Maynard has a lot of skills that allow him to dominate most lightweight opponents. He is incredibly big and strong which allows him to bully his opponents. His boxing, while not all that fast, is powerful. If he had landed the punches that he landed on Frankie Edgar in the first round of their fights on any other fighter, he probably would have knocked them out cold.  His wrestling is dominating as well, which plays into the size advantage that he holds against most fighters. When he gets on top of most lightweights, he is able to pound on them with his powerful punching.

Unfortunately his biggest strength also plays into his biggest weakness: though Maynard is incredibly strong, he is also rather slow for the division. Every movement he makes is powerful but as a result, those movements are slow. Edgar illustrated how speed can be Maynard’s kryptonite, especially in the later rounds. Furthermore, with Edgar at least, there seemed to be some mental block that Maynard was unable to overcome: in both fights Maynard knocked Edgar down in the first round and was still unable to finish Edgar.

Maynard’s cardio in five round fights also holds him back from becoming a champion. Unless Maynard were to stop Benson Henderson, I can’t see Maynard sustaining a high enough work rate to beat Henderson via decision. He faded against Edgar in their first fight and he faded in their second fight to the point that Edgar, who isn’t known for his power, was able to knock Maynard out.

TJ Grant is younger, faster, and hungrier than Maynard. The fight itself should be fun an action packed but I can’t see Maynard ever becoming the man at lightweight.

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No debut has been set at this time but an official announcement is expected soon.

Barnett last fought for the promotion at UFC 36 in March 2002, where he defeated Randy Couture for the UFC heavyweight title. “The War Master” was then stripped of his title after failing a post-fight drug test and he subsequently left the promotion.

The Erik Paulson trainee earned his way back to the Octagon by going 9-1, including his recent 3-1 Strikeforce run, since 2008, with the lone loss coming to Daniel Cormier in the Strikeforce: Grand Prix Final.

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The heavyweight pairing was made once UFC interim bantamweight champion Renan Baráo was eliminated from his headlining bout with Eddie Wineland due to injury. Wineland is unlikely to remain on the card, and could find himself the odd man out at bantamweight once UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz comes back later this year.

The Miocic-Nelson pairing does not make a lot of sense for Nelson, but the fan favorite is sure to entertain when he faces the Cleveland-native. The move leaves Soa Palalei without an opponent however, and the Australian will now serve as a backup if any injuries occur before the June fight card.

UFC 161 takes place June 15 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. A light heavyweight pairing between former UFC champion Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson will headline the card. The card is set to be co-headlined by a light heavyweight rematch Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua 2 but either fight could be promoted to main event status.

UFC 161 Fight Card:

Main Card (Pay-per-view 10PM ET)

• Rashad Evans vs. Dan Henderson
• Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Mauricio Rua
• Roy Nelson vs. Stipe Miocic
• Patrick Barry vs. Shawn Jordan
• Alexis Davis vs. Rosi Sexton

Preliminary Card (FX 8PM ET)

• Jake Shields vs. Tyron Woodley
• Sam Stout vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg
• Ryan Jimmo vs. Igor Pokrajac

Preliminary Card (Facebook 6PM ET)

• Yves Jabouin vs. Dustin Pague
• Sean Pierson vs. Anthony Waldburger
• Mitch Clarke vs. John Maguire
• Roland Delorme vs. Edwin Figueroa

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