Bradley Gray Maynard (born May 9, 1979) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competed in the

Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...

and

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC). Between 2008 and 2011, he competed in a noted rivalry with former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar. Maynard competed in college wrestling at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

, and made his UFC debut in 2007.

Background

Maynard's father, Jan, was a two-time Ohio high school state wrestling champion. He also has a sister named Misty. Maynard attended Bonanza High School and Durango High School in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, before he transferred to St. Edward High School in

Lakewood, Ohio Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, on the southern shore of Lake Erie. Established in 1889, it is one of Cleveland's historical streetcar suburbs and part of the Greater Cleveland, Cleveland metropolitan area. The popula ...

for two years. While at St. Ed's he wrestled for coach Greg Urbas, and excelled in its wrestling program. In 1997, he placed second in the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) state tournament in the 140 lb weight class for Division I. In 1998, he was the state champion at the 152 lb weight class. His high school record was an impressive 135–16, including being undefeated in his sophomore and senior years. His nickname of "Bully" came from his dog, Hank, a bull terrier he rescued. Maynard wrestled alongside former UFC light heavyweight champion

Rashad Evans Rashad Evans (born September 25, 1979) is an American retired mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competed in the Light Heavyweight (MMA), Light Heavyweight division. Evans started his professional MMA career in 2003, and was the Heavyw ...

. They were also roommates. He was

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

in his freshman year. In 2001, he placed eighth at the NCAA Division I Collegiate Wrestling Championship at 157 lb weight class. In 2002 and 2003, he placed seventh. The performance earned the MSU co-captain All-American honors for the third time in his collegiate career. Upon graduation, Maynard ranked 11th all-time in MSU history with 106 career wins and seventh with 26 falls. After not making the 2004 US Olympic wrestling team, Maynard considered retirement from the sport. He was then recruited to be a sparring partner for mixed martial arts fighter and former Lightweight UFC champion B.J. Penn. With his exposure to the new sport, Maynard sought to compete in it. With his wrestling connections, he eventually became a student and training partner of UFC Hall of Famer

Randy Couture Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American mixed martial arts commentator, actor, former United States Army sergeant, former professional mixed martial artist, and former Collegiate wrestling, collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestlin ...

Mixed martial arts career

''The Ultimate Fighter''

Maynard was a contestant on '' The Ultimate Fighter 5'', which featured Lightweights exclusively. He was selected by B.J. Penn to be on his team and was Penn's pick to make it to the finals. Maynard beat Wayne Weems in the preliminary round. In the quarterfinals, Maynard faced Brandon Melendez in a tough matchup and won the fight with a guillotine choke in the second round. He lost his semifinal matchup in the second round against Nate Diaz due to guillotine choke. As part of '' The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale'' preliminary Card on June 23, 2007, Maynard fought Rob Emerson in a controversial Lightweight fight. Maynard seemed to be in control of the fight in round one. During the second round he picked up Emerson and slammed him to the mat. Emerson immediately tapped out because of an injury to his ribs. The referee believed that Maynard also could not continue because he seemed to have hit his head on the mat and knocked himself out due to the force of his own slam. Since both fighters could not continue he ruled it a "No Contest". UFC President Dana White commented, "I know one thing, that Maynard was out cold". Maynard did not agree, and cited the cage-side doctors, who, after testing Maynard, found he had suffered no

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...

