Demian Maia is ready to start the next chapter of his career on Saturday night in Rio de Janeiro.
For the better part of the past decade the 37-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace has been honing his craft under the UFC banner, and in the process has become a multi-divisional threat inside the Octagon. Where he was a former contender and title challenger in the ranks of the middleweight division, Maia has since dropped down a weight class and become a major player in the welterweight fold.
The highly touted submissions artist got off to a great start as welterweight as he established himself as a surging contender by winning his first three showings at 170 pounds. Yet, a rough patch would follow as Maia found victory only once in his three most recent outings. Those issues compounded when a staph infection spread into his collarbone and force him onto the sidelines for the majority of his 2014 campaign.
With years of competition and a surplus of fights under his belt, it was uncertain whether Maia’s mixed martial arts would continue. Nevertheless, Maia has forged his success on the sport’s biggest stage by his ability to adapt and endure, and he will make his official return to action to face welterweight upstart Ryan LaFlare this Saturday at Fight Night 62 in his home country of Brazil.
Simply returning to compete inside the Octagon is an accomplishment Maia takes great pride in, but competing in front of his countrymen on Saturday night will set the perfect stage for him to make the ideal return to what is arguably the most talented division under the UFC banner.
“To come back after this layoff and fight in Rio—especially the main event—it’s a great feeling and opportunity for me,” Maia told Bleacher Report. “I think as an athlete who is competing in the UFC for almost eight years you learn how to keep your mind focused. It makes you very mentally tough. That made me able to hold this equation. I knew I was going to come back and it was very important to keep focused and keep training.
“I love to be here and UFC is the biggest event in the world. It’s the place every fighter wants to be. This will be my 20th fight for them and that’s a dream for me. Other than that, my goal is to fight for the title and win it. I’m going to do my best to make that happen.”
Before Maia’s comeback can be stamped as triumphant, he will have to derail one of the hottest up-and-coming talents in the welterweight ranks. The 31-year-old New York native is undefeated in 11 bouts, with four of those victories coming under the UFC banner. Many consider his bout with Maia to be the biggest test of his career and will ultimately decide whether he’s ready to handle what the elite level of the division has to offer.
Maia understands the circumstances surrounding the bout and believes it will be his experience under the bright lights that ultimately makes the difference when things go live.
“LaFlare is up and coming and he’s very hungry,” Maia said. “ He’s never lost in his career, but I have a lot more experience inside the Octagon. I’m sure that is going to be very helpful for me. I haven’t seen him make too many mistakes in his past fights, but if he makes a mistake on Saturday I’m going to do my best to capitalize on that and end the fight with a submission.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
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