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.

UFC Fight Night 19: Diaz vs. Guillard coverage

Nate Diaz was able to pull off the much expected submission win against Melvin Guillard at UFC Fight Night 19.  However, it was a win that highlighted a lot flaws that Diaz needs to correct if he ever wants to become a major player in the UFC LW division.  Check it:

• Melvin Guillard was having his way with Nate Diaz prior to getting caught in that guillotine.  He out struck Diaz who enjoyed a huge reach advantage, and he was able to slip the majority of Diaz's punches as well.  Guillard beat himself in that fight IMO and with Diaz's length he shouldn't be getting out struck in such fashion.
• While Diaz has very good BJJ, he absolutely has no take down defense.  He simply can't rely on catching opponents in submissions as he moves up in competition because it's simply not going to
  work.
• Nate Diaz had trouble making the lightweight limit for the Guillard fight.  Rumor has it that Diaz may be moving up to the welterweight division(170lbs).  If that's the case, bullet #2 should be in bold because that division is full of wrestlers with good submission defense. 

Diaz is a very talented fighter.  He possesses something that  a lot of fighters don't have in that he has a pure fighting spirit just like his older brother Nick.  You simply can not teach that.  He's still very young and has time to make these improvements.  However, we've seen Diaz fight three times this year, and we haven't seen any improvements yet.  He got off to a slow start in each fight.  He showed poor take down defense in each fight.  He didn't use his striking/length effectively in any of the fights.  So if he ever expects to beat the top guys, he needs to get on the ball with his training.  Maybe it's time for him to branch out from the Cesar Gracie camp? 

UFC Fight Night 19: Diaz vs. Guillard coverage 

UFC LW Nate Diaz

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The fight starts and they come out swinging.  Guillard drops Nate Diaz with a big right hand.  Diaz is back to his feet.  Guillard with nice head movement to avoid Diaz's punches.  Diaz with a trip take down.  Guillard right back to his feet and he uchi mata throws Diaz.  Diaz is bleeding.  Guillard lets Diaz up.  Guillard taunts Diaz.  Diaz trips Guillard again.  Guillard puts his back against the cage and Guillard stands again as they are clinched against the cage.  Diaz is bleeding heavily from his right eye.  Guillard misses a mortal kombat uppercut.  Diaz pawing with the jab.  Guillard with a good knee to the body.  Guillard with a huge right hand and Diaz taunts Guillard.  Guillard with another punch.  Diaz lands a kick.  Diaz is pressing the action here.  Diaz with another leg kick.  Guillard throws a 1-2 and spins away.  Guillard with a nice body kick.  Diaz with a kimura attempt and Guillard rolls out of it as the bell sounds.

The second round starts and Guillard lands a good body kick.  Guillard slipping Diaz's punches.  They clinch up against the cage and Guillard throws Diaz to the ground.  Diaz goes for a leglock but Guillard has none of it.  Guillard with a nice combination that snaps Diaz head back.  Guillard playing possum and shoots for a take down and gets it.  Diaz with a modified guillotine and Guillard fights it.  Guillard taps to the submission.

UFC Fight Night 19: Diaz vs. Guillard coverage

UFC LW Gray Maynard

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The fight starts and they start out cautious trying to gauge the distance.  Huerta with a leg kick.  Maynard trying to set up a big right hand with a pawing jab and lands the right hand.  The crowd is pro-Huerta.  Both guys pawing with the jab.  Maynard lands a big right hand and a punch to the body.  They exchange punches and Maynard wins the exchange.  Leg kick from Huerta.  Maynard with a nice right hand and another.  Huerta seems to be stalking Maynard now.  Huerta has tagged Maynard and Maynard is hurt.  Maynard lands a big right hand.  Maynard with a stiff jab.  Maynard shoots for a double leg take down and Huerta defends.  Maynard with a good knee and Huerta answers with a short combo.  The bell sounds.

