Maynard still patient for title shot
Despite being undefeated, Gray Maynard (10-0) was overlooked earlier this year for a title shot in favor of a man…
Despite being undefeated, Gray Maynard (10-0) was overlooked earlier this year for a title shot in favor of a man who he had recently beat handily, Frankie Edgar. Now that Edgar has made good and won the UFC lightweight title from BJ Penn, Maynard discusses still wanting a title shot and the possibility that he may get passed over again.
Gray, there was a great case for you deserving the next title shot against BJ Penn, being undefeated and having dominated Frankie Edgar when you fought him in April of 2008. Yet, Edgar got the shot and ended up beating Penn to win the title. How closely were you watching the fight Saturday?
I was kind of checking it out of course. It didn’t really hit me until the calls were coming in and I got a ton of texts that I did really have a chance to go for the belt. Then, of course I got pumped up.
Do you view the fact that a guy who you beat solidly is now the champion as a personal validation against all the people who said you were not ready to compete for the belt?
Yeah. I just think that everybody was pumping up Penn way too much. He’s unbelievable, he’s great but there’s a lot of guys. There is Edgar, me, Tyson, Florian. He didn’t clean out a whole class. There are still a lot of fights left. I was tired of hearing that he needed to go up a weight class because he had cleared out the whole lightweight class. I feel that he had two guys that he was going up against that he looked good against but it was the styles that made him look good.
Now that the champion is someone that you’ve beaten before and that you are still undefeated, have you or your management contacted the UFC to ask for the title shot, as far as you know?
Yeah, I texted Joe Silva right afterwards saying, Hey I’d like to go for the belt. That’s the one that I want bad. I got a couple calls today from people saying that Penn is in some talks with the UFC about going up against Edgar again. So that’s a possibility. I would love a chance of course, that would be a dream. But if I had a chance with Florian, Penn or at the belt then I’m perfectly happy.
If you did not get the next title shot, would you consider it unfair?
It doesn’t seem unfair because it’s a business. It is. Am I glad? Probably not. But again, this is a long career. If it isn’t now, I’ll just keep going. It is not if, it’s when.