during the bout. This fight earned him a $40,000 '' Fight of the Night'' award.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In his next fight he took on Joe Veres at '' UFC Fight Night 11'' and knocked him out with the first punch he threw, after nine seconds. It was the second fastest knockout in UFC history (at that time, see '' UFC 102''). Next Maynard won a unanimous decision victory over Dennis Siver at '' UFC Fight Night 12'' earning scores of (29–28, 30–27, and 29–28). At '' UFC Fight Night 13'', he faced lightweight standout Frankie Edgar in the first bout of their rivalry. Maynard won a 30–27 unanimous decision on all cards to hand Edgar his first loss. He used his superior wrestling to control the fight, winning a decision. This fight earned him another '' Fight of the Night'' award. Maynard also worked as an assistant wrestling coach for Forrest Griffin as part of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest. Maynard earned a unanimous decision over Rich Clementi at '' UFC 90''. In his fight, Maynard once again showed his superior wrestling as he controlled Clementi on the ground for 3 rounds. He did however appear notably disappointed during his post fight interview that he was unable to finish the fight. Maynard then fought at '' UFC 96'', against lightweight Jim Miller, winning by unanimous decision once again, with all three judges scoring the bout 30–27. Maynard kept the fight on the feet inversing his wrestling skills with excellent takedown defense and displayed solid standup skills, particularly looping bodyshot combos. Maynard won against Roger Huerta via split decision at '' UFC Fight Night 19''. During the fight, he had Huerta in a visibly deep kimura, though his opponent refused to submit. Maynard defeated TUF 5

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...

champion Nate Diaz via split decision at '' UFC Fight Night 20''. Maynard defeated Kenny Florian on August 28, 2010 at ''

UFC 118 ''UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 28, 2010 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The third UFC Fan Expo coincided with the event. This event was t ...

'' via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, and 29–28). Maynard took Florian down at will and controlled him on the mat, thus becoming the #1 contender for the UFC Lightweight Championship. In a ''Fight of the Night'' winning contest, Maynard and the champion Frankie Edgar fought to a split draw on January 1, 2011 at '' UFC 125'', resulting in Edgar retaining his belt. Early reports were that the former WEC champion Anthony Pettis would receive the next title shot, but Dana White later announced that instead Edgar vs Maynard 3 would be the next lightweight title fight at '' UFC 130''. On May 9, it was announced that injuries to both forced the fight to be removed from the card. Many consider the second fight with Edgar as one of the greatest fights in UFC history. The third bout between Edgar and Maynard took place on October 8, 2011 as the main event of '' UFC 136''. Maynard was defeated by Edgar via KO at 3:54 of round 4, resulting in the first official loss of his career. After a first round similar to the first round in their bout at UFC 125, Edgar was able to close in on Maynard landing more shots and becoming the aggressor. He finished Maynard with a flurry of punches, starting with an uppercut that rocked Maynard. On November 21, 2011 Maynard's Head boxing coach Gil Martinez told The MMA Show, that Maynard would be leaving Xtreme Couture gym for American Kickboxing Academy. Maynard fought Clay Guida at UFC on FX 4. He won the bout via split decision. Maynard was expected to face Joe Lauzon on December 29, 2012 at UFC 155. However, Maynard pulled out of the bout citing a knee injury and was replaced by Jim Miller. Maynard next faced T. J. Grant at UFC 160 on May 25, 2013. Dana White announced at the UFC on Fox 7 post-fight press conference that he expects that the winner of the Maynard/Grant fight to get a UFC Lightweight title shot against Benson Henderson. Maynard lost the fight via TKO in the first round. A rubber match with Nate Diaz took place on November 30, 2013 at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale. Maynard lost via TKO in the first round. Maynard was expected to face Fabrício Camões on August 2, 2014 at UFC 176. However, after UFC 176 was cancelled, Maynard/Camões was rescheduled and expected to take place on August 16, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 47. In turn, Maynard stepped up as an injury replacement for Abel Trujillo after he pulled out of a bout with Ross Pearson. He lost the fight against Pearson by TKO in the second round. After the loss to Pearson, signed a new, eight-fight contract and moved back to Las Vegas to train at Xtreme Couture. Maynard faced

Alexander Yakovlev Alexander Nikolayevich Yakovlev (; 2 December 1923 – 18 October 2005) was a Soviet and Russian politician, diplomat, and historian. A member of the Politburo and Secretariat of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union throughout the 1980s ...

on April 4, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 63. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Maynard faced Fernando Bruno in a featherweight bout on July 8, 2016 at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale. He won the bout via unanimous decision. Maynard faced Ryan Hall on December 3, 2016 at The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Maynard faced Teruto Ishihara on July 7, 2017 at The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Maynard returned to lightweight against Nik Lentz on October 6, 2018 at UFC 229. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round after being dropped by a head kick and finished with punches. A year later, Maynard revealed that he had parted ways with the UFC after a tenure which lasted over a decade, covering almost his whole professional mixed martial arts career.

