On this day in 2011, Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard delivered a classic for the UFC lightweight belt

Twelve years ago today, Frankie Edgar fought Gray Maynard for the second time.

Edgar vs. Maynard will always go down as one of the greatest trilogies of any combat sport. The UFC lightweights first squared off in April 2008, where ‘The Bully’ emerged victorious by unanimous decision. Three years later, they met again on January 1, 2011, at UFC 125. The UFC Europe Twitter account reminded MMA fans of the anniversary by saying:

“#OnThisDay in 2011: Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard rematched for the UFC lightweight belt! This is how it ended… Watch in full on @UFCFightPass now!”

A lot had changed between their first and second fights. Edgar was still getting his feet wet in the UFC when he lost to Maynard in 2008. ‘The Answer’ went on a five-fight win streak and obtained the UFC lightweight title from BJ Penn before fighting ‘The Bully' again.

The second fight between Edgar and Maynard was wild. ‘The Bully’ landed three official knockdowns throughout the 25 minutes, but ‘The Answer’ rallied back to retain his lightweight title with a split draw. The score was settled nine months later where Edgar won with a fourth-round KO.

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Frankie Edgar reacts to the 12th anniversary of his rematch against Gray Maynard

Frankie Edgar’s legacy was solidified by winning the trilogy against Gray Maynard. The New Jersey native earned everyone’s respect by becoming the UFC lightweight champion despite being undersized. Respect for Edgar quadrupled when he continued to make comebacks against Maynard. ‘The Answer’ posted a highlight of their second fight on Instagram with the caption:

“Legendary night UFC 125! #Fe”

Take a look at Frankie Edgar's Instagram post about his rematch with Gray Maynard below:

Four months after beating Maynard, Edgar’s UFC lightweight title reign was ended by Benson Henderson. ‘The Answer’ lost an immediate rematch against Henderson and then moved down to featherweight.

Edgar fought for the 145-pound title in his weight class debut against Jose Aldo. Things didn’t go as planned, but ‘The Answer’ bounced back with five consecutive featherweight wins. The Toms River native never managed to win another UFC title, but his legacy was already etched in stone.

‘The Answer’ retired from MMA after losing to Chris Gutierrez in November 2022. He ended his career with a UFC record of 18-11-1, including wins against Spencer Fisher, Hermes Franca, Sean Sherk, BJ Penn x3, Charles Oliveira, Cub Swanson x2, Urijah Faber, and Chad Mendes.