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("I’ve been doing this too long to take things for granted. I’ve seen it happen too often where a guy loses and then comes back and wins." Photo courtesy of UFC.com)

By CagePotato.com contributor Elias Cepeda

There’s a fun game you can play with undefeated UFC lightweight Gray Maynard: Ask him to name, let alone talk about, someone he’s beaten. He can’t do it.

It should be easy for the #1 title contender — he’s had just eleven fights in his four-and-a-half year MMA career, and hasn’t lost a single one. He has many more wins to choose from if you include his entire amateur wrestling career that dates back to his childhood.

Still, as he sits during some downtime between training on the Saturday exactly two weeks before he will face UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar at UFC 125 in Las Vegas, Maynard’s brain freezes when asked about his wins. Gray isn’t difficult to speak with, and his mind is sound. It just works a bit differently than most of ours.

Ask Maynard who he’s lost to and he can rattle ten names off in a row. “People say, ‘oh, you’ve never lost.’ Sure I have. I’ve been in combat sports since I was a kid and have lost lots of times from when I was three all the way through college.”

Gray seems to remember every time he’s come up short on the mats — recalling even grade-school losses with gritted teeth. “They still irk me today,” he says.

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News exclusives, Features, Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, MMA interviews, UFC 125

(Props: WorldMMAawards)

Remember when we told you that the Fighters Only World MMA Awards were last Wednesday on Versus? Well, what we meant was that the live online broadcast was happening on Versus.com, and the actual Versus television broadcast is this Thursday at 10 p.m. ET. (I know, we've done a great job of promoting it so far.) Even if you have no intention of tuning in, you may want to check out these sort-of-funny promo skits starring MMA fighters, which has become an annual tradition for the show. In the above clip, Randy Couture visits the Pawn Stars gang to get rid of some used property. Yeah, it's kind of awkward when he sells Natasha Wicks into white slavery at the end, but come on, "eight year abs" is a good one. Ah, what do you know from funny, ya bastards.

After the jump: Find out what happens when a guy known for a hilariously thick New York accent tries to play a Texan. Plus: Amber Nichole Miller's heaving chest saves a "Shake Weight" parody from total failure, and Wanderlei Silva gets in touch with his warm-hearted bow-tied side.

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News Amber Nichole Miller, funny MMA videos, Gray Maynard, MMA videos, Phil Baroni, Randy Couture, Videos, World MMA Awards

By CagePotato contributor Dan “siksik6” Teague

#8: Gray Maynard

When fans and fighters complain about wrestlers in MMA, they're talking about Gray Maynard. He takes fighters down because that's what he's good at. In Maynard's nine-fight UFC career, he has just one stoppage, a KO of Joe Veres over three years ago. He's earned his title shot not because of his performances, but rather because what the hell else do you do with a guy who's undefeated and has won eight straight fights, including one over the current champ? Cole Miller said it best: Taking people down should be a means to an end. Gray needs to start having some refs pull him off of people if he's ever going to have any drawing power.

#7: Ben Askren

Ben Askren is just starting to make his way into mainstream MMA discussions. However, it's not exactly a heralded arrival. The kid makes picking strawberries look like it belongs in the X Games. His last “stoppage” was a controversial sub over Ryan Thomas, who promptly and correctly displayed his best WTFIYP face. Before that it was a north-south choke over some guy you've never heard of in some organization you've never heard of back in August of '09. For his last fight, in which he won the Bellator welterweight strap, he came about as close to finishing Lyman Good as I did. I was on the couch eating Mayfield Butter Pecan ice cream. It was delicious. As a title holder for an up-and-coming organization, Askren needs to show more of a killer instinct if he ever wants his fights to be broadcast by anyone other than Fox Sports South.

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News Ben Askren, Features, Forrest Griffin, Frankie Edgar, Georges St. Pierre, Gray Maynard, Jake Shields, Jon Fitch, Michael Bisping

(Here's a quarter pal, call Michael Schiavello. PicProps: All Elbows)

MMA’s pathetic collective bitch session about the current trend of wrestlers kicking everybody’s asses reached its shrill and whiny fever pitch this week. With the UFC considering pulling Jon Fitch’s title shot off the table, Dan Hardy’s hilariously bad anti-wrestling column appearing in the Nottingham World Observer (or whatever it’s called) and people publicly worrying themselves sick about the marketability of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard, the wrestling store must be all sold out of Haterade.

Add to the list of the aggrieved the already insufferable Shinya Aoki, who tells MMA Fighting.com that – in the wake of his own soul-crushing defeat by Gilbert Melendez and idol BJ Penn’s second straight loss to Edgar – he’s not too down with all this wrestling stuff.

