If you would have asked Demian Maia a week ago who he was facing at UFC on FOX 2, you would have gotten Michael Bisping. As the nature goes in the fight business, you have to be ready at all times to face another fighter because injuries do happen.
Mark Munoz suffered an elbow injury, and the UFC bumped Maia’s original opponent in Bisping to the co-main event against Chael Sonnen. Maia now faces Chris Weidman, which will kick off the main card on FOX.
UFC on FOX 2 takes place at the sold-out United Center in Chicago. The preliminary portion of the card airs on Fuel TV starting at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT, with the main card beginning at 8 p.m ET/5 p.m. PT.
Chris Weidman discussed when he wanted to fight next.
The UFC had told me I was probably going to be looking at April 22 for my next fight. I didn’t know who against.
When I got the phone call, I was ecstatic. At first, I was going to be fighting Demian in probably March, April, May. They didn’t say I was going to be fighting him in eight days.
When they told me that, I called my coaches, and they said, ‘Let’s do this.’ I called my manger, and they got back in touch with the UFC. UFC said actually, Demian doesn’t want to get off this card, so do you want to take the fight? Or then we are going to have to find someone.
I’m like, I don’t want to lose this opportunity. I got so pumped within the half hour between the two phone calls to fight Maia that I didn’t want to lose the opportunity, so I said, ‘Let’s go.’
Demian Maia talked about why he was so insistent on fighting at this show.
Because everybody knows the importance to fight on FOX. It’s great, it’s open, and it’s free for everybody to watch. We’re gonna get new fans and people who maybe never watched MMA. They will stop to watch. It’s very big. I wanted to keep on this card for sure.
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