Dana White On Gray Maynard: He’s Young & Talented, We’ll See What He Wants To Do

UFC lightweight Gray Maynard suffered a big set back last night (Saturday, August 16, 2014), as he was TKOd in two by Ross Pearson at UFC Fight Night 47. The loss marked third in a row for ‘The Bully’ and all have come by way of ugly knockouts. TJ Grant and Nate Diaz clocked Maynard in 2013, and last night’s return to action proved a nasty repeat for Maynard.

The talk has inevitably turned to retirement for ‘The Bully’, even though he was 11-1-1(1) heading in to last year. The fact remains that something along the line has changed, and Maynard has been taking a lot of punishment in recent outings. Speaking at the post-fight presser, and transcribed by MMAFighting, UFC president Dana White gave his feelings on Maynard’s health and future:

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“Obviously he came here to fight, and he’s been cleared medically to fight, I think the kid is healthy,” White said. “But, you know, it’s probably a discussion we might have. I’m not looking to chase Gray out of the game or anything like that. I’ll talk to him though. These guys go through extensive medical testing and we know getting knocked out isn’t good for you. But we’ll see. He’s a young guy, he’s talented, we’ll see what he wants to do.

A two-time UFC title challenger in 2011, Maynard’s recent slump has been rather unexpected. The reality is that ‘The Bully’ has just one win since 2010, has suffered three straight TKOs, and also got knocked cold against Frankie Edgar in their 2011 trilogy making bout. When is it time to call it a day?

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Maynard is 35, has had 16 pro fights, but finds himself very far down the ladder in the rankings and title race. The combined punishment sustained against Grant, Diaz and ‘The Real Deal’ is bad enough, so what gain is there to be made by risking another fight? Well one answer may be that he is a proud guy, and loves to fight.

Even so, should White look to intervene as he has with guys like Chuck Liddel in the past?