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News bj penn, Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Shinya Aoki, wrestling

(Who's the tough guy? PicProps: Fight! Magazine)

File this under Least Surprising News of the Week: In the wake of getting thoroughly outwrestled by Gray Maynard at UFC 118 last month, Kenny Florian is vowing to make some wholesale changes in his training. Florian says he's hired a wrestling coach from Boston University to help him with his grappling, so that he won’t get held down en route to a unanimous decision loss again anytime soon.

And frankly, this is a good example of yet another reason why KenFlo is one of the more likable fighters in all of MMA. Rather than taking the Dan Hardy approach -- where you respond to your team's multiple wrestling-based losses by publishing a screed in the local newspaper where you insist that (and, yes, this is an exact quote): “The problem is there's beginning to be too much wrestling in the UFC Octagon, not too little of it in the (Team Roughouse) gym,” – Florian is opting to actually do something about it, trying to get better and keeping his dream of one day holding a UFC title alive.

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News Gray Maynard, Kenny Florian, UFC 118, wrestling

(Video courtesy MMALive)

Chael Sonnen replaced Franklin McNeil as John Anik's other wingman alongside Kenny Florian on the latest episode of MMA Live and the trio proved itself a major improvement over the traditional line-up. Not only did he come off as a seasoned vet on camera, Chael also added to his vast depth of knowledge with a plethora of Sonnenisms like the one he used when describing the pending  match-up between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard.

"Well, listen, the fight has to happen. It's already happened once and Maynard got the edge on him. I think Frankie's better now. I like it from a competitive standpoint. It needs to take place," Sonnen said. "It's the right fight. From a business standpoint, acting as though Maynard versus Edgar is going to sell out an arena is about as optimistic as holding onto Jim Morrison's mail."

During the segment, which originally aired on Thursday, the durable UFC middleweight confirmed that if Anderson Silva's injured ribs heal in time, they will square off at UFC 125 which is being planned for Saturday, January 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

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News anderson silva, Chael Sonnen, Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, UFC 117, UFC 125

(Mr. Excitement. PicProps: Peace Magazine, Canada's "Street Style" Magazine. No, seriously.)

There seems to be quite a bit of electronic hand-wringing going on this week about the prospect of Frankie Edgar’s first post-BJ Penn title defense coming against Gray Maynard. Reactions range from sheer disbelief that Edgar handled Penn in two straight fights, to pundits wondering aloud if Edgar and Maynard are really the best 155-pounders in the world to a palpable feeling of dread about watching these two match their respective styles for five rounds. While both guys are too classy to say what really needs to be said to these detractors -- we'd probably go with something along the lines of "Tough shit, assholes," but that's just us -- you can't expect them to change their fighting styles just to please the fans, either.

For his part, Edgar said at the UFC 118 post-fight press conference that he plans to just keep winning fights until the haters stop hating. Now Maynard is also on-record saying he will just keep on keeping on, at least until someone can stop the takedowns.

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News boring fighter, Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard

More and more, the UFC’s lightweight division starts to look like the welterweight division, with an upper echelon comprised largely of wrestlers. While there’s obviously a difference stylistically between the way that Frankie Edgar (13-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC, #1 IWMMAR) fights and the way that George St. Pierre (20-2 MMA, 16-2 UFC, #1 IWMMAR) does. There are two questions, though, that jump immediately to mind with the change of lightweight landscape at UFC 118. The first is a macro-question about trending and, honestly, I don’t feel like I’m in a good position to answer questions about the trending in MMA towards wrestler-centric with only two (maybe three, if you make a precarious argument about the heavyweight division) divisions showing that trending.

The second, though, is about the UFC lightweight title picture, and that’s somewhere worth talking about.

A friend mentioned to me during the fight that if Gray Maynard (10-0-0-1 MMA, 8-0-0-1 UFC, #6 IWMMAR) doesn’t get a title shot after his win over Kenny Florian (14-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC, #3 IWMMAR), it will be a shafting the likes of which we haven’t seen in a while. Of course, that’s true. Maynard just beat the organization’s top gatekeeper (the top ranked lightweight not involved in the card’s title fight) and did it convincingly. Not to mention Maynard is the only fighter to beat the current champion, a fact which allows for some level of potential hype by promoters.

