Frankie Edgar Stops Gray Maynard In Another Instant Classic

Champion survives rough first round to score fourth round finish

Saturday’s main event started out a lot like the second fight between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard.

Though not as dominant, Edgar was on the receiving end of some serious punishment from Maynard in the opening five minutes, heading to his corner down a round, beaten and bloodied. Just as he did in the last fight, Edgar emerged ready to go when the second began.

Through the second and third, Edgar was the aggressor and more efficient of the two, throwing and landing crisp combinations as Maynard delivered the occasional strike. As the fight headed for the championship rounds, these two rivals were once again neck-and-neck with ten minutes left on the clock.

This time, they wouldn’t need the full allotment.

Edgar maintained his aggression in the fourth, continuing to land crisp combinations as Maynard looked for counters. After Maynard did a good job of spinning out of a takedown attempt, Edgar caught him on the way up with a right uppercut that sent into a backwards stumble. The champion chased him down, measuring his shots, connect again with a good right hand. With Maynard back into the cage and clearly dazed, Edgar sent him to the canvas with a big left hook, then followed up with more punishment on the prone challenger.

Josh Rosenthal was forced to step in as Maynard flattened out under punches from Edgar, calling a stop to the bout at 3:54 of the fourth round.

Much like their second meeting, this fight goes down as an instant classic, and their trilogy ranks as one of the best in UFC history.

With the win, Edgar avenges the only loss of his career, and solidifies his place amongst the best in the business.