UFC 160 ‘Velasquez vs. Silva 2’ Preview

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Lightweights

Gray Maynard (11-1-1, 9-1-1 UFC) vs. T.J. Grant (20-5, 7-3 UFC)

The Matchup: The stakes for an already interesting 155-pound matchup were raised significantly when UFC President Dana White announced that the Maynard-Grant winner would receive the next shot at reigning lightweight king Benson Henderson.

A knee injury forced Maynard out of a matchup with Joe Lauzon at UFC 155, so it will have been nearly a year since “The Bully” last stepped into cage at UFC on FX 4. Maynard struggled to chase down Clay Guida in a painful-to-watch bout, ultimately earning a split verdict that pleased virtually no one. After coming up short in two attempts to wrest the belt from then-champion Frankie Edgar, this could be Maynard’s last hurrah as far as title contention goes.

After a .500 stint at welterweight, Grant has reinvented himself at lightweight, posting a 4-0 record and looking increasingly impressive with each outing. Once known primarily as a grappling specialist, the Canadian has showcased aggressive standup in his last two fights, earning wins over Evan Dunham and Matt Wiman.

Though he had Edgar reeling in both of their fights, Maynard has not developed much of a reputation as a finisher during his tenure with the UFC. His lone stoppage came in 2007, when he scored a nine-second knockout of Joe Veres at UFC Fight Night 11. Most of the American Kickboxing Academy representative’s success has come from an ability to neutralize foes with his strength and wrestling. Grant is the more accurate and diverse striker of the two, as he demonstrated in utilizing punches, leg kicks and knees to the body against Dunham. He can more than hold his own in close quarters, both with knees and nasty standing elbows.

Maynard has a left hook and right uppercut that can rock most anyone, but his striking is mostly tailored to set up his wrestling. Few opponents can match his physicality, but Grant might be better equipped than most, having come down from a division above.

If Maynard is able to get takedowns, he will be appropriately conservative, attempting only enough offense to avoid a standup. Grant has a solid butterfly guard, and his ability to sweep and chain together submission attempts will give his foe pause.

The Pick: Maynard enters as the favorite, but Grant will do his best to pressure his foe in all aspects of the fight. In a mild upset, the Canadian limits Maynard’s ground control, hunts for submissions and lands enough offense on the feet to earn a narrow decision victory.

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