Demian Maia is not done just yet in mixed martial arts.
Maia is coming off a unanimous decision defeat to Belal Muhammad at UFC 263 back in June where he looked far from impressive to say the least.
Following the fight, UFC president Dana White more or less stated it was the Brazilian’s last fight.
“I think that was his last fight,” White said. “It was the last fight on his deal. He’s [43 years old]. He’s been so good at getting in there, securing the takedown, getting on top of people and just strangling them or grabbing something and twisting it until you quit, and he couldn’t get it done tonight.”
However, Maia is still hoping for one more fight in the UFC.
“I’ve fought my entire life in the UFC. That’s my home,” Maia said (via MMA Fighting). “I want to do one last fight there, and I think it depends on what happens in Brazil. That’s a feeling my manager and I have. If they are having shows with fans here soon, I think that will draw interest from the UFC to have me fighting.
“I’m waiting and seeing what happens, but I do want to fight one last fight. I’m still training twice a day.”
Should that not happen, Maia is unlikely to fight elsewhere as far as mixed martial arts is concerned. However, he is interested in grappling matches with some of MMA’s biggest names.
“Chael [Sonnen] has a promotion in the United States, Submission Underground, and he talked to me about the possibility of facing someone there,” Maia said. “I think it would be cool to face someone from MMA [in jiu-jitsu] because of the [attention] that name would bring.
“If I face someone from the new generation of jiu-jitsu, he might have a name in the jiu-jitsu [community] but that’s a niche thing. If I get an MMA guy… Let me give you an example: Sonnen texted me after my last fight asking if I was interested in facing Tony Ferguson or Kamaru Usman. That’s the type of match that would not only appeal to the jiu-jitsu community but also MMA and everyone that likes fights in any way.”
What would you like to see next for Maia?