UFC Gray Maynard jokes that he doesn't even know his professional fighting record; maybe, he says, he should write it in the "Notes" application of his iPhone.

The lightweight contender used to keep score of such things. As a wrestler, he put a heap of pressure on himself to take home a new accolade in every season.

And he's wrestled since the age of 3, so he's carried that burden for a long time.

Now he's in a business in which his job and health are at stake every time he performs, and he's about to get the biggest opportunity of his career when he takes a shot at UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar's belt. But all he's focused on is today.

"That belt (is) a long ways away," he told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio).

Maynard (10-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) earned his title shot this past weekend with his eighth consecutive octagon victory, a unanimous decision over two-time title-challenger Kenny Florian (14-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) in Boston at UFC 118. Prior to the fight, UFC president Dana White promised the winner top-contender status.

It was welcome news for Maynard, who was told he'd get a title shot if he defeated Nate Diaz in January. Maynard got the win, but he didn't get the title shot. Instead, Edgar (13-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) got it and went on to take the belt from B.J. Penn at April's UFC 112. The New Jerseyan then defended the title against Penn in a rematch at UFC 118.

Now that Florian is out of the way, there's no more waiting for "The Bully." And better yet, the Las Vegas native already owns a decision win over Edgar, which came at UFC Fight Night 13 in April 2008.

"I knew it was close," Maynard said of his bid for the belt. "That's what I train for. So it's awesome, but I counted on that."

The Boston-based Florian never got the chance to use the boxing and Muay Thai for which he's known. Instead, he spent the majority of the three-round fight on his back as Maynard pounded away.

Although most fans weren't too jazzed about the grappling-heavy fight, White couldn't help but give Maynard his due. There's already some negative buzz about a possible snoozer with the Edgar vs. Maynard rematch, but the UFC president thinks it's marketable.

"That fight's going to be just fine," White said.

It's unknown when the two will meet, but Maynard wants to compete again before year's end.

Then again, he's not too caught up in the future. If he has more time to evolve in the gym, he'll gladly work on his craft. By now, he knows that he stops evolving when fight camp starts. And to stay relevant in this business, he has to keep evolving.

He credits his support team of Gil Martinez, Neil Melanson and the rest of the fighters at Xtreme Couture for bringing him this far. He says they help him break down a training camp into small, manageable pieces.

"(At first,) you train, train, train, and then you get to the day of the fight, and it's like, 'I can't be stopped,'" he said. "Now it's more of like, 'I'm going to do this for camp and plan this stuff.'"

He says he's a different guy outside the cage, as well. He's not as worried about how he comes across to the public. After ostensibly starting his career in front of TV cameras as a competitor on "The Ultimate Fighter 5," he's learned to tune out the background noise of fame. Before, he worried about his image.

"It was like, 'How do I deal with this stuff?'" Maynard said. "There's a lot of people out there, and I don't want all those people in my life. You just don't know what to do. Do I talk like this, or talk like that? Now, it's just me."

He's still soft-spoken in front of the mic, but that probably will never change.

There's a ton of pressure headed his way for his big moment, but Maynard says he won't take his eye off the ball. There are many more days before he vies for the title.

"Today, that counts," he said.

And if he needs a reminder of his progress, it's 10-0 for the iPhone.