UFC Fight Night 47 Date: August 16, 2014 Arena: Cross Insurance Center City: Bangor, Maine Lightweight bout: Gray Maynard (+115) vs Ross Pearson (-135) Fight Breakdown: Co-Headlining the UFC Fight Night 47 main card on FOX Sports 1 will be a lightweight match-up between The Ultimate Fighter veterans Gray Maynard and Ross Pearson, with Maynard being a slight underdog at +115 ($100 to win $115) and Pearson being a small betting favorite at -135 ($135 to win $100) at Several Bookmakerss. Gray Maynard (11-3-1 1 NC MMA, 9-3-1 1 NC UFC) last saw action at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale over nine months ago, suffering a first round TKO defeat at the hands of fellow The Ultimate Fighter season 5 veteran Nate Diaz. The loss put him on a two-fight skit and made him 1-3-1 in his last five bouts, with all three losses coming by way of T/KO. His chin has certainly become a concern, and it’s questionable whether he will continue on fighting should he be knocked out again by Pearson, who is a very talented striker. The lone victory in the past five fights for him was a controversial split decision against current featherweight Clay Guida, in a very lacklusted five round main event affair. Maynard is a very talented wrestler who possesses solid takedowns and is dominant from top position, though it is questionable whether those skills hold up, as he failed to outwrestle Nate Diaz in his last outing. At 35 years of age, he is certainly past his prime. His knockout losses are also a result of him abandoning his wrestling and focusing on his boxing. That was going his way for a while, but his chin began to fade and it no longer is a smart gameplan for him. Heading into this three round co-main event, his gameplan should be to wrestle and nothing but wrestle. His cardio is another thing that is a question mark to me, so it is something to keep an eye on. Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson (15-7 1 NC MMA, 7-4 1 NC UFC) is coming off a very controversial split decision loss against Diego “The Nightmare” Sanchez in the Albuquerque native’s hometown and is looking to immediately redeem himself. The Brit is a talented striker who continues to improve in the department. He is a solid kickboxer with excellent Muay Thai skills and a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He is quick on the feet and his footwork is fantastic; he does a great job of moving around the Octagon and creating angles. While he has been dropped and knocked out previously, Pearson still has a good chin and is very capable of taking heavy shots. The 29-year old has tremendous takedown defense, which can be partially credited to his solid Judo base and background in the sport. Training out of Alliance MMA in San Diego, CA, Pearson continues to improve on his wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu. He has excellent cardio and is always in terrific shape, I expect him to have an edge in the conditioning department heading into this 15-minute co-main event bout. Gabe’s Thoughts: Simply put, I think this match-up spells another T/KO defeat for Maynard, and likely a curtain call. Pearson’s takedown defense is very good and he is an excellent striker; that is just how I see this one playing out. Gabe’s Call: Pearson by T/KO (punches, 0:36 round 1) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Under 2.5 rounds (+110) 2u to win 2.2u
