On a card stacked with important matchups, Michael Bisping-Demian Maia may be the most interesting matchup of the evening when the UFC holds its second event on FOX.
The controversial Bisping has been on a roll of late, dispatching of Dan Miller, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Jorge Rivera and Jason “Mayhem” Miller en route to a four-fight win streak that has Bisping in title contention talks.
The most impressive of those wins was his demolition of Mayhem Miller. A fight that many thought would give the controversial Brit a hard time.
There is no doubt of Bisping’s skill as a fighter in the stand-up department. Bisping’s mix of quickness and technical boxing are difficult for any fighter to handle. The question for Bisping has always been how he can handle high-level ground fighters.
Many expected Miller to be the one that could test Bisping on the ground and see if he is truly worthy of his contender status. That wasn’t the case.
Bisping was able to batter Miller, never really being tested on the ground and earning a third-round stoppage victory.
At UFC on Fox 2, Bisping may finally be tested on the ground because Maia has some of the best Jiu Jitsu in all of MMA.
A 2007 ADCC champion, Maia is a third-degree Jiu Jitsu black belt with smooth transitions and the ability to completely control opponents on the ground. Over half of Maia’s wins in his MMA career have come by way of submission.
Maia’s Jiu Jitsu goes far beyond just submissions though, and that is why he poses a huge threat to Bisping’s run at the title. Once opponents hit the mat with Maia, it is almost guaranteed they are going to be out-grappled.
Maia’s controlling and smothering style of Jiu-Jitsu allows him to win on the scorecards, too. While most submission artists do most of their work from the bottom in full guard and often lose decisions for lack of top control, Maia’s Jiu Jitsu works much like a wrestler’s ground game.
Many have discredited Maia as a legitimate contender after his lop-sided decision loss to champion Anderson Silva, but the truth is Maia has vastly improved since their meeting in April 2010. Most notable is the improvement in Maia’s striking game.
Should this fight hit the mat Maia should be able to dominate, despite Bisping’s impressive size and strength for a middleweight. Maia’s Jiu Jitsu is that good.
The question will be just how improved Maia’s striking is. Can he strike with Bisping enough to take the fight to the ground? Mayhem couldn’t.
If Maia can, Bisping’s road to a title shot could come to a screeching halt.
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