Did Gray Maynard Fight Himself Out Of a Title Fight Against B.J. Penn?

It was thought that Gray Maynard was a lock to face off against B.J. Penn for the lightweight title with a win over Nate Diaz at UFC Fight Night 20.

Some thought that Frankie Edgar would get the next shot, but it would have been a pretty tough sell to give the shot to Edgar if Maynard managed to turn in an impressive performance on Monday night. After all, Maynard beat Edgar at UFC Fight Night 13 in April of 2008.

Maynard did manage to beat Diaz on Monday night, but it came via split decision. The fight could have easily gone either way, and Maynard may have swayed the judges during the last minute of the fight.

This was certainly not the impressive performance that many were hoping for from Maynard, and I can't conceive of him getting the next shot at Penn.

I think that an Edgar/Penn title fight at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi is a lock now.

Gray Maynard is a tough guy, but he is just not a very exciting fighter. He has won his last FIVE fights by decision, and fans roundly booed Maynard (and, to a lesser extent, Diaz) during the course of their fight on Monday night.

Not only is Maynard not an exciting fighter, but I think that he would get absolutely destroyed by BJ Penn. I'm not saying that Frankie Edgar will fare much better, but at least he should give the fans a bit more of an exciting fight.

So where does Maynard go from here? If the rumors of a Gomi/Florian fight are true, then a fight against Diego Sanchez may make sense.

This is all purely speculation at this point, but one thing is almost for certain - Gray Maynard will not be getting the next shot at B.J. Penn's title.

I'm not excited about the prospects of either a Edgar/Penn or Maynard/Penn title fight, but that's just me.

Play Poker - Receive a $600 Bonus