The second round starts and Huerta lands a leg kick and another.  Maynard lands with a punch.  Maynard with a jab.  Maynard with a big left hook.  Huerta with leg kicks.  Maynard lands a counter punch as Huerta lunges forward with punches.  Maynard feints a take down and Huerta's punches come up short.  Huerta with a leg kick, Maynard lands a big right hand that staggers Huerta.  Huerta comes forward with punches.  Maynard drops Huerta with a jab.  Huerta right back up with a leg kick.  Huerta swarms with punches as he comes forward and Maynard spins away.  Maynard is bleeding from the nose.  Huerta is pushing the action but doesn't land, but Maynard with a knee and Huerta catches it but does nothing with it.  Maynard with a stiff jab.  Maynard with a right hand.  They trade punches.  They exchange again as the bell sounds and Huerta lands some solid shots.

The third and final round starts and Maynard lands a left hook.  Huerta swarms forward but comes up short.  Huerta swarms again and lands a knee, Maynard with a right hand.  Maynard shoots with a double leg and gets the take down.  Maynard on Huerta's back, and Huerta spins back into Maynard.  Maynard has Huerta pinned against the cage.  Maynard controlling Huerta and tries to spin to Huerta's back.  He does and scoops Huerta up and drops him to the ground.  Maynard with hammer fists to the side of Huerta's head.  Huerta punching from his back.  Maynard is side control now, and has a kimura locked up. Huerta isn't tapping.  Huerta is punching Maynard's stomach.  They are back up to the feet.  Maynard with another take down.  Huerta with a good knee to the body.  They are clinched against the cage as the bell sounds.  The judges score the fight 30-27(2x) and 28-29 for Gray Maynard via split decision.

UFC Fight Night 19: Diaz vs. Guillard coverage

UFC Welterweight Carlos Condit

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The fight starts and Condit lands a kick in which Ellenberger catches and lands a right hand.  Ellenberger takes Condit down.  Condit looks to be working for a triangle choke, but lets it go.  Ellenberger landing some GnP, but Condit lands some solid elbows also.  Condit back to his feet and is tagged by Ellenberger, but shakes it off.  Condit is tagged again and tries to pull guard or something.  Ellenberger is tagging Condit and Condit gets up and lands a huge knee.  Ellenberger tries for a D'Arce choke and gives up a take down to Condit.  Condit mounts and goes for an armbar but misses.  Ellenberger goes for a guillotine choke but Condit defends.  Condit is tagged with a headkick but shakes it off.  Ellenberger looks really good thus far.  Condit lands a hard right hand.  Condit going for a single leg but Ellenberger defends as the bell sounds.

The second round starts and they swing and miss.  Condit with a leg kick that lands.  Condit with a head kick and Ellenberger ducks under.  Ellenberger with a good double leg take down as Condit throws a punch.  Condit attempting rubber guard.  Condit is pinned up against the fence by Ellenberger and not much action.  Condit working for a triangle choke again but misses it.  Condit back up to his feet and tries to jump guard with a guillotine but misses.  Condit working a kimura and sweeps Ellenberger into the mount position.  Condit raining down punches and Ellenberger gives up his back and now back to half guard.  Condit mounts again and drops elbows.  Ellenberger reverses and lands in Condit's full guard.  Condit landing punches from his back with Ellenberger not doing much from the top position.  Condit lands a good combo as the bell sounds and Ellenberger looks like he is beginning to gas.