There’s actually an argument that you can rank Maynard #1 in the world, as it stands. Of course, that will never happen. Even experts, to some degree, rank fighters on the aesthetics of the fighting style, and while they’ll revert to ranking Edgar at #1 because he holds the belt, it’s hard to argue that Maynard is particularly fun to watch. Those who complain about St. Pierre’s recent title defenses would likely have issues with Maynard if he ever became UFC lightweight champion, and it does become difficult to sell pay-per-views when people don’t feel like they’re going to see a competitive or invigorating performance. Of course, it’s not going to shake the hardcore fans, and those of us who have enjoyed watching St. Pierre dominate Dan Hardy (23-7-0-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC, #5 IWMMAR) and Thiago Alves (17-7 MMA, 9-4 UFC, #4 IWMMAR), but we’re not really a demographic the UFC has to seriously worry about losing, so we don’t carry much weight in that regard.

The argument against giving Gray Maynard a shot is not based on merit, which he certainly has more than any other fighter in the division. It’s based on sales. It’s not relevant, but it is worthwhile to bring up the UFC’s potential concerns about Gray Maynard becoming UFC champion. The UFC lightweight division is wide open. Someone like George Sotiopoulos (13-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC, #8 IWMMAR) or Evan Dunham (11-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC, #9 IWMMAR) could easily step into the title picture and take the belt from either Maynard or Edgar, and any of those guys could hold the belt for three or four years. Sotiopoulos is the oldest out of that pool, at 33, and that hardly prohibits a multiple year run as champion.

At 28, Edgar could easily defend his title against all of those guys, though some part of me doubts it, given the volatile nature of the sport. I’m trying to decide whether I’m taking Edgar vs. Maynard in the upcoming fight. It usually takes me a few weeks to make up my mind on this kind of thing, but for the moment, I’m leaning towards Edgar. I just can’t work out whether that’s because I think he’s a more desirable UFC champion that Maynard, but we’ll come back to that. For now, what’s worth thinking about are the other potential contenders, the guys who are next.

Dunham will be taking on Sean Sherk (33-4-1 MMA, 7-4 UFC) at UFC 119, a fight that could set up talk of him becoming a title contender in the same way that Sotiropoulos’ win over Joe Stevenson (31-11 MMA, 8-5 UFC) at UFC 110 set up talk about bringing him into the title picture. After all, Edgar’s win over Sherk is what initially tossed Edgar into the title picture for many, even after his loss to Maynard. All of this will be discussed at length as we start to see the title picture unfold more clearly.

News Evan Dunham, Frankie Edgar, George Sotiropoulos, Gray Maynard, mma, UFC 118

As always, here are the videos from last night. Located below the fold.

Randy Couture vs. James Toney

Demian Maia vs. Mario Miranda

Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard

Nate Diaz vs. Marcus Davis

Gabe Ruediger vs. Joe Lauzon

Dan Miller vs. John Salter

News Dan Miller, Demian Maia, Gabe Ruediger, Gray Maynard, James Toney, Joe Lauzon, John Salter, Kenny Florian, Marcus Davis, mario miranda, Nate Diaz, Randy Couture, UFC 118, Video

Unless your name is Phillip Miller, you can’t expect to go through a career in cage-fighting without losing at least once. So in honor of Fedor Emelianenko’s first legitimate defeat, we decided to take a look at the best MMA fighters who still have flawless records. Whose “0” will be the next to go? And whose win streak is just getting started? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section…

#1: SHANE CARWIN (12-0, all wins by first-round stoppage)

Notable victories: Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 96 (TKO R1), Frank Mir at UFC 111 (TKO R1, won UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship)

Next fight: Brock Lesnar at UFC 116, 7/3/10

He may very well take his first loss this Saturday, but right now, Shane Carwin is the most dangerous undefeated fighter in MMA — as evidenced by the fact that no opponent has made it to the second round against him, and only two have lasted past the second minute. As he immediately showed in his UFC debut against Christian Wellisch at UFC 84, Carwin has a near-supernatural ability to generate power with his 4XL fists. Though he’s backed by impressive wrestling credentials, he’s only needed those hands to achieve victory in the UFC, knocking out top contenders Gabriel Gonzaga and Frank Mir in his last two fights. Brock, get ready to have your chin tested.

#2: MEGUMI FUJII (20-0, 16 wins by submission)

Notable victories: Lisa Ward at Bodog Fight: Vancouver (SUB R1), Mika Nagano at Smackgirl: Starting Over (SUB R1)

Next fight: Bellator women’s 115-pound tournament quarterfinals, opponent TBA

One of the most effective submission artists in the history of MMA, “Mega Megu” owns the longest active win streak in the sport, but suffers from the same problem that Cris Cyborg is facing in the States — a scarcity of legitimate challengers. Now that she’s signed on for Bellator’s 115-pound tourney later this year, she can prove her reputation as a living legend who can do more than armbar pint-sized scrubettes in Japan.

