April - 2015
SCRAPP! FIGHT MAGAZINE
32
UFC Fight Night 62 really cleared
up some questions that seem to
have now been answered. Go-
dofredo Castro is legitimate,
Erik Silva is still dangerous, Josh
Koscheck should probably retire,
and Demian Maia is world class,
but not a champion. The Maia
statement may seem somewhat
inflammatory considering his
contributions to the sport, but
it’s the truth.
Maia is a member of the old
school, and has contributed
so much to the sport of MMA.
Whenever he fights you will un-
doubtedly hear the commentary
team talking about his accolades
in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. His reputa-
tion isn’t a product of marketing,
it’s grounded in past experience,
but it’s been along time since we
saw Maia submit some one. He
is still one of the best grappler’s
in the sport, but he hasn’t sub-
mitted anyone since UFC 153
when he slapped a neck crank
on Rick Story.Even worse, that is
the only submission he has had
since 2009 when he submitted
Chael Sonnen.
Watching Maia compete against
Ryan LaFlare at UFC FN 62 really
highlighted a few things. He is
still a legitimate fighter, but far
from a contender. Many thought
LaFlare was going to leave with
his hand raised on Saturday
night, and Maia silenced those
doubters. Repeatedly, he took
LaFlare down, transitioned all
over him, and attempted sub-
missions. He couldn’t complete
a submission, but it was still im-
pressive.
Then the fifth round came. Maia
was visibly exhausted at the
end of round four and the min-
ute between rounds did noth-
ing to restore the state of his
cardio. Constantly dropping to
the ground and taking his time
to get up, it was apparent that
he just wanted to get out of the
fifth round and have his hand
raised. It got so bad that in the
final seconds of the round Big
John (the ref) deducted a point
for stalling. It was hard to watch.
The fact is Maia couldn’t put
away a fighter that was barely
in the top fifteen. He couldn’t
even compete in the final round.
Certainly Maia has some more
fights in him, but it’s difficult to
imagine him getting a win over
anyone ranked above him. It’s
even more challenging to imag-
ine him winning in another main
event. He is three years short
of forty years old, and has had
twenty six professional MMA
fights. That doesn’t even factor
in the miles he put on his body
competing in Jiu-Jitsu. He has
done a lot for the sport, but even
with this win his stock may have
fallen a bit. In the meantime I’m
sure he will be utilized as a gate-
keeper, but it’s clear that Maia
most likely won’t be considered
a contender again.
UFC Fight Night 62:
Demian Maia The Ship has Sailed
Article By: Michael Davis
(Esther Lin/MMAFighting)