The third round starts and both guys start out cautious.  Condit lands a kick that's partially blocked, and Ellenberger gets the takedown.  Condit with butterfly guard, now back to full guard.  Condit landing punches from his back.  Ellenberger with a big elbow.  Condit works for submission and gets back to his feet.  Condit with a single leg as Ellenberger tries to work a guillotine choke with half guard.  Condit defends.  Condit in half guard and landing punches.  Condit looking for a choke and softens Ellenberger up with punches.  Nice elbows from Condit and he looks to start pouring it on.  Condit is raining punches and begins to work Ellenberger over now.  He's taken Ellenberger's back and is raining punches.  Ellenberger escapes as Condit went for an armbar.  Ellenberger shoots for the single and Condit defends with a kimura attempt.  Condit is the fresher fighter and is teeing off on Ellenberger as he has taken his back with both hooks in.  Ellenberger is flatned out.  Condit lands punches as the final bell sounds.  The judges award a split decision to Carlos Condit.

UFC Fight Night 19: Diaz vs. Guillard coverage

Nate "Rock" Quarry

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The round starts and they try to feel one another out with Credeur leading with a jab and front kicks.  Quarry with a slow over hand right.  Credeur has a big reach advantage..  Quarry with a good left right combo that lands.  Credeur with good kicks to the body.  Quarry with a stiff jab.  Quarry with another right.  It's all striking right now with no one trying to take it to the ground.  Credeur lands and Quarry answers.  Credeur with a good combo that lands.  Quarry tags Credeur with a stiff left hook.  Credeur is the aggressor so far though.  Credeur rocks Quarry and takes Quarry down.  Credeur trying to get the RNC and Quarry is fighting it off.  Quarry fights it off and is back to his feet but looks shaky.  Nice body shot from Quarry.  Quarry is bleedy from the mouth and takes a couple of shots.  He's still shaky ass the bell sounds.

The second round starts and Quarry lands a stiff leg kick.  They are trading and BOTH fighters are rocked right now, Credeur goes down.  Quarry landing some GnP, but Credeur is able to get full guard.  Quarry trying to posture up and rain punches down.  Credeur is bleeding from the mouth now.  Quarry is landing some decent GnP.  Credeur was trying to spin for an armbar but Quarry saw it coming.  Quarry with more GnP.  Quarry is just not letting Credeur up right now. He's not doing MUCH damage but he is scoring.  Credeur with another armbar submission attempt that wasn't really close.  Quarry with more GnP as the bell sounds.

The third and final round starts and Quarry with a leg kick.  Credeur is landing at will and is tagging Quarry.  Quarry throws one right hand and ROCKS Credeur.  Credeur goes down and Quarry begins the GnP assault again.  Quarry has Credeur pinned up against the cage right now.  Credeur tries to get back to his feet and does.  They are trading bombs right now.  It's rock'em sock'em robots right now.  Both guys are getting tagged.  Quarry drops Credeur again.  Credeur seems as though he's beginning to gas moreso than Quarry.  Credeur tries to roll for a leg lock but Quarry defends.  Credeur with butterfly guard now as Quarry lands some more GnP.  Credeur to full guard now with 1:30 seconds left.  Quarry is not letting Credeur up at all.  Quarry is working Credeur's body with punches and Herb Dean stands the fighters up with :30 seconds left.  Credeur with a big head kick that is blocked.  They are trading punches and kicks as the bell sounds.  Great fight.  Judges score the fight 29-28(2x) and 29-27 for Nate Quarry.

UFC Fight Night 19: Diaz vs. Guillard coverage

Nate Diaz Vs. Melvin Guillard
	Name: Nate Diaz Height: 6' 0" (183 cm) Weight: 155 (70 kg) Record: 10-4-0			Name: Melvin Guillard Height: 5' 9" (175 cm) Weight: 155 (70 kg) Record: 41-8-3, 1 NC	"The Young Assassin"
Charles Walker- I just think Nate is overall more skilled than Guillard.  Do I think Guillard could catch him on the feet, absolutely, but the Diaz brothers have shown to be very resilient when fighting and I think Nate can weather the storm in route to a first round submission, some type of choke btw.   Rich Wyatt-Lankiness rules the day. Diaz over Guillard by 2nd round submission Kelvin Hunt-I don't know why, but I'm itching to pick Guillard in this one. He's improved his game, and I think he has the tools to win this fight.  Not to mention that Diaz had trouble making weight....but for some odd reason I think Guillard will somehow fall into a submission.

