Maynard considers his decision loss to Ryan Hall in December at TUF: Tournament of Champions Finale as having been a waste of time
Time is of the essence for the 37-year-old, who has had to contend with fighting on three The Ultimate Fighter events and one Fight Night card in his last four fights. Despite father time’s approach on the heels of “The Bully”, he still maintains that there is one shot left at a UFC title. The former contender both drew (in 2011’s Fight of the Year) and subsequently lost, title shots against another former lightweight-come-featherweight, Frankie Edgar in 2011.
Maynard dropped to featherweight following almost 10 years as a lightweight. In doing so, the plan was to have a shot at securing a title shot at 145 pounds. This would encompass taking any fights he could get to further the cause, which is exactly what happened with Hall. Maynard recently spoke with ESPN, stating that he should have done more research on Hall’s awkward style prior to agreeing to fight him:
“I checked out the tape of him and immediately said, ‘Oh my God, this looks like the most annoying fight ever,'” Maynard said. “He’s what we call a booger. You never look good when you have a booger. Even if you beat him, it’s not gonna be a good look.
“I texted my coach and was like, ‘Man, I think this dude is just gonna drop to the floor and roll for my ankles the whole time. It’s gonna be boring.’ But then pride creeps in and I don’t like turning down opponents. I got my mind right and tried to put in a good camp.”
Although Maynard feels as though he has been slightly derailed in his pursuit, he is certainly not completely off track. More than anything, the Phoenix, Arizona native feels that the fight was simply a “waste of time”:
“It’s just a bummer to lose like that because I don’t even feel he’s good at MMA,” Maynard said. “If he would have beat me up or caught me in a submission, then it’s more along the lines of, ‘Alright man, you’re getting beat up by guys who aren’t even ranked. You’re gonna have to adjust and be a gatekeeper, focus on more fun fights, whatever it is.’
“But with the way it went, no questions were answered in a fight like that. It just seemed like a complete waste of time, you know?”
And in 2017, Maynard is sticking with the same intrepid approach of taking on all comers, providing they want to mix it up inside the octagon:
“I’m pretty much just trying to keep active,” Maynard said. “I’d like to get on a card in April or May, probably May if there’s one here in Las Vegas. Then I’ll get another one and check where I’m at when the year is over.
“I have a couple years left. I want opponents who will give me a scrap. I want MMA. That last fight wasn’t MMA. I don’t know what that was.”
