What's Next For UFC Lightweight Gray Maynard?

UFC lightweight Gray Maynard was able to remain undefeated last night as he won a split decision against the always tough Roger Huerta.  Personally, I thought the fight was close but Maynard should have won a unanimous decision, but that's neither here nor there as he got the win.  I thought Maynard showed much improved stand up in this bout, as he was able to hit Huerta early and often while avoiding a lot of damage in the exchanges.  Maynard is often criticized for not being able to finish his opponents, I know I've pointed this out numerous times.  However, it seems as if Maynard is getting more and more confident/comfortable inside the cage.  He did a great job of getting in and out of Huerta's range offensively, often causing Huerta to come up short with his punches and kicks.  He also showed a solid chin as Huerta packs pretty good power in his punches.  Actually, Maynard was rocked in the first round but used his footwork to avoid Huerta and recover pretty quickly.  The most impressive part about that was that Maynard didn't shoot for a take down when he was hurt by Huerta.  He just just circled away as Huerta tried to swarm.

I think the last two fights have clearly put Maynard into the upper echelon of lightweights.  In his last two fights he's fought scrappy, difficult to finish opponents, with good power and good submission games.  However, Maynard has proven that he's more than capable of handling those types of fighters.  He has already beaten Frankie Edgar who's thought of as a top UFC lightweight.  So it'll be interesting to see who Maynard will face next.  Does he deserve a title shot?  Should he fight the winner of Clay Guida/Kenny Florian?  Does he fight the loser of Diego Sanchez/BJ Penn?  Give me your thoughts on the Maynard/Huerta fight and what you think is next for Maynard.

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