By Michael David Smith
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Gray Maynard becam
e the UFC's No. 1 lightweight contender Saturday at
UFC 118, but he wasn't very exciting in the process.
Maynard beat
Kenny Florian by unanimous decision, staying undefeated in his professional MMA career and controlling the fight with a wrestling style that is brutally effective but not particularly entertaining to the fans.
"I'd love to come back here and have you guys cheer for me some time," Maynard said as the fans booed him at the end of a fairly boring fight.
There was a long feeling out process in the first round, with Florian landing just a few kicks and Maynard landing nothing at all. For the first four minutes of the first round, Florian was able to fight his fight, and although Maynard did manage to secure a takedown in the round's final minute, he didn't do a whole lot on the ground, and it was a round that Florian won on my scorecard, but that two of the three judges gave to Maynard.
In the second round they came out cautious and tentative again, without either fighter getting a distinct advantage in the stand up. But with about two minutes left in the round Maynard started going for the takedown again, and this time he got into side control and hurt Florian with some hard punches from the top. Maynard stayed on top of Florian until the bell sounded, easily giving him the round 10-9.
In the third Maynard put Florian on his back again, although this time Florian was more active from the bottom, landing some punches to the face as well as an upkick, and he twice tried to secure an omoplata. But Maynard managed to avoid all the submission attempts and control Florian on the ground through the end of a fight that left the fans in Boston booing.
The judges scored it 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 for Maynard, who is 9-0 and the only fighter to defeat Frankie Edgar, the lightweight champion who will defend his belt for the first time in Saturday night's main event. An Edgar-Maynard rematch would be a good fight, but based on the way the fans in Boston reacted to Maynard, not a fight that would get the fans particularly excited.
Read More: ufc 118, Gray Maynard (MMA), Kenny Florian (MMA)
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