On paper it’s absolutely the right matchup. The man who dethroned the best lightweight in the history of the sport defending his shiny new title belt against the only man to ever defeat him inside the cage. So why doesn’t anyone care? As one of the sport’s biggest websites, Bloody Elbow gets a sneak peak into the minds of MMA fans. What interests them? What moves numbers on the site? The answer is a long one and probably a trade secret. The short answer for our purposes? Not Frankie Edgar or Gray Maynard. The better question? Why not?
The challenger still possesses all the tools that made him such a bear for the champion in the first place, the same superlative wrestling and the same powerful punching, only more refined and nuanced than they were two years ago when he beat Edgar by unanimous decision. The champion, for his part, showed everyone that he could overcome size and even skill with speed and cardio. It’s evenly matched, has a backstory, even has a reality television star – still no one seems to care about Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard.
By all rights Frankie Edgar should be a rising star. They say to be the man you have to beat the man. Edgar did that, then came right back and did it again. He’s good looking, friendly, talented – there’s no reason he shouldn’t be taking the world by storm. For whatever reason, it isn’t happening. It’s not a personal failing on Edgar’s part. Some guys just never have that “it” factor, are destined to be respected but never feared, recognized on the street but never loved. But in this case it’s too early to write Edgar off – part of the issue is with the UFC and their promotion of the young champion.
Fans can tell when the UFC is really getting behind a fighter, when the promotion has confidence it is worth their time to give a guy that extra oomph that seperates superstars from the fighters who headline run of the mill shows that draw average numbers. They clearly don’t have that confidence in Edgar.
For years Frankie Edgar was the name that came up when UFC brass would speculate about which fighters might drop down to 145 pounds if the WEC and the featherweight division really took off. It’s clear they still see him that way. It’s why they haven’t made the push to get Edgar in the headlines, haven’t played their trump cards to get him on television or in the mainstream eye. They don’t think he’s likely to beat Gray Maynard. Investing that kind of promotional capital doesn’t make sense for Zuffa if they think Edgar is keeping the belt warm for the bigger and stronger Maynard.
Maynard, of course, is the other factor in this equation, part of the mathematical calculus that doesn’t seem likely to add up to big buyrates for the UFC 125 show. The Xtreme Couture wrestler is often derided as boring. Sometimes fans are dead wrong when they start up with the boos. I always loved watching Matt Lindland fight even though he had his detratctors. Georges St. Pierre is never not fascinating, despite a continous chorus of criticism. But sometimes, just sometimes, when there is smoke there is a raging fire. If boring is a flickering flame, Maynard is Mount Vesuvius. His style has resulted in seven consecutive decisions, none of them scintilating. His last finish was against Joe Veres in 2007, a nine second fight against a fighter who can charitably be called a tomato can.
Of course, Maynard is also an amazing athlete. A three time All American at Michigan State, Maynard has that grueling Big Ten style that served fighters like Mark Coleman so well in MMA. Since losing to Nate Diaz in the semifinals of The Ultimate Fighter 5, Maynard has been dutifully learning to defend submissions. It was his achilles heel, but one he’s carefully armored. It will be hard for Edgar to win this fight, hard for anyone to penetrate his shell of defensive wrestling. Nornally the promise of a hard fought and competitive fight would attract fans in droves. But what if they know going in it will likely be a defensive battle between one man looking to dance and avoid contact and another looking to hold the champion down for a decision win?
Right now the fans who are voting with their dollars are betting on a title swap. For the third fight in a row, Edgar is the underdog at the sports book. Even after destroying the myth of B.J. Penn’s lightweight invincibility, Edgar is still being overlooked and underestimated. What will it take to make him a star? Will a decisive win finally earn Edgar the respect he deserves?