Gray Maynard vs. Rich Clementi
Veteran grappler Rich Clementi is set to face off with up and coming powerhouse wrestler Gray Maynard in what promises to be a war of attrition on the ground. Maynard, undefeated in his young career, will face easily his biggest challenge in Clementi, a dangerous jiu jitsu black belt.
Maynard, undefeated in six bouts with one no contest at the Ultimate Fighter 5 finale, has been extremely impressive thusfar in UFC, controlling his opponents with powerful wrestling and dominant top control. In his last fight, he surprised many fans and pundits by completely dominating hot prospect Frankie Edgar, controlling the fight and garnering a dominating Unanimous Decision victory.
Now, though, Maynard has his work cut out for him. His opponent, Rich Clementi, has had seven times as many professional fights, against a wide range of opponents, and has amassed an impressive 32-12-1 record over his career. While Clementi has no glaring holes in his game, his strong suit is clearly his dangerous submission attack, which allows him to finish fights from every position, including his back. Clementi’s ability to end a fight from his back may prove very important in this contest, as Maynard’s unbelievable wrestling almost ensures that is where Clementi will end up.
The question, then, is whether or not the experienced Clementi will be able to set up a submission from his guard, or whether Maynard will be able to hold Clementi down and neutralize his submission attack with ground and pound. While it is unwise to count Clementi out, Maynard’s training at Xtreme Couture should bear fruit yet again. Randy Couture himself is known for his outstanding submission defense, which allows him to utilize his wrestling to control fights and keep himself out of trouble. You have to believe that he has been doing his best to pass this ability on to Maynard, who should be able to hold Clementi off effectively and control the pace of the fight, earning himself a unanimous decision win.
