Maynard-Diaz to Headline UFC Fight Night 20
Brian Knapp Oct 20, 2009
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 lightweight winner Nate Diaz will
square off with the unbeaten Gray
Maynard in the UFC
Fight Night 20 headliner on Jan. 11 at the Patriot Center in
Fairfax, Va. The Diaz camp announced the matchup Tuesday on
Graciefighter.com.
The two lightweights know one another well. They met in the semi-finals on “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2007, as a bloodied Diaz tapped out Maynard with a guillotine choke.
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt under Cesar Gracie, Diaz halted a two-fight losing streak when he submitted Melvin Guillard with a modified guillotine choke at UFC Fight Night 19 last month. The 24-year-old has not been finished in more than three years and holds notable victories against Josh Neer and Kurt Pellegrino. Eight of his 11 career victories have come by submission.
Believed to be on the precipice of title contention, Maynard last appeared in September, when he outpointed Roger Huerta in Oklahoma City. The 30-year-old, anchored at Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts in Las Vegas, has won his last five fights by decision. A three-time All-American wrestler at Michigan State University, Maynard already owns wins against the world-ranked Frankie Edgar and the highly regarded Jim Miller.
The two lightweights know one another well. They met in the semi-finals on “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2007, as a bloodied Diaz tapped out Maynard with a guillotine choke.
A Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt under Cesar Gracie, Diaz halted a two-fight losing streak when he submitted Melvin Guillard with a modified guillotine choke at UFC Fight Night 19 last month. The 24-year-old has not been finished in more than three years and holds notable victories against Josh Neer and Kurt Pellegrino. Eight of his 11 career victories have come by submission.
Believed to be on the precipice of title contention, Maynard last appeared in September, when he outpointed Roger Huerta in Oklahoma City. The 30-year-old, anchored at Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts in Las Vegas, has won his last five fights by decision. A three-time All-American wrestler at Michigan State University, Maynard already owns wins against the world-ranked Frankie Edgar and the highly regarded Jim Miller.
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