Gray Maynard Vs. Roger Huerta
	Name: Gray Maynard Height: 5' 8" (173 cm) Weight: 155 (70 kg) Record: 8-0-0, 1 NC	"The Bully"		Name: Roger Huerta Height: 5' 9" (175 cm) Weight: 155 (70 kg) Record: 22-2-1, 1 NC	"El Matador"
Charles Walker-If Maynard wasn't so big and wasn't such a good wrestler, I'd probably lean towards Huerta, but the long layoff and the fact he's facing a guy similar to Guida (who was winning their fight).  Maynard will 'bully' Huerta around for three rounds and win a sound unanimous decision.   Rich Wyatt-Maynard executes a nice gameplan in this one. Maynard by decision Kelvin Hunt-I like Huerta, the guy has skills and madd heart, but the year long lay off plus the strength/wrestling ability of Maynard will be too much.  Maynard via decision.

Carlos Condit Vs. Jake Ellenberger
	Name: Carlos Condit Height: 6' 2" (188 cm) Weight: 170 (77 kg) Record: 23-5-0	"Natural Born Killer"		Name: Jake Ellenberger Height: 6' 0" (183 cm) Weight: 170 (77 kg) Record: 21-4-0
Charles Walker- I'll be honest, I know nothing about Ellenberger, so of course I'm going to pick Condit, who should be thanking his lucky stars he didn't have to face Lytle, who I may have leaned towards.  I see this being a KO/TKO early in the fight. Rich Wyatt-Condit defeats Ellenberger by submission in the 3rd round.   Kelvin Hunt-I think Condit will be too much for Ellenberger, but Ellenberger will put up a good fight.  Condit via decision.

Nate Quarry Vs. Tim Credeur
	Name: Nate Quarry Height: 6' 0" (183 cm) Weight: 185 (84 kg) Record: 17-3-0	"Rock"		Name: Tim Credeur Height: 6' 3" (191 cm) Weight: 185 (84 kg) Record: 13-4-0	"Crazy"
Charles Walker-Credeur's had a good run, but it's about to come to an end.  Quarry's stand up should suffice against Credeur's weird style and I think he'll probably end it late in the fight but it'll be a worn down Credeur facing the mat Rich Wyatt-Nate Quarry defeats Tim Credeur by decision Kelvin Hunt-If Quarry's last fight was any indicator, he should be able to win this fight.  Jason MacDonald is a big middleweight and Nate Quarry just ran through him. Quarry via TKO in Rd. 2

UFC Fight Night 19: Diaz vs. Guillard coverage

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UFC Lightweight Nate Diaz

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Nate Diaz could be fighting with his back to the wall at the tender age of 24 years old.  He's coming off back to back boring decision losses against guys that are stronger, and better wrestlers than him.  He'll face more of the same on Wednesday night, the only difference is that Melvin Guillard will be trying to take his head off instead of trying to take Nate Diaz down to the ground.  Diaz comes into this fight with an overall record of 10-4 with 7 wins coming via submission and 2 wins via the TKO/KO variety.  Diaz has a very good skill set, but usually gets off to slow starts mentally and he hasn't been able to turn it on enough lately to pull out the win.  He'll need to put it all together against the very powerful and explosive Melvin Guillard.

Guillard is coming into this fight on a three fight winning streak dating back to March 2008.  We last saw Guillard winning a razor close split decision win against the always tough Gleison Tibau at the TUF 9 Finale.  Guillard brings an overall record of 22-7 with 13 wins via TKO/KO and 3 via the submission variety.  Guillard claims to have put his inner demons aside and now is concentrating fully on MMA.  Guillard has tons of potential, great physical attributes, but never seems to be able to put it all together.  However, with a win over Nate Diaz  he can establish himself as a player in the crowded UFC LW division. 

