Gray Maynard on new 8 fight UFC contract and the resurgence of Xtreme Couture

While professional MMA is still illegal in New York, there is an alternative to see some well-known names in the sport compete at one of the most iconic sports arenas in the world, Madison Square Garden. This Sunday afternoon will mark the third annual Grapple at the Garden event for competitive wrestling. There are high school and collegiate tournaments, as well as a freestyle main event, which features Team Warren vs. Team Gracie, the rematch.

Among the members of Joe Warren's team is UFC lightweight standout, Gray Maynard. He'll be facing off against Ozzy Dugulubgov in a freestyle match. Bloody Elbow caught up with Maynard yesterday where he discussed getting back to his roots with this event, his new 8 fight deal with the UFC, and the resurgence of the Xtreme Couture camp as a serious force to be reckoned with.

Staying active

It's pretty cool to keep active and give back to the roots that I came from. I started wrestling very early on in my childhood. It's a great sport, and it's made me who I am today. Plus, it's just great to get back on the mat and compete.

Coming home

I just signed another contract with the UFC, which is an 8 fight deal. We moved away from here a few years back and I ended up at AKA. Then I left there and did my last camp at Power MMA. I'd just been jumping all over the place.

We moved back to Vegas, and I'm at Xtreme Couture again, back to where I got going strong in my career. It's a lot different there now. They brought in Eric Nicksick to manage the pro part of the gym, and they brought in Robert Follis. Ray Sefo still plays a big part in it as the striking coach. It's just really turned into a great, team oriented atmosphere again.

When I left, it was just crazy over there. Kind of every man for himself. There used to be a core group of guys, me, Pyle, Heiron, Alessio, but it was slowly turning into just a place to spar. Every day you had to be prepared to spar just whoever happened to be in there. It was brutal.

Now, it's gotten back to where it began being a great gym in the first place. Now there's a good core group of guys again, forming a tight team. There's a lot of openness to new training techniques. This sport is still relatively young, and there are no sure bets in training. It's evolving all the time.

Follis is a fantastic coach and he knows a ton. He probably knows more than most people have forgotten, but he's still open to change. He asks all the guys questions to get their input and is constantly trying to get insight on what works for each guy. It's really just a great place to train again.

It's been awesome to come back home to XC. Initially, I didn't know how it was gonna go, with me trying to come back there, but it was open arms, and it clicked from Day 1. It was just unbelievable. I'm very happy to be back.

Randy Couture

He's a pretty busy guy, and he has been for a while now. He does stop in though, and when he does, he sticks around and gives advice, shows moves, etc. He always has good advice.

Reasons for coming back to Las Vegas

Santa Cruz was great, but when we had the baby, we wanted to have her closer to her grandparents and the rest of the family. Having to drive an hour one way to train was difficult, especially when you train more than once a day. I would never try to use that as an excuse for losses, it's just part of why we moved back here in August. The past three years have been tough in that I haven't been able to get that feeling that I belonged, that I was home.

This is a really personal sport. All the champions and top level athletes have solid training homes. They have established routines and can pretty much gauge how their camps will go from start to finish. There are a set group of coaches and a familiarity with everything involved. When you go up against these guys, you have to be able to believe in yourself and your camp. I had just been kind of floundering a little bit. This is my home and it's nice to feel secure in that again.

Return to action

I wanted to take a little time off. My last three fights were all TKOs, so I took time off after each bout, just in case. There's been lots of talk about traumatic head injuries, so I wanted time to heal up. Every time I would talk to Dana, he would have me go get checked out, head to toe with MRIs and all kinds of stuff. I realize that this career won't last forever. I have a daughter now, too. I have to take care of myself.

We just moved back here, so we're still getting things squared away, getting my day to day stuff handled. I'm looking toward the end of February to come back.

Featherweight chatter

I had considered the drop down, and it's always a possibility. A couple people in the UFC asked me if I could do it, and I told them I probably could, but I want to keep competing where I'm at. I feel like I'm still one of the top guys, I've just got to put it together.

I'm kind of at that point where I have to prove that I still belong with those top names. It's going to take at least 1 or 2 more before I get back to fighting those type guys again. I probably won't get one of the best names when I come back, but that's to be expected. I'm just glad to be able to get back in there and test myself again.

You can follow Gray via his Twitter account, @GrayMaynard