Two lightweight contenders coming off surprising stoppage losses will fight for a 3rd time, as former title challengers Nate Diaz and Gray Maynard clash on the TUF 18 Finale on November 30th in Las Vegas:
Breaking – the November 30 #TUF18 finale will feature the rubber match between @NateDiaz209 and @GrayMaynard
— UFC (@ufc) September 8, 2013
Diaz (16-9) submitted Maynard in the semifinals of TUF 5 and went on to win the competition. He lost the rematch in 2010 by split decision and also suffered a knockdown during the fight. In recent times Diaz contended for the UFC lightweight title, only to lost in lopsided fashion to Ben Henderson. Against Josh Thomson, Diaz was wobbled by a head kick and finished by TKO for the first time in his MMA career. It’s his third two-fight losing streak in the UFC, but he’s never dropped 3 straight.
Maynard (11-2-1, 1 NC) had two chances to win the lightweight title, but failed to capitalize on dominant first rounds against Frankie Edgar, and the rubber match ended in a 4th round KO loss. After an ugly win over Clay Guida, Maynard took on T.J. Grant at UFC 160, and the Canadian pulled off a shock result with a 1st round TKO. As it stands, Maynard has just 1 win in his last 4 fights.
No other fights have been confirmed for the TUF 18 Finale other than the men’s and women’s bantamweight finals for TUF.
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