Tag: Demian Maia

These days there are few fight cards that are truly considered can’t miss. UFC 214 is one of those cards. 

That is if you’re into witnessing greatness inside the Octagon. There will be plenty on display at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. 

First, there’s the main event in which one of the best fighters of all-time in Jon Jones will try to reclaim what was once his. He’ll take on current champion Daniel Cormier in a rematch of their championship bout at UFC 182. 

Then there’s welterweight champion Tyron Woodley taking on a truly great jiu-jitsu player in Demian Maia for the 170-pound strap. 

The greatest female fighter in MMA will be on display as well. Joanna Jedrzejczyk puts up a challenge, but Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino is the most dominant woman in the sport. 

If that’s not enough for you, then there’s the welterweight matchup between Robbie Lawler and Donald Cerrone. While that may not have greatness in the traditional sense, there will be a great deal of violence—and likely blood. 

It’s a card any MMA fan won’t want to miss, so here’s a look at the complete lineup of fights, the latest odds and a look at the keys to the biggest fights of the night. 

         

Odds via OddsShark in parenthesis. 

Main Card: Pay-Per-View, 10 p.m. ET

• Daniel Cormier (c) (21-10) vs. Jon Jones (10-27)—Light Heavyweight Title Fight
• Tyron Woodley (c) (20-41) vs. Demian Maia (33-20)—Welterweight Title Fight
• Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino (1-11) vs. Tonya Evinger (13-2)—Women’s Featherweight Title Fight
• Robbie Lawler (5-8) vs. Donald Cerrone (13-10) Welterweight
• Jimi Manuwa (20-37) vs. Volkan Oezdemir (3-2)—Light Heavyweight

Prelims: FXX, 8 p.m. ET

• Ricardo Lamas (20-21) vs. Jason Knight (4-5)—Featherweight
• Renan Barao (1-1) vs. Aljamain Sterling (10-13)—140-pound catchweight
• Renato Moicano (20-33) vs. Brian Ortega (27-20)—Featherweight
• Andre Fili (1-4) vs. Calvin Kattar (3-1)—Featherweight

Prelims: UFC Fight Pass, 6:30 p.m. ET

• Alexandra Albu (5-8) vs. Kailin Curran (13-10)—Women’s Strawweight
• Jarred Brooks (2-3) vs. Eric Shelton (6-5)—Flyweight
• Josh Burkman (49-20) vs. Drew Dober (20-63)—Lightweight

       

Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones

Put away all the hype surrounding this fight. The trash talk. The petty rivalry. The narratives. This fight comes down to one thing: Distance. 

Every Jon Jones fight does. Jones should be credited for how he uses it, but when he walks into a cage, he has an indelible advantage over everyone just based on his unique build. At 6’4″ with an 84″ reach, it’s the most noticeable thing to the most casual fans when the two are in the cage together.  

It’s Jones’ ability to utilize that impossibly large range that has made him the most prolific light heavyweight in history. 

Conquering that advantage is the biggest mountain Cormier will need to climb to get the revenge he seeks. With a foot-long reach disadvantage and five inches shorter in the height department, it’s a massive amount of ground to cover to get inside Jones’ long arms. 

But he found out there’s a catch to that proposition in the first fight. Not only does Jones have an advantage at range, but he’s also got the advantage in the clinch. 

Although that was believed to be an advantage for Cormier going into the first fight given his wrestling background, Jones’ leverage and clinch striking once again turned out to be his biggest weapon. 

What Cormier has to do is walk a very thin line between standing at range and getting into the clinch when he doesn’t have to. Essentially, his best shot at winning is boxing on the inside, which isn’t traditionally his strength. 

That’s what Jones does, though. He forces fighters out of their game because of how well-rounded his game is and what he can do in the cage. 

While Cormier has to execute the perfect game plan, Jones simply has to do what he does best.

