They ushered the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division out of the B.J. Penn era and helped clear a path for the next generation.
As their rivalry continues to drift into the rearview mirror, a by-the-numbers look at what made Edgar vs. Maynard so unforgettable:
1,284: Days between the first and third Edgar-Maynard meetings. Maynard took a three-round unanimous decision from Edgar at UFC Fight Night 13 in April 2008, then fell short in the two rematches that followed. They fought to a split draw at UFC 125 in January 2011 before Edgar put away Maynard with fourth-round punches at UFC 136 in October 2011.
495,000: Buys for the two pay-per-views headlined by Edgar-Maynard. UFC 125 drew 270,000 purchases, while UFC 136 garnered 225,000 of them. Their first encounter served as the co-feature at UFC Fight Night 13, playing second fiddle to the showdown between Kenny Florian and Joe Lauzon on Spike TV.
16,164: Fans to witness the third chapter of the Edgar-Maynard rivalry in the UFC 136 main event at the Toyota Center in Houston. It was the highest attendance figure of the trilogy and generated a $2,230,000 live gate.
3,534: Seconds of fight time in the Edgar-Maynard series. They battled one another inside the Octagon for a total of 58:54—the equivalent of nearly 12 full rounds.
364: Total strikes landed by Edgar and Maynard in their trilogy. Their second encounter accounted for more than half of them (190).
3: Submission attempts between Edgar and Maynard in their three bouts. Edgar was responsible for two of them, while Maynard tallied one.
50: Significant strikes by which Edgar outlanded Maynard in their trilogy. He connected with 182 such strikes while absorbing only 132 in return.
12: Takedowns completed by Maynard at Edgar’s expense, having done so with a 41% accuracy rate (12-for-29). Edgar, meanwhile, whiffed on 23 of his 27 attempts against the former Michigan State University standout.
5: Knockdowns recorded by the two lightweights in their three-fight series. Maynard accounted for four of them but failed to procure a stoppage. Edgar floored “The Bully” in the fourth round of their final confrontation and ultimately closed him out with punches.
.429: Cumulative winning percentage between the two men following the completion of their rivalry. Edgar fought 19 times and compiled a 9-10 record, with victories over Penn, Cub Swanson (twice), Charles Oliveira, Urijah Faber, Chad Mendes, Jeremy Stephens, Yair Rodriguez and Pedro Munhoz. Maynard went 3-6 across his nine appearances, as he defeated Clay Guida, Fernando Bruno and Teruto Ishihara.