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Sunday, April 3, 2011

Frank Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 3 Planned... It'll Be Great, But It's Completely Unfair To Anthony Pettis


Photo by Josh Hedges. Copyright Zuffa, LLC
Article Posted: January 2nd, 2011 | By: Oliver Saenz | Comments: 13 | Comment Now
How soon the MMA world changes. Many fans were lukewarm and even outright cynical of a proposed rematch between Frank Edgar and Gray Maynard, and now fans are clamoring for a rematch to the rematch now that both men recently gave us an early Fight of the Year contender in the main event of ufc 125. Early post-fight reports saw UFC President Dana White remain adamant that Anthony Pettis, the final WEC Lightweight Champion, would be the next man to get a shot at Edgar. Now it appears that White has succumbed to the peer pressure of the situation after all, and we will indeed be getting an immediate rematch. Here are all the details.
Several sources around the internet have already confirmed it, including MMA Weekly. Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports was apparently the first man to get the scoop. According to the report, Dana White has changed his mind and opted to make an immediate rematch between Edgar and Maynard. No definitive timetable for Edgar vs. Maynard 3 has been revealed as of this report.
Make no mistake, fans and friends: if Anthony Pettis and the whole WEC Lightweight Championship situation didn’t exist, I wouldn’t just be another MMA fan calling for an immediate rematch. I’d shove my way to the front of the line, grab a megaphone, and start leading the charge. I had some high hopes for Edgar vs. Maynard 2, and even with that in mind the fight outright exceeded my expectations. I knew it was going to be good, and a lot better than many people thought it would be, but even I wasn’t fully expecting the amazing performance both men turned in. The rematch is definitely a no-brainer, especially when you consider how divided the fanbase is becoming on who they thought won and why.
The only problem with this situation is that it’s completely unfair to Anthony Pettis.
I realize that not having an immediate rematch is unfair to Gray Maynard, but Anthony Pettis has done nothing wrong and shouldn’t be forced to wait on the sidelines. What’s the alternative for Pettis? Fight in the UFC for the WEC Lightweight Championship, a championship for a promotion that no longer exists? After he gave us one of the best fights of all time and, without a shadow of a doubt in my mind, the greatest strike that’s ever landed in MMA history? Pettis has earned his shot at the UFC Lightweight Championship, and he’s fully deserving of debuting in the UFC in a main event for one of it’s major championships. The man is incredibly humble and unbelievably talented, and shoving him to the sidelines is an outright disservice to him.
In the end, I’m honestly approaching Edgar/Maynard 3 with some mixed feelings. I know it’s going to be an amazing match, and I think it should be made. I think that both men have finally proven to everyone that they’re not boring fighters, so they should definitely capitalize on that momentum by finally closing out their epic rivalry. I just don’t like the fact that Anthony Pettis has basically been shoved under the rug through no fault of his own, and is looking at quite a long layoff before he ever gets the title shot that he fully, unquestionably earned.
And what about you, fans and friends? How do you feel about the UFC Lightweight Championship situation?
Source: http://www.fighters.com

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