BANGOR, Maine – Gray Maynard’s UFC Fight Night 47 opponent, Ross Pearson, recently made bold claims about his ability to take a punch. But “The Bully” contests that point.

Maynard enters Saturday’s lightweight co-main event with three losses in his past four fights, all by way of knockout.

Prior to his recent slump, Maynard had never experienced a single knockdown, let alone a knockout, during his professional career. Pearson sees the upward trend in finishes by strikes as a sign of Maynard’s decline. But the two-time UFC title challenger says those losses were not as bad as his opponent perceives them to be.

“Did I get completely knocked out cold and stiff? No. I got clipped,” Maynard told MMAjunkie. “They attacked me good, and I stood up (right after). Obviously if you take a lot like that, you’re going to be out of it, but I’ve never been out cold.”

Maynard (11-3-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC) is confident he can still eat a hard shot with the best of them, and while it’s not his game plan to prove that point, he won’t back down from a toe-to-toe slugfest with Pearson (15-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) should the situation arise. The two meet on the FOX Sports 1-televised main card from Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine.

“That’s the great part about it,” Maynard said. “Saturday night, he can put that to the test, and I can guarantee I’m going to put his chin to the test. Let’s just see.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 47, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.