Even at the age of 38, Brazilian grappling specialist Demian Maia has mesmerized and bewildered the mixed martial arts (MMA) worlds by strangling some of the best welterweights in the world. His most recent victory, a first-round submission win over Carlos Condit at UFC on FOX 21, propelled Maia to 6-0 since his loss to Rory MacDonald back in 2014.
With the division in his rear view and a Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title shot within his reach, Maia seems focused and determined to do everything in his power to earn his first promotional belt. Even a potential money fight with the returning Georges St-Pierre won’t pull Maia away from his golden aspirations.
“I’m honored that he mentioned my name because he’s a legend,” said Maia regarding GSP mentioning his name as a potential opponent, per a recent interview by MMA Fighting. “He’s maybe the only fighter to leave as champion. He’s one of the best, for sure, alongside Anderson (Silva). I consider Anderson the best of all time, but he’s definitely the No. 2. But my goal is to fight for the title. I want to fight for the title. After that, it would be a pleasure to fight him or anyone else. If everything goes according to my plans, I’ll come out as champion and then I can fight him next.”
In a time when champions like Conor McGregor are jumping up two weight classes to take monumental money fights, Maia seems content to stay in his line, continue his divisional rise and lock down what he believes is rightfully his.
“I know I can become champion and that’s an important factor,” added Maia. “Maybe some people don’t think they can be champion. I don’t know which reasons they might have, or if they just prefer money. I didn’t choose this career for money. When I started training, I did it because I liked it, and I never had money for anything in my life.”
“My goal is to win the belt. If I have to wait for Woodley to fight Thompson, it’s not the end of the world. It’s definitely a better scenario if I can fight first, but when people ask me who deserves it most, you can make the case for each one of us with good arguments. Thinking as an analyst, it’s hard to say for sure. It’s 50-50.”
With current UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley dictating his own future, it may be hard for the Brazilian tactician to squeeze his way past guys like St-Pierre, Stephen Thompson and even Nick Diaz. But if the promotion wants to award a title shot to the welterweight who deserves it, Maia is probably the most logical choice.
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