Maynards first professional MMA fight was in 2006, and by 2007 he was fighting in the Octagon, following a successful show of himself on season five of The Ultimate Fighter reality series. Maynard's official UFC debut was was very strange, as he slammed Rob Emerson to the canvas, but spiked his own head to the canvas, effectively leaving both fighters unable to continue and resulting in a no contest. Maynard has since gone on to record impressive UFC wins over Jim Miller, Roger Huerta and Nate Diaz (who had defeated Maynard in an exhibition fight as part of The Ultimate Fighter), as well as recording one of the fastest knockouts in UFC history with a 9-second destruction of Joe Veres at UFC Fight Night 11. Maynard's career highlight was fighting Frankie Edgar for the Lightweight title which ended in a split draw after Maynard brutalising Edgar in the early rounds. This fight was one of the best fights of all time and gained Maynard the recognition he deserved and also a rematch against Edgar; a fight he would lose via TKO. Since that loss to Edgar, Maynard has gone 1-4, and even more concerning, 3 of the 4 losses have been brutal T(KO)'s and no doubt taken their toll on his body. Maynard will always be remembered for the two tremendously exciting fights with Edgar but he really should call it a day now. He has fought for the title in one of the most competitive divisions in MMA and gained fans with the style he done it in. A fantastic wrestler, there is no doubt Maynard could be a great coach and help up and comers without damaging his body any more whilst still remaining in the sport he is passionate about. Which other UFC stars do you think should retire in 2016? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.