I think this will be an exciting fight, because Guillard usually comes to fight and Diaz does as well as long as his opponents don't hug him like Teddy Ruxpin.  Guillard will want to keep this fight standing, and while Diaz will enjoy a significant reach advantage, he'll want to attack Guillard's suspect submission defense. Out of Guillard's 7 career losses, 6 of them have come via submission and Diaz is a very good BJJ player with 3 submission victories in the UFC.  If Diaz stands and trades with Guillard, he's pretty durable but Guillard has awesome punching power and it could be a short night.  Diaz doesn't have the best take downs and Guillard will be the stronger of the two fighters, so it'll be interesting to see how Diaz gets Guillard to the ground.  However, I think it'll eventually wind up there with Diaz getting the submission victory.  However, if Diaz is content with standing I wouldn't be surprised to see Guillard put him away.  What say you?

UFC Fight Night 19: Diaz vs. Guillard coverage

UFC Lightweight Gray Maynard

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Roger Huerta comes into this fight after a long hiatus; basically he's been missing in action since his UFC 87 loss to Kenny Florian.  This means a year has past since his last fight.  Huerta comes into this fight with an overall record of 20-2, with ten wins via TKO/KO, and four submission wins.  Huerta is very durable and possesses a lot of heart as evident in the Clay Guida fight.  He is fairly well rounded, but is susceptible to the take down which is something I'm sure he has worked on in the past year.  This will be the last fight on his UFC contract, and he has stated that he'll pursue an acting/modeling career next.  However, if he beats Maynard, it's a given that the UFC will make him a lucrative offer considering his ethnicity and style of fighting.

Gray Maynard comes into this fight fresh off a decision win against the always tough Jim Miller at UFC 96.  Maynard is undefeated coming into this fight with an overall record of 7-0 with 5 of those wins coming via decision.  This is something that Maynard has to address if he ever wants to become an elite lightweight fighter.  He has only finished one of his opponents since he began fighting in the UFC.  Maynard is primarily a wrestler with evolving striking skills who is a large, brutally strong lightweight. 

This could be a great fight depending on what type of fight Maynard wants to have, because he'll be able to dictate where the fight takes place with his superior wrestling.  I think we'll see some striking with some take downs and scramble opportunities.  Huerta will want to keep the fight standing and take it to Maynard while avoiding being taken down.  I think Maynard should be able to win this with his strength and wrestling ability coupled with the fact that Huerta hasn't fought in over a year.  What say you?

UFC Fight Night 19: Diaz vs. Guillard coverage

SI's Josh Gross explains it:

The embattled UFC lightweight, who has refused to sign a contract extension with Zuffa and is eyeing opportunities in acting and modeling, asked his management to put a moratorium on media appearances. He might do a few things in the days leading up to the fight, but Huerta's representative Jeff Clark told SI.com on Thursday that the fighter felt distractions hampered preparation for his last bout in the UFC against Kenny Florian. He wasn't going to let it happen again.

The loss -- Huerta's first in the UFC -- forced him to rethink how he prepared for fights. For most mixed martial artists, that implies changing things up, getting out of the norm. Huerta, however, was already doing that, and instead he focused on a return to his roots: spending this training camp in Minneapolis, Minn., with his longtime trainer and former UFC middleweight champion Dave Menne.

The 26-year-old Huerta has only been out of the gym for a day, for a voiceover gig for the movie Tekken three weeks ago. Walking around at 163 pounds, "El Matador" appears to be in the best shape of his career, said Clark. Against Maynard, in the most important fight of his career, Huerta will need to be.

Huerta has been missing in action leading up to this fight with Gray Maynard at UFN 19.  I wonder why Gross said this is the most important fight of Huerta's career if he's going to pursue acting and modeling?  Hmmm...

UFC Fight Night 19: Diaz vs. Guillard coverage