Personal life

Maynard and his longtime girlfriend are currently engaged. Maynard has a daughter, Estella (born 2013). Gray Maynard co-starred in the movie, ''Art of Submission'' with

Ving Rhames Irving Rameses Rhames ( ; born May 12, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying IMF Agent Luther Stickell in the Mission: Impossible (film series), ''Mission: Impossible'' film series (1996–2025) and crime boss Marsellus Wal ...

and

Ernie Reyes, Jr. Ernie Reyes Jr. (born January 15, 1972) is an American actor and martial arts, martial artist, known for his acting work in films such as ''The Last Dragon'', ''Red Sonja (1985 film), Red Sonja'' (1985), as Donatello's stuntman in ''Teenage Muta ...

Maynard also was an Assistant Coach alongside Forrest Griffin and Tyson Griffin with head coach

Rich Franklin Richard Jay Franklin II (born October 5, 1974) is an American businessman and retired mixed martial artist. He is best known for competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he is a member of the UFC Hall of Fame and a former UFC Midd ...

on the last episode of the 11th season of ''The Ultimate Fighter''.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** The Ultimate Fighter 5 Lightweight Tournament Semifinalist ** Fight of the Night (Three times) *** Tied ( Krzysztof Jotko) for second highest decision-wins-per-win percentage in UFC history (10 decision wins / 11 wins: 91%) **UFC.com Awards ***2011: Ranked #2 Fight of the Year , Half-Year Awards: Best Fight of the 1HY & Ranked #5 Fight of the Year * World MMA Awards **2011 Fight of the Year vs. Frankie Edgar 2 at UFC 125 *

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

**Fight of the Year (2011) vs. Frankie Edgar 2 on January 1

Collegiate wrestling

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Division I 157 lb - 8th place out of

(2001) **

Division I 157 lb - 7th place out of

(2002) **

Division I 157 lb - 7th place out of

(2003) ** NCAA Division I All-American (2001, 2002, 2003)

Mixed martial arts record

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Fairfax, Virginia Fairfax ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia and the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 24,146. Fairfax is pa ...

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Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's List of municipalities in Maine, third-most populous city, behind Portland, Maine, Portland ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–3–1 (1) , Nate Diaz , TKO (punches) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:38 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–2–1 (1) , TJ Grant , TKO (punches) , UFC 160 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:07 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1–1 (1) , Clay Guida , Decision (split) , UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–1–1 (1) , Frankie Edgar , KO (punches) , UFC 136 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3:54 ,

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 10–0–1 (1) , Frankie Edgar , Draw (split) , UFC 125 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, , Kenny Florian , Decision (unanimous) ,

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Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 (1) , Nate Diaz , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 (1) , Roger Huerta , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Diaz vs. Guillard , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 (1) , Jim Miller , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 96 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 (1) , Rich Clementi , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 90 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Rosemont, Illinois Rosemont is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located immediately northwest of Chicago. As of the 2020 census, the village had a population of 3,952. The village was incorporated in 1956, though it had been settled long before ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 (1) , Frankie Edgar , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Lauzon , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county located in the United States, U.S. Colorado, state of Colorado. It has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sect ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 (1) , Dennis Siver , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Swick vs. Burkman , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 (1) , Joe Veres , KO (punch) , UFC Fight Night: Thomas vs. Florian , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:09 ,

, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 2–0 (1) , Rob Emerson , NC (double TKO) , The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:39 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Brent Weedman , Decision (unanimous) , WEF: Orleans Arena , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Joshua Powell , TKO (punches) , Title Fighting Championships 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:56 ,

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

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The Ultimate Fighter 5

, Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Nate Diaz , Submission (guillotine choke) , rowspan=3, The Ultimate Fighter 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:17 , rowspan=3,

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

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Amateur mixed martial arts record

, Win , align=center, 1–0 , Evan Dunham , Decision (Unanimous) , SF (SportFight) 15 , 8 April 2006 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...