranked as the #4 lightweight fighter in the world by Sherdog.^[3]

Early life[link]

Maynard's father, Jan, was a two-time Ohio high school state wrestling champion. He also has a sister named Misty.^[4] Maynard attended Bonanza High School in Las Vegas and transferred to St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio, for two years,^[5] 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.^[6] His high school record was an impressive 135–16, including being undefeated in his sophomore and senior years.^[7] His nickname of "Bully" came from his dog, Hank, a bull terrier he rescued.^[4]

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.^[8] The performance earned the MSU co-captain All-American honors for the third time in his collegiate career.^[9] Upon his graduation, Maynard ranked 11th all-time in MSU history with 106 career wins and seventh with 26 falls.^[10]

After not being selected for 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.^[11]

In an interview with Fightlockdown.com, Maynard stated that he believed that he was the most accomplished wrestler in the UFC lightweight division.^[12]

Maynard appeared on the "Schumacher Family" episode of Supernanny teaching the family's 7-year-old son about MMA at Randy Couture's gym . 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.

Mixed martial arts[link]

[edit] 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 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.^[13]

Ultimate Fighting Championship[link]

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, 29–28 and 30–27. 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.^[14]

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

In a Fight Of The Night winning contest, Maynard and incumbent 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 that 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.^[15][16] On May 9, it was announced that injuries to both forced the fight to be removed from the card.

The third bout between Edgar and Maynard took place on October 8, 2011 as the main event of UFC 136.^[17] 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.^[18]

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. He has since become a member of the Nova União camp.

Maynard is expected to face Clay Guida on June 22, 2012 at UFC on FX 4.^[19]

Personal life[link]

Maynard and his longtime girlfriend are currently engaged.^[20]

Currently Gray Maynard is co-starring in the movie, Submission with Ving Rhames and Ernie Reyes, Jr..^[21]

Championships and accomplishments[link]

[edit] Mixed Martial Arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Fight Of The Night (One time)
  • The Ultimate Fighter 5 Lightweight Tournament Semi-Finalist

[edit] Amateur wrestling

• National Collegiate Athletic Association
  • NCAA Division I 157 lb - 8th place out of Michigan State University (2001)^[8]
  • NCAA Division I 157 lb - 7th place out of Michigan State University (2002)^[8]
  • NCAA Division I 157 lb - 7th place out of Michigan State University (2003)^[8]
  • NCAA Division I All-American (2001, 2002, 2003)

Mixed martial arts record[link]

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
	10-1-1	Clay Guida		UFC on FX 4	02012-06-22June 22, 2012			Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Loss	10–1–1	Frankie Edgar	KO (punches)	UFC 136	02011-10-08October 8, 2011	4	3:54	Houston, Texas, United States	For the UFC Lightweight Championship.
vDraw	10–0–1	Frankie Edgar	Draw (split)	UFC 125	02011-01-01January 1, 2011	5	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	For the UFC Lightweight Championship; Fight of the Night. Fight of the Year.
Win	10–0 (1)	Kenny Florian	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 118	02010-08-28August 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	02010-01-11January 11, 2010	3	5:00	Fairfax, Virginia, United States
Win	8–0 (1)	Roger Huerta	Decision (split)	UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard	02009-09-16September 16, 2009	3	5:00	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
Win	7–0 (1)	Jim Miller	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 96	02009-03-07March 7, 2009	3	5:00	Columbus, Ohio, United States
Win	6–0 (1)	Rich Clementi	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 90	02008-10-25October 25, 2008	3	5:00	Rosemont, Illinois, United States
Win	5–0 (1)	Frankie Edgar	Decision (unanimous)	UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon	02008-04-02April 2, 2008	3	5:00	Broomfield, Colorado, United States
Win	4–0 (1)	Dennis Siver	Decision (unanimous)	UFC Fight Night: Swick vs Burkman	02008-01-23January 23, 2008	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	3–0 (1)	Joe Veres	KO (punch)	UFC Fight Night: Thomas vs Florian	02007-09-19September 19, 2007	1	0:09	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
NC	2–0 (1)	Rob Emerson	No Contest (both fighters ko'd)	The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale	02007-06-23June 23, 2007	2	0:39	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Both fighters were judged unable to continue
Win	2–0	Brent Weedman	Decision (unanimous)	WEF: Orleans Arena	02006-06-10June 10, 2006	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	1–0	Joshua Powell	TKO (punches)	Title Fighting Championships 1	02006-04-21April 21, 2006	1	2:56	Des Moines, Iowa, United States

Mixed martial arts exhibition record[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official UFC Profile
• Official Site of Gray Maynard
• The Ultimate Fighter 5 Bio
• Professional MMA record for Gray Maynard from Sherdog
• Gray Maynard profile at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame
• http://www.cagepotato.com/gil-martinez-says-gray-maynard-is-likely-leaving-xtreme-couture-to-train-at-aka/#comments