It seems as if the main event at the TUF 18 Finale between Gray Maynard and Nate Diaz is flying completely under the radar. This will be the third time these two square off inside the UFC Octagon and it could be one for the ages.

Gray Maynard vs Nate Diaz trilogy fight flying under the radar

The third time around couldn’t be any closer according to the odds makers, with Maynard the slight favorite at -140 and Diaz coming in just behind at +120. If you are looking at online betting offers,  it’s definitely a toss of the coin for this main event.

Both combatants competed on The Ultimate Fighter Season 5 and Diaz got the best of Maynard at that time. In the semi-finals he defeated “The Bully” by submission to move on to the finals and claim the crown of TUF 5 winner.

Fast forward to UFC Fight Night 20 where the two fought in the evening’s main event and this time Maynard evened up the score. However, it was a controversial split decision with many believing Diaz won rounds two and three.

After that fight, Maynard went on to defeat Kenny Florian in a lightweight title eliminator match. He fought twice against Frankie Edgar for the title- the first of which was a draw and then lost the second via knockout. Diaz has also fought for the lightweight belt; he lost to Benson Henderson via unanimous decision at UFC on FOX 5 last December.

The lightweights are both coming off of losses and are looking to get out of that gatekeeper predicament in the UFC’s 155-pound division. In an interview with MMAJunkie.com, Maynard stated that he is willing to drop to 145-pounds to have a fourth fight with Frankie Edgar. While Diaz told Yahoo! Sports that he will be hunting down Anthony Pettis or Josh Thomson after beating Maynard. Gold is on the mind of both fighters and a win will push them that much closer.

The TUF 18 Finale goes down on Saturday night from Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las Vegas.

http://youtu.be/VSSa2B3kcj4