Don't close the book on Gray Maynard just yet.
Despite losing three straight -- all by way of knockout -- the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight number one contender has vowed to keep his mixed martial arts (MMA) career afloat, even though "The Bully" turns 35 in just a few days.
From MMA Fighting:
With a few days to think things over, Maynard plans to soldier on. On Wednesday's edition of UFC Tonight, Ariel Helwani reported that Maynard's manager, Dave Martin, indicates Maynard will look to continue his fighting career.
Maynard will soon have neurological tests done in South Dakota, but intends on continuing his career and hopes to speak to UFC President Dana White about his situation, Martin says.
White has no intention of chasing him out of the promotion.
Dropping Maynard back into the cage after his loss to Ross Pearson at UFC Fight Night 47, which took place last Saturday night (Aug. 16, 2014) in Bangor, Maine, raises a few ethical questions.
If a fighter is medically cleared to compete, is it okay to send him back into battle?
It's hard to say, as the long-term consequences of repetitive brain trauma -- which often results in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) -- sometimes don't surface until much later. Ultimately it's up to Maynard, but if he does get booked for another fight, it doesn't mean we have to feel good about it.