A terrific welterweight fight has been added to the UFC’s May 14th trip to Brazil, as Demian Maia is set to take on Matt Brown.
A key matchup in the UFC’s welterweight division was made official on Monday. UFC Senior VP and GM of Brazil, Giovani Decker, announced on his Instagram page that Demian Maia will face Matt Brown on May 14th in Brazil. The UFC Fight Night 87 main card will air live on Fox Sports 1.
Maia (22-6) has won his last 4 fights, putting on BJJ clinics against Neil Magny, whom he submitted at UFC 190, and Gunnar Nelson, whom he won a lopsided decision against at UFC 194. The former middleweight title challenger is #5 in the UFC’s latest welterweight rankings, with his only losses in the division coming against Rory MacDonald and Jake Shields. Maia has a strong case for a title shot if he beats “The Immortal” one, who has lost 9 fights by submission.
Brown (20-13) snapped a two-fight losing skid (to current champ Robbie Lawler and former champ Johny Hendricks) with an impressive guillotine choke win over Tim Means at UFC 189. He was scheduled to fight Kelvin Gastelum at the TUF Latin America 2 Finale last November, but was forced out of the contest with an ankle injury. Brown sits right behind Maia at #6 in the rankings, and a win over Maia would surely go down as the biggest one of his career.
The main event of UFC Fight Night 87 in Brazil is a middleweight showdown between Vitor Belfort and Jacare Souza. A location for the card has not yet been announced.