It’s been exactly 14 years since one of the best rematches in UFC history.
On January 1, 2011, lightweight champion Frankie Edgar defended his belt against the only man who had beaten him, Gray Maynard.
‘The Bully’ used his elite-level grappling skills to outpoint Edgar over three rounds in April 2008.
A few years later, Edgar had dethroned BJ Penn and Maynard was the number one lightweight contender after amassing a 10-0 (1NC) record that set up their eagerly anticipated second fight at UFC 125.
The story of Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard 2
A lead left hook from Maynard threatened to end his rematch with Edgar after just 77 seconds.
‘The Answer’ tumbled backward and fell down before acrobatically popping up to his feet.
A swarm of punches put him down again moments later, but Edgar refused to give up his title easily.
Maynard battered him with ground strikes as he tried to rise to his feet once again. Unfortunately for the New Jersey native, when he did, he was floored for a third time as the challenger connected with several clean uppercuts.
At this point, just 90 seconds had subsided and it seemed almost impossible for Edgar to survive the round. Amazingly, that’s what he did as he ate all of Maynard’s shots and started landing some of his own before the pulsating five-minute frame came to an end.
Edgar composed himself during the break and capitalized on Maynard, who might have punched himself out in round one. It was a back-and-forth affair from there, with Maynard and Edgar difficult to separate during the final three rounds.
The judges found it a really tough fight to score. All three of them agreed that round one was a 10-8 for Maynard – but they all turned in very different scorecards that led to Edgar retaining his belt in the most unlikely way imaginable.
Judge Marcos Rosales awarded the fight 48-46 for Edgar, Glen Trowbridge saw it 48-46 for Maynard, and Patricia Morse Jarman scored it a 47-47 draw, which saw the champion keep his crown after a shock split draw.
The fight is still remembered fondly all these years later. Six months ago, the UFC uploaded footage from Edgar vs Maynard 2 to YouTube, and MMA fans flooded the comment section to commend both men.
One person said: “Fight #2 is a real-life Rocky Balboa (movie) story. That first-round beatdown was unreal. One would need a baseball bat to take Edgar out.”
Another wrote: “Maynard looks like a miniaturized Wanderlei Silva from behind.”
This fan added: “Still baffles me how Frankie fought at 155. Most times it seemed like a David v Goliath kinda fight. What a Legend!”
What happened next?
Naturally, the UFC rushed to book a trilogy fight between the two lightweight rivals.
They clashed for the third and final time at UFC 136 in October 2008. It was a fight that started in a very similar way to the UFC 125 main event, with Maynard coming out extremely fast and threatening to score an early knockout.
Once again, Edgar showed he had a great chin and heart as he managed to survive the onslaught.
Edgar recovered and went on to win the fight conclusively. The MMA legend didn’t need any help from the cageside officials this time as he swarmed with a series of punches to win by KO in round four.
Maynard never really recovered from his first professional loss. The 45-year-old suffered defeats in six of the nine UFC fights that followed and got knocked out four more times before calling time on his MMA career in 2018.
Edgar lost the 155lb title in his next defense against Benson Henderson, who beat him twice by decision to win and defend the belt.
After that, the 5ft 6in icon dropped down to featherweight and fought for the belt on three separate occasions.
Jose Aldo beat Edgar twice before Max Holloway ounpointed him at UFC 240 in July 2019.
Edgar finished his career at bantamweight. A win over top contender Pedro Munhoz kicked off his run at 135lbs, but it ended in disaster as he suffered three brutal knockouts before retiring at the end of 2022.
A fourth fight is not on the cards, but Edgar and Maynard will always be remembered for their epic trilogy.
- READ MORE: Video: Former UFC champ Frankie Edgar smacks head on floor after ‘rookie mistake’ in training