UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Pearson

Gray Maynard (12-4-1) vs. Ross Pearson (17-7)

Two of the most electric fighters in MMA, Gray Maynard and Ross Pearson, will square off for what should be an exciting fight in Bangor, ME on Saturday night.

Maynard comes into this lightweight match having prevailed in just one of his past five fights. This includes falling in both of his past two bouts by way of first-round knockout, to TJ Grant and Nate Diaz. But before this slide, he had won eight straight fights from 2007 to 2010, but the last seven of those victories all came by way of decision. Maynard is the type of fighter that starts the fight with a lot of emotion, but that energy has gotten him into trouble in his career. While his opponent, Ross Pearson, is all the type of fighter that sets the tone early, Maynard can ill-afford to let Pearson get things going early. Pearson also comes into this match off a loss, as he fell to Diego Sanchez on June 7. However, that match ended by way of split decision, with Pearson holding a 51-33 advantage in significant strikes. He is an explosive athlete that does a great job of bringing his fight to his opponents. At 29 years old, Pearson is in the prime of his career. A win in this match could be what Pearson needs to jumpstart his career and make a run in this weight class. Look for PEARSON to take care of business, defeating Maynard in a long fight.

"The Real Deal" Pearson has 17 victories in his career, with six of his wins coming by knockout, four by submission and seven by way of decision. Pearson will have a big advantage when it comes to significant strikes, landing nearly double the amount (4.04 per minute that Maynard does (2.09). Not only does he land more punches than Maynard, but Pearson is much more accurate when throwing those strikes at 42% compared to 31% for Maynard. For the England native to get the victory, Pearson must keep this fight on his feet. However, if this matchup goes to the ground, he could be in real trouble.

The 35-year-old Maynard has 12 victories in his career, with 10 of them coming by way of decision. He also has two wins by knockout. His biggest advantage in this fight will be his grappling game, where he has a significant advantage when it comes to takedowns (2.6 for Maynard, compared to 1.1 for Pearson). He is also much more accurate when it comes to landing the takedown, succeeding on 49% of his attempts (33% for Pearson). Wrestling has always been the strength for this veteran who wrestled at Michigan State University with MMA legend Rashad Evans. For Maynard, too many times in his career he has gotten away from his game plan, and left himself susceptible to getting hit. If he does that again on Saturday, Maynard will once again find himself on the losing end. Both fighters are 5-foot-8 and 155 pounds.