There is a very special moment in a fighter’s career when they find themselves facing a test that they couldn’t possibly prepare for; an unexpected situation that happens during a fight where things play out in the worst possible way. It’s at that moment that a fighter is forced to dig deep within, in desperate search of something that may not even be there.
For Frankie Edgar, his moment came this past Saturday night. As a well-placed left hook thrown by a noticeably larger and physically stronger Gray Maynard smashed into his jaw, his test began. Could he, after getting smashed to the mat three consecutive times, survive until the end of the round?
Watching the fight, I truly hoped that he would. However, when his instinctive attempts at stopping Maynard’s nightmarish onslaught with takedowns seemed to be stopped with ease, my hopes quickly began to fade.
It was obvious that the referee was seriously considering stopping the fight at many points during the intense beating that Gray was dishing out against the UFC’s lightweight champion of the world. Each time Maynard would step forward, I’d jump out of my seat hoping that Edgar would keeping moving and defending well enough to keep himself in the fight. Keep in mind that with the way Edgar was wobbling, flipping and flopping around the cage in such a disoriented way, I would never have questioned any decision to stop the action had referee Yves Lavigne chosen to do so.
Lavigne continuously gave Edgar chances to get back into the fight and because of that, we all — including Frankie — got to be part of something pretty amazing: One of the most exciting displays of physical and mental toughness in UFC history.
After making a few adjustments to his fighting style between rounds, Frankie slowly worked himself back into the fight. His corner men instructed him to move his head more, stressing that the most important time to do so was immediately after he let his hands go in multiple-punch combinations. He did exactly that and soon his head began to appear in places where Gray could no longer hit it as effectively as he had earlier on in the fight.
As the fight progressed, Gray seemed to slow noticeably and Edgar began to land many quick-striking combinations, as well as several takedowns and slams; one of them being as dynamic as the pro-wrestling sort. I don’t know if it was because I’m an emotional fan and was hoping for Edgar to pull off the win after recovering from trouble, but it looked to me as if he was moving faster and faster as time went on.
Overall it turned out to be a phenomenal match-up. With Edgar’s great speed, superb conditioning, excellent combination striking and perfectly timed takedowns on display against the punching power, aggression, takedown ability and ground awareness of Gray Maynard, we the fans definitely received our money’s worth.
I’ll have to watch the fight again to be sure, but after viewing it live on Saturday night, I felt that Frankie Edgar had done enough to win, especially since he was the one defending the belt.
Regardless of the outcome, win, lose or DRAW — we really have to get rid of draws somehow — Frankie Edgar passed a test that many fighters unfortunately fail. In a moment of sheer chaos and desperation, he found inside himself a source of strength that would help him push through it all: the warrior spirit!
Now that he knows he’s got it, I’m very excited to see what he can accomplish next.
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WAR EDGAR!!!!