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Who will win the rematch between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard? Can the UFC sell it as a viable headliner?
ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
I see Frankie Edgar taking the fight only because he has gotten better since their first fight, and Gray Maynard has only one dominating style. I think Edgar can negate that style with his stand-up, and also, give credit where credit is due. Edgar wasn't afraid to go to the ground with B.J. Penn, and that threw Penn off of his game, and I believe that Edgar could (and will) do the same to Maynard. Now, the UFC just has to make Edgar and Maynard watchable from the viewer's standpoint. I see them pairing it up with a highly touted co-main event, either another title fight, or maybe, a number one contender fight in another division.
ALVIN CARTER, MMATORCH SPECIALIST
I think Frankie Edgar will out point Gray Maynard to a decision, and possible exploit a mistake and get a stoppage. This is a tough headliner as people are not giving Edgar enough respect. I think it could headline a free show, or fit as a co-main event with another more exciting title fight.
ALEX WILLIAMS, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
My early forecast is that Gray Maynard wins the rematch by grounding Frankie Edgar and grinding his way to a victory. Considering the abilities possessed by the two, it's worthy of being a headliner. But Edgar and Maynard are not popular enough to draw an acceptable buyrate on their own. The UFC needs to pair their bout with another title fight or some other main event quality match-up (i.e., at least something at the level of Rampage Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida).
ERIC LEE, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
The rematch between Edgar and Maynard will most likely be a main even simply because it's a championship fight. But it will definitely be a boring one. We can all expect to see two cautious boxers attempting to out wrestle the other. Gray Maynard hasn't finished a fight in three years. Edgar did it last year but it doesn't ever seem to be a part of his game plan. I hate to say it, but I see Maynard winning by five round wrestling match decision.
TOBEN SHELBY, MMATORCH AUDIO CO-HOST
While the rematch between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard has five round decision written all over it, I’m excited for the matchup and at the moment I favor Maynard. Edgar will have to work out a new plan than he worked against B.J. Penn as it’s unlikely that Maynard will just stand there while Edgar comes at him. Look for more of the same from Maynard, which is exactly what he needs to beat Edgar. Penn was able to get Edgar down in their last fight, but he just didn’t seem to be willing to go for take downs early and often. I don’t think Maynard will have that problem and he’ll likely (pardon the pun) bully Edgar around again for a decision victory.
I think the UFC can sell this fight based on the history between these two, but not on their personalities. "The only man to beat the champ" should serve as a pretty good tagline for Maynard and paints Edgar as a fighter with something to prove. Neither fighter has been aggressive in previous hype interviews, but that could change as Maynard might have a chip on his shoulder after getting passed over by the UFC for a title shot earlier in favor of Edgar.
JAMIE PENICK, MMATORCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The fight itself should be a much higher level contest than the one the two had in 2008. Edgar has improved his game immensely since that point, but I'm not sure that Maynard's improvement has been as advanced. His wrestling is very, very good, and he will look to impose that on Edgar much as he did in the first fight, but I think the Champ will show how far he's come since that first meeting and will find a way to retain his title.
As for selling the fight, the UFC is in a tough spot with it. As a headliner, it would probably be the lowest selling title fight they've put on in ages. They have a couple of options, then, to give it a chance to have the most people watching it. They can pair it with another title fight, leaving other pay-per-view events with less than optimal options for main event fights. They can put a really big non-title fight in as a co-main event. They can also put the event on for free on Spike TV. It's been a long time since they've had a title fight on Spike, and if ever they were going to do another this one would be it.
RELATED: Part one of this roundtable with responses from Marsh, Hyden, Hobaugh, Leet and Hansen: [CLICK TO READ FULL ROUNDTABLE]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
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