Pros Pick: Edgar vs. Maynard 2

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UFC 125 “Resolution” on Saturday at the world-famous MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas features 11 total bouts, punctuated by the main event between lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and unbeaten challenger Gray Maynard.

Edgar and Maynard have locked horns once before, with the latter scoring a dominant unanimous decision win at UFC Fight Night 13. In the nearly three years since, Edgar has pieced together a seven-fight winning streak and ascended to the top of the 155-pound division, posting back-to-back victories over B.J. Penn.

Will history repeat itself, or will Edgar avenge his only defeat? Sherdog.com recently caught up with dozens of professional trainers and fighters to gauge their opinions on the rematch between Edgar and Maynard:

Chris Wilson: Tough call. Honestly, despite losing their first bout, I think Frankie has evolved enough to win the rematch. Gray has a pattern that wins lots of fights, but he has shown that, even though he’s won some recent decisions, people are starting to figure out his game. I think Frankie will make Gray pay for every takedown attempt until eventually Frankie’s hands and his takedown defense will turn the tide as Gray becomes less effective. Frankie wins via TKO in the fourth.

Shamar Bailey: I think these two are evenly matched. The difference makers will be in Maynard’s ability to impose his size and Edgar’s ability to make his speed a factor in the fight and be able to get back to his feet if he does get taken down. I’m picking Frankie by decision. He’s been on a roll, and I see no reason for it to stop.

Brian Warren: I believe Maynard has this one. Edgar is tough and the champ, but my gut says there is going to be a new champ. The Maynard-Edgar fight will be a war. I am going with Maynard on this one just because he might be a little meaner.

Jason Lambert: Maynard by decision.

Nam Phan: I think Gray Maynard will be able to bully his way into a five-round victory.

Ron Foster: Maynard has a ton of advantages coming into this fight: size, strength, wrestling and the fact that he dominated Edgar in the first fight. Even though Edgar manhandled Penn for five rounds, it still has to be in the back of his mind how easily Maynard handled him. For Edgar to win this fight, he has to keep his distance, stay on his bicycle and stick his jab into the face of Gray. For Maynard to win, he has to close the distance, get the takedown and stay active long enough for the ref not to stand them back up. I don’t think this fight will be much different than the first fight. Gray will use his superior wrestling to get the takedown and grind out a very slow-paced and ugly unanimous decision.

Matt Pena: Losing to Maynard before doesn’t bode well for Frankie Edgar. If Edgar worries too much about the shot, Maynard knocks him out. If he tries to box Maynard like he did last time, then we will have a repeat performance of last time. Just like Edgar was a bad matchup for the style of fight Penn brings, I think Gray is a bad matchup for Frankie; either way, exciting fight. I’m going Maynard by decision, though.

Ray Elbe: Maynard takes this with slick boxing and vicious ground-and-pound. Frankie gets TKO’d late in the fight.

Keith Berry: A lot of people aren’t showing enough interest in this fight, but I think it’s a great fight. Seeing that I will be training at Xtreme Couture, I’m very biased and will take Gray by five-round decision. Plus, I think he has something to prove, and you always have the edge when you’ve already beaten the guy once before.

Mike Ciesnolevicz: I already saw this fight and so did the rest of you. Gray Maynard wins by running Edgar into the cage; lift, slam, repeat for five rounds. Edgar is going to get out-horsed. Last time they fought, they looked like they were in different weight classes. Edgar will drop to 145 [pounds] and try to challenge Jose Aldo after this. I like Gray Maynard a lot. He is a cool dude, and it’s his time to be champ.

Stephane Vigneault: Edgar via decision. I don’t think Maynard can follow his rhythm this time for five rounds.

Jason Dent: Gray Maynard will win this one. Gray will be able to out wrestle Edgar like he did in their first meeting. I have a feeling this one will go to the judges, but I would be happy to be wrong and see a finish. [It will be] very weird seeing a lightweight title fight that doesn’t include B.J. Penn.

Tom Vaughn: Edgar is quick and scrappy, but Maynard’s strength and control will prevail. I see this one going to Gray Maynard by unanimous decision. After he comes to the realization he is probably too small to stay on top of the lightweight heap, I think Frankie Edgar should [go down to 145 pounds and] pick a fight with Jose Aldo and go for it.

Benji Radach: Fights are all about matchups. B.J. had a style clash with Edgar. However, Edgar has a style clash with Maynard, and I’ll bet B.J. would do better against Gray than he did Edgar. I pick Gray in this bout. Fun fight to watch, though.

Robin Black: I would love to see Edgar pop in, throw four-punch combos and pop out all night. His speed and great footwork and head movement are really fun to watch, but size matters and so does wrestling. I see Maynard winning a couple rounds early and ugly. What makes this fight so compelling is how very, very different these two fighters are; speed and slickness versus size, power and grit. Gotta go with size and power in this one. Maynard by decision.

Tom Gavrilos: Frankie will dance around him and box like he did with B.J., but Maynard is just a bad matchup for Frankie. He will take him down and pound on him, plus hurt him on his feet. Maynard by close decision.

Ricardo Liborio: Frank Edgar by split decision. Five rounds will make the difference in this fight.

Charlie Brenneman: I’m going with Frankie on this one. His movement is too good, and his hands are too fast for Gray. While Gray is bigger and stronger, it’ll be difficult for him to pin Frankie against the cage and use that size advantage. Both camps are great strategists, so it’s coming down to who’s the man that night. I’m going with Frankie via unanimous decision.

Luis Ramos: Gray Maynard will win a decision with takedowns.

Ryan White: Maynard handed Edgar his only loss of his career, so Edgar is going to be out for revenge. I think he will take it to Maynard, which will make for an exciting fight, as I think Maynard would love to go to war with Edgar. Both fighters’ finishing abilities have been questioned, so I think it’s going to be an impressive five-round fight, with Edgar just taking it on points.

Micah Miller: Edgar will do his best to avoid the fight, as usual, but I think Maynard will be too much and take the title.

Thales Leites: Frankie Edgar wins a decision.

Erik Paulson: The Edgar-Maynard fight is going to go to Edgar. He’s at the top of his game. He’s got great hands, lots of unpredictable movement, good takedowns and [he is] hard to take down. He’s also strong on the ground. Maynard is strong and a tough wrestler with heavy hands, [but he has] a little more of a one-dimensional style of game than Edgar. All in all, either way, as usual, I’m gonna eat some popcorn and drink some diet Mountain Dew.

Yves Edwards: Wow, this is really a great fight. I think Gray has the advantage simply because of his size and strength, but Frankie is the champ for a reason, and his conditioning is a big part of that reason. I don’t know who wins this fight, but rounds four and five will definitely be interesting.

Travis Lutter: Tough fight to call, but I think I am going to pick Maynard in this one based on the fact he won the last time they fought. Frankie is really tough, but I think Maynard’s wrestling will win this one.

Frank Shamrock: Maynard by a mile.

Thiago Tavares: Frankie Edgar wins. In a match of five rounds, I think he takes advantage of Gray Maynard.