UFC Fight Night 47 was live from Bangor, Maine for the first time in the promotion’s history last night (August, 16, 2014) with 10 scheduled bouts, including a six-fight main card. With the event now behind us, let’s take a look at which UFC Fight Night 47 fighters we may no longer see compete inside the Octagon… ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK: Gray Maynard The Ultimate Fighter season five veteran is now 1-4-1 in his last six Octagon appearances, with all four losses being due to T/KO. Now, with three consecutive TKO defeats at the hands of TJ Grant, Nate Diaz and Ross Pearson, it is likely Maynard finally decides to hang up the gloves, especially considering he sacrificed a lot for the Pearson bout. He is now 35 years of age and his chin is just not all there anymore. He was initially hurt by a short punch by the Brit, who followed up with more to earn the stoppage. Whether the UFC gives him the pink slip after this current skid and streak of T/KO defeats or not, I think there’s a good chance we saw Gray Maynard compete for the last time at UFC Fight Night 47; not only inside the Octagon, but in general. I don’t believe he is ready to retire, but his options are becoming more and more limited. Before last night’s outing, he felt confident he could make another run in the division, but after yet another TKO loss, I’d bet that confidence has left the building. He probably realizes now he no longer has what it takes to beat the upper-echelon of the division. Even if his skills win him the first two rounds, his chin could always cost him the third. I have enjoyed seeing Maynard compete since his time on season five of The Ultimate Fighter, and while I would have liked to see more of him, I do think the wisest move would be to indeed call it career. Thanks for everything, Gray. Now it’s time to focus on the family and being a world champion husband and father. Jack May The undefeated heavyweight prospect made his promotional debut against Derrick Lewis at UFC on FOX 11 about four months ago, losing via TKO at the tail end of the very first round and ultimately getting his first taste of defeat. He made a quick turnaround and took on Louisiana’s Shawn Jordan on the main card of last night’s UFC Fight Night 47 and nearly finished him. Instead, Jordan survived and earned a come-from-behind TKO over May in the third round of action. Now, on a two-fight skid and both losses coming via TKO, I would not be surprised to see May receive his pink slip from the promotion. That said, I think there is a decent chance they keep him around, only because of how incredibly thin the UFC’s heavyweight division is. They need all the big men they can get, and May is not a terribly poor addition to the roster. He is 6’8”, athletic and with plenty of room for improvement in all aspects of mixed martial arts; with the right coaches and training, he could be a threat two years from now.
