• UFC 130

Obsessed Maynard vows to 'kick Edgar's ass'

Gray Maynard has warned Frankie Edgar that their title showdown at UFC 130 has become personal, and he vowed to "kick his ass" to prove a point to the watching audience.

Maynard won the first of his battles with Edgar back in 2008, and he laid siege to the lightweight champion in their second bout on January 1 at UFC 125. However, Edgar survived the onslaught and ended up grinding out a draw - much to the frustration of the challenger.

Maynard insists his energy had gone after he clubbed Edgar around the Octagon during the first round of that Las Vegas encounter, but this time he is planning on showing the world that he is on a different level to the champion.

"[I'm focusing on] winning the fight, beating him up bad, I want to prove a point here," Maynard told the ESPN UFC Podcast. "For me, a draw is a loss, I didn't get the belt. It's not just about winning, I want to prove to him and everybody else that I can kick his ass, bad. If I could go up against him another 20 times, I would, just to prove a point.

"This guy has been on my mind since January 1 at 12 o'clock when that fight ended. All I can think about is him and how that fight ended. I just want to leave no questions.

"Nobody has felt my best yet. I'm constantly evolving, every time I've only been about 80 per cent. Not 110. I'm really pumped up, this fight is personal for me. Last one was about the belt, but this time I'm here to prove a point."

Maynard is highly unlikely to enjoy the same explosive opening that he got in January, but he is adamant that the flying start actually cost him the title.

"I'll be glad if I don't [start so well this time]. That start hurt me for the rest of the fight. It was an adrenaline dump, you go hard and you're almost done, your goals and dreams are right there and then it doesn't happen. I felt really drained for four more rounds."

The victor of the May 28 encounter will have a string of opponents asking for a title shot, including Gilbert Melendez, Anthony Pettis, Jim Miller and Clay Guida, but Maynard believes they will think twice after seeing his performance against Edgar.

"After I'm done, I'm not sure they going to want to," he predicted. "They're gonna go 'wow, I don't want a piece of that guy'."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.