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Gray Maynard is ready to take over as the #1 contender in the UFC Lightweight division
By Zach Arnold | August 27, 2010
This interview from MMAFighting.com is one where Gray is very, very relaxed or at least in thought when trying to answer the questions. The comments section on Youtube to this video is horrible — cracks about Gray stammering and that he’s a dope and that he should get into a rap battle with James Toney. Remind me never to read Youtube comments to videos ever again.
As for the fight on Saturday night between Florian and Maynard, I think Florian wins a close decision but I am under no illusions if Maynard manhandles him with power for three rounds. I’m disappointed that UFC didn’t put more PR energy behind this fight, especially given that it’s on Florian’s home turf and it’s a really important fight for the Lightweight division. I’m looking forward to watching the fight and seeing both men try to implement their game plans into action.
Transcript of the interview available in full-page mode.
ARIEL HELWANI: “So, obviously huge fight, Dana White said at the press conference that the winner of this fight gets a shot at the title and, you know, one could say that you probably deserve the title shot a few months because you are the only man to defeat Frankie Edgar. How much did that bug you that the UFC jumped over you and gave him the shot instead of you?”
GRAY MAYNARD: “I just let it slide. You know I kind of knew that was more of, they wanted him on the April card, you know, and I was just got done, I would have had to jump back into camp. I ended up having a scope done on my knee so… it was more of the timing, you know, that played a huge part which I can understand that. But I like to fight. I don’t mind that. I’m just going to keep going. It’s not if, it’s when.”
ARIEL HELWANI: “In this day and age where guys like Shane Carwin got a title shot because they talk, Chael Sonnen, even James Toney to a degree. Do you feel as though if you would be a little more vocal, a lot more people would pay attention to you?”
GRAY MAYNARD: “Um, yeah, and I’m trying to do that a little bit more. It’s just kind of, you know, let them know me, I’m not like a quiet (guy) like ‘oh I’m not going to say nothing’ you know in the gym I’m a normal guy but you got to talk a little bit and so… but I like to talk in the cage, I like… I like to fight, that’s it.”
ARIEL HELWANI: “Correct me if I’m wrong but on Twitter I believe you asked for this fight, right? You wanted to fight Kenny Florian. Why?”
GRAY MAYNARD: “I wanted to fight Kenny Florian because I thought that Penn would probably win a close one, go up (to 170), and then I’m stuck waiting until he’s back down, you know, because that’s all I hears is, yeah, you know… they were talking about him going up a weight class or something like that and I’m just like, man, that’s going to be a long time to wait and so I thought Florian, he’s a good name, that’s a great fight you know? I’ll take that in a heartbeat.”
ARIEL HELWANI: “Well, speaking of Penn, since Kenny lost to Penn at UFC 101, he’s improved a lot, changed camps, looked very good against Clay Guida. Looked really good against Takanori Gomi. You feel as though this is a different fighter in the last two fights than maybe in his previous UFC fights?”
GRAY MAYNARD: “You got to grow in this sport. You got to grow or else, um… it’s going to be rough. The sport’s growing, you got to keep up, you got to change because uh… you know, there’s a lot of stuff new and he has and that’s fine. I have, too.”
ARIEL HELWANI: “Have you changed? That was my next question.”
GRAY MAYNARD: “Boxing, [jiu-jitsu], I mean just every day you can’t, you know I’m there every day, day-in and day-out whether I’m in the camp or not, either way I love the gym. It’s great and you just keep, you grow. That’s it.”
ARIEL HELWANI: “How do you see the fight playing out?”
GRAY MAYNARD: “I’d love to have a KO, that’d be great. But, um… it’s hard to call ’em, it’s always tough to call ’em but I’m going to win, you know, I’m going to go out there and I’m going to get my win.”
ARIEL HELWANI: “Feeling a little extra pressure to finish the fight?”
GRAY MAYNARD: “No, not at all.”
ARIEL HELWANI: “We’ve seen guys like Jon Fitch, you know, looking so good and then everybody says, oh, you don’t finish fights, you don’t win decisively, we want to see you finish some fights before you get another title shot. You don’t feel as though there’s that sort of, especially when it comes to wrestlers, there’s a lot of pressure on you guys to move away from your game plan in order to produce highlight-reel ending fights.”
GRAY MAYNARD: “Again, the guys that I’ve had, you know, none of them have been knocked out, tapped out. We’re getting to the top now and I think the small things are going to change, you know. There’s not a, a lot of like, oh, you know, smaller guys. It’s going to be closer fights, it’s going to be real close fights, especially for championships, number one contenders, it’s going to be the small things that (happens).”
ARIEL HELWANI: “Kenny Florian, obviously, home town boy. This is a big deal for him to be fighting in Boston. You cool with the fact that you’re probably going to be loudly on Saturday night?”
GRAY MAYNARD: “Oh yeah, that’s no problem. I’ve been to dual meets in Iowa, I’ve been to dual meets in Oklahoma and they’re always hostile crowds but you know the cage door… you know it’ll close and I can’t hear nothing. I go deaf, I think.”
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback |
I actually really like the authenticity Gray brings. He’s not particularly likable, but something like, “… you know it’ll close and I can’t hear nothing. I go deaf, I think,” is really charming. Not an ounce of pretension in this guy.