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News Cain Velasquez, Evan Dunham, Features, Gray Maynard, john hathaway, King Mo, Lyle Beerbohm, Megumi Fujii, Muhammed Lawal, Ryan Bader, Sarah Kaufman, Shane Carwin

("All summer, they begged us to take them to Ferrari World. And now that we're here? Forget it, they just want to stay in the hotel room all day. I'm telling you, Helen, don't have boys. They will drain years off your life.")

Fighters Only breaks it:

Former UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn will get his rematch with Frankie Edgar on August 28th, Fighters Only can reveal after speaking with several key sources. The fight will headline UFC 118, the UFC’s first card in Boston, Massachusetts.

When this rumor first emerged, we weren't sure if Penn should get an immediate rematch with Edgar simply by virtue of being BJ Penn. But the more we think about it, the more it makes sense. Penn may still be the #1-ranked lightweight in world at this point — judging from the poll on our homepage, 65% of you agree with that assessment — and making him whoop another contender to "earn" his shot is kind of a waste of everybody's time. Besides, Penn vs. Edgar II is the only logical fight from a promotional standpoint. When you're headlining a card with a title fight, at least one of the participants should be a star. Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard II doesn't really fit that criteria.

As for Maynard, the Boston Globe published a report that he'll be facing Kenny Florian at the same event, but they quickly retracted it, possibly after getting smacked down by the UFC. It would be a great matchup, though we'd hate to see Maynard lose his top-contender spot to a guy who's already had two shots at the belt. Still, it's Boston, and Ken-Flo is going to have to beat up somebody in his hometown...

News bj penn, Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Kenny Florian, UFC 118

(Supernanny choke: no can defend)

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News bj penn, Dana White, Gray Maynard, Interview, Kenny Florian

Filed under: Strikeforce, News

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Just days after a momentous shakeup in the MMA world's lightweight division, Gilbert Melendez aims to add a Seismic aftershock.

Sure, the earthquake analogy doesn't work so smoothly with his "El Nino" nickname, but then again, we are talking chaos here. For most of the last two years, most people generally considered some order of B.J. Penn and Shinya Aoki as the top two lightweights in the world. With Penn's recent loss to Frankie Edgar, it's a brave new world. And Melendez hopes to continue the upheaval of the veterans by sinking Aoki in the rankings on Saturday's Strikeforce show.

News bj penn, Frankie Edgar, Gilbert Melendez, Gray Maynard, Jake Shields, Josh Thomson, Kenny Florian, Mizuto Hirota, Shinya Aoki

Filed under: DREAM, UFC, Strikeforce, Rankings, Lightweights

The UFC lightweight championship has changed hands and the Strikeforce champion has beaten the Dream champion since we last ranked the MMA lightweights, but that has muddied the top of the rankings more than it has clarified things.

For starters, there's the issue of Frankie Edgar beating B.J. Penn: I now consider Edgar the best lightweight in the world, but at the same time I suspect that they'll have a rematch this year, and that Penn will win. So I'm not real confident in my top choice.

And then there's Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez dominating Dream champion Shinya Aoki. Melendez, to his credit, wasn't trying to claim after the fight that he's now the best lightweight in the sport, but he did make the argument that he's in the top three, presumably meaning along with Edgar and Penn. I don't have him quite that high, but I do have him moving up my latest lightweight ranking, which is below.

News B.J. Penn, Eddie Alvarez, Frank Edgar, George Sotiropoulos, Gilbert Melendez, Gray Maynard, Kenny Florian, Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Tyson Griffin

Filed under: UFC

UFC lightweight Kenny Florian will no doubt be an instrumental part of the organization's promotional push when it visits Boston for UFC 118 in August, but he may already be impacting the way that event could be regulated.

Florian testified on Tuesday before the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission on the issue of double weigh-ins, which the commission approved back in March but vowed to revisit in a hearing with testimony from medical professionals and experts. One such expert, it turns out, was Florian.

"They'd heard these stories of guys coming in and weighing thirty pounds or even forty pounds over their actual weight class, so that was a big concern of theirs," said Florian. "Since most of them come from a boxing background where a guy with a twenty-pound advantage hitting someone else in the head might be a dangerous advantage, they were concerned. So I came in and tried to give them some of my perspective on it."

News Gray Maynard, Kenny Florian, Takanori Gomi, UFC 118