Tag: Demian Maia

Kamaru Usman Expects Title Shot After Beating Demian Maia

Usman is already calling for his shot at the title.

The post Kamaru Usman Expects Title Shot After Beating Demian Maia appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Kamaru Usman is on top of the world following his latest win.

As seen in the main event of UFC Chile on Saturday, May 19, 2018 at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile on FOX Sports 1, Usman was able to defeat former title contender Demian Maia by unanimous decision.

After the fight, Usman went on record by stating that he believes he deserves a title shot as a result of the biggest win thus far in his pro-MMA career.

“Let’s be honest, nobody, nobody in my division wants to fight me because I’m the hardest fight for anybody,” Usman said at the post-fight press conference (transcript courtesy of Forbes). “This fight right here (with Demian Maia), this is a fight that Dana White wanted. He wanted to test me against the most dangerous guy in the division. That was the most dangerous guy in the division.

“The champion is easier for me to fight and you got these other two bums (Rafael Dos Anjos and Colby Covington) that are fighting for an interim title, those guys are bums, those guys are easier for me to fight. This was the hardest fight in the division.”

“I believe Dana really wanted to test me to see if I had all the tools and I proved I’m good everywhere,” Usman said. “I can defend the takedowns, I can get a guy down if I want them, I can keep it standing and strike, I can do it all.”

Usman had no issue with comparing his fight against Maia to current UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley’s fight against the former title contender. As for the reason of that, he believes that he dominated Maia more than Woodley did.

“I think I should fight for the belt, like, next,” said Usman. “I just dominated (Maia) better than Tyron Woodley. Tyron ran from him the whole fight. Tyron threw, what, the fewest strikes in a championship fight ever? And I just went out and I just dominated the guy from start to finish,”

While Woodley is on the sidelines, the promotion is pushing forward with the division and has already made a big fight in the weight class.

Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos will take on Colby Covington for the interim welterweight title at the upcoming UFC 225 pay-per-view event on Saturday, June 9, 2018, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. It appears that Usman will have to wait his turn for a shot at the title.

The post Kamaru Usman Expects Title Shot After Beating Demian Maia appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC Chile Reebok Fighter Payouts: Demian Maia Leads Pack

Maia was paid well by Reebok in sponsorship money.

The post UFC Chile Reebok Fighter Payouts: Demian Maia Leads Pack appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC Chile is in the books, and now it’s time for Reebok to pay the fighters their sponsorship money.

UFC Chile (Fight Night 129) took place on Saturday, May 19, 2018, at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile.

The main card aired on FOX Sports 1 at 10 p.m. ET while the preliminary card was split broadcasted on FOX Sports 2 at 8 p.m. ET and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass, 6:30 p.m. ET.

Kamaru Usman vs. Demian Maia in a welterweight bout served as the headliner while Alexa Grasso vs. Tatiana Suarez in a women’s strawweight bout co-headlined this show.

Rounding out the six bout main card was Jared Cannonier vs. Dominick Reyes in a light heavyweight bout, Diego Rivas vs. Guido Cannetti in a bantamweight bout, Veronica Macedo vs. Andrea Lee in a female flyweight bout, and Vicente Luque vs. Chad Laprise in a welterweight bout.

The full payouts include:

Kamaru Usman: $5,000 def. Demian Maia: $20,000

Tatiana Suarez: $3,500 def. Alexa Grasso: $5,000

Dominick Reyes: $3,500 def. Jared Cannonier: $5,000

Guido Cannetti: $5,000 def. Diego Rivas: $5,000

Andrea Lee: $3,500 def. Veronica Macedo: $3,500

Vicente Luque: $5,000 def. Chad Laprise: $5,000

Michel Prazeres: $10,000 def. Zak Cummings: $5,000

Alexandre Pantoja: $5,000 def. Brandon Moreno: $5,000

Poliana Botelho: $3,500 def. Syuri Kondo: $3,500

Gabriel Benitez: $5,000 def. Humberto Bandenay: $3,500

Enrique Barzola: $5,000 def. Brandon Davis: $3,500

Frankie Saenz: $5,000 def. Henry Briones: $5,000

Claudio Puelles: $3,500 def. Felipe Silva: $3,500

The post UFC Chile Reebok Fighter Payouts: Demian Maia Leads Pack appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Kamaru Usman vs. Demian Maia Full Fight Video Highlights

Watch Kamaru Usman outclass Demian Maia in the UFC Chile main event:

The post Kamaru Usman vs. Demian Maia Full Fight Video Highlights appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Surging welterweight contender Kamaru Usman sought to finally defeat a top five-ranked foe when he met longtime vet Demian Maia in the main event of last night’s (Sat., May 19, 2018) UFC Fight Night 129 from the Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile.

It may not have been the emphatic performance he was looking for, but in the end, Usman scored by far his biggest victory in the UFC octagon, extending his winning streak in the promotion to eight and 12 overall.

“The Nigerian Nightmare” was nearly flawless, utilizing crisp punches to continuously nail a plodding Maia. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu master was only able to ground Usman once, and it was only briefly as the NCAA Division II wrestling champ staved off takedown after takedown attempt to gas Maia out. He dropped Maia with a big right at one point and followed with some ground and pound, but Maia was able to make it to the final bell nonetheless.

Usman was never in any danger as he refused to engage Maia in his glaring area of strength on the ground, and while some will say he should have possibly taken more chances to get the finish, he claimed to have broken both of his hands in the fight landing punches on Maia’s head. Either way, Usman has his biggest win under his belt and will rise slightly on the rankings as he heads for a truly big fight his next time out to the cage.

For now, watch the highlights of his hard-fought win over Maia here, even if they were few and far between:

The post Kamaru Usman vs. Demian Maia Full Fight Video Highlights appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC Fight Night 129 Results: Kamaru Usman Beats Demian Maia Via Decision

The UFC’s first venture into Chile ended with a unanimous-decision win for Kamaru Usman over Demian Maia in the main event of UFC Fight Night 129. As expected, the bout between the wrestler and the jiu-jitsu ace was heavy on grappling…

The UFC’s first venture into Chile ended with a unanimous-decision win for Kamaru Usman over Demian Maia in the main event of UFC Fight Night 129. As expected, the bout between the wrestler and the jiu-jitsu ace was heavy on grappling…

UFC Fight Night 129 Results: Kamaru Usman Beats Demian Maia Via Decision

The UFC’s first venture into Chile ended with a unanimous-decision win for Kamaru Usman over Demian Maia in the main event of UFC Fight Night 129. As expected, the bout between the wrestler and the jiu-jitsu ace was heavy on grappling…

The UFC’s first venture into Chile ended with a unanimous-decision win for Kamaru Usman over Demian Maia in the main event of UFC Fight Night 129. As expected, the bout between the wrestler and the jiu-jitsu ace was heavy on grappling…

UFC Fight Night 129 Results: The Real Winners and Losers

Kamaru Usman: ready for his close-up? The Nigerian-American dynamo has bullied the UFC welterweight division since formally joining in 2015. The power wrestler is a serious worker with a high fight IQ and the strength of a juggernaut…

Kamaru Usman: ready for his close-up? The Nigerian-American dynamo has bullied the UFC welterweight division since formally joining in 2015. The power wrestler is a serious worker with a high fight IQ and the strength of a juggernaut…