Prediction: Jones via Unanimous Decision

          

Demian Maia vs. Tyron Woodley

If length defines the Jones-Cormier matchup, it’s time that dictates Demian Maia and Tyron Woodley‘s title. 

How this fight turns out lies in just how long Maia can survive on the feet with Woodley and how long the champion can keep the challenger from dragging him to the mat. 

Maia is great at jiu-jitsu. Arguably as great as anyone in MMA is at any one discipline. His focus is singular when it comes to attacking his opponents. He wants to gain control and never let go, then go full boa constrictor in choking his prey out. 

“The best fighters make their opponents fight their fight,” Brandon Gibson—coach of former Maia opponent Carlos Condit said, per Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report. “You know Maia wants to go to the ground. You know he wants to advance position. You know he wants to be in mount or take the back. And he just gets there.”

Even still, Maia has to deal with the same problem all grappling specialists do: Each round starts on the feet. 

That’s where Maia could be in trouble. Because with a twitchy athlete like Woodley, every second spent on the feet is a dangerous one. 

Josh Koscheck, Dong Hyun Kim and Robbie Lawler have all found that out about the champion. He’s knocked each of them out in the first round. 

Woodley has a strong wrestling background. He was a Division I All-American twice at the University of Missouri before making his transition to MMA. But that won’t likely come in the form of actually grappling with Maia, but in defending his takedowns. 

Woodley has been extremely difficult for opponents to take down thanks to his wrestling days. Only three opponents have been able to get him to to the ground. The last one was Rory MacDonald in 2014, and that took him three rounds before accomplishing the feat. 

As long as Woodley can stay away from the ground game, this is his fight to lose. 

Prediction: Woodley via second-round TKO

           

Cris Cyborg vs. Tonya Evinger

Unlike the two matchups that will come after this one, there isn’t a whole lot of intrigue here. 

This fight is all about getting a title to Cris Cyborg. The most dominant fighter in Women’s MMA, she’s another star that the UFC could use to promote the sport on the women’s side and set up some big money matchups down the line. 

As far as Evinger‘s chances, she’s just the courageous soul willing to take on the challenge. Germaine de Randamie had the title stripped from her for not fighting Cyborg, original opponent Megan Anderson was forced to withdraw from the bout and Evinger stepped in on about a month’s notice. 

Cyborg was grateful for Evinger‘s decision. 

“Tonya accepted it a month before the fight, saving the event and my chance to fight,” she said, per Mike Bohn of Rolling Stone. “She’s from a lower division, but she’s a top-10 at 135 pounds. She just never had a chance to fight in the UFC. And she’s brave. I respect her for accepting the fight on short-notice.”

There’s the chance that Evinger pulls off an upset. There always is in MMA. She’s tough and has a solid submission game with seven submission wins to her name. 

But technique only goes so far, the physical attributes do matter. Cyborg is bigger, stronger and faster. That’s a hard combination to deal with. 

Prediction: Cyborg via first-round TKO

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Headlined by a rematch of one of MMA‘s best rivalries in Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier, UFC 214 is the crown jewel of the organization’s summer schedule. 

The roles in the light heavyweight title match have been well defined by now. Jones is playing the part of redeemed contender after getting stripped of a title for a second time in his career due to his behavior outside of the Octagon, this time for a USADA doping violation. 

Cormier is playing the part of champion. The king of the division while the old king was on sabbatical, this is his chance to confirm that he is the 205-pound kingpin that the belt around his waist says he is. 

The stakes are high. But it isn’t the only fight with a belt on the line on the card. 

No, three belts will be on the line at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Tyron Woodley will finally fight someone not named Stephen Thompson when he puts his championship on the line against Demian Maia. The vacant women’s featherweight title is also up for grabs in a bout between Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino and Tonya Evinger. 

Here’s a look at the complete fight card, viewing information and predictions for all three title fights. 

        

Main Card: Pay-Per-View, 10 p.m. ET

• Daniel Cormier (c) vs. Jon Jones—Light Heavyweight Title Fight
• Tyron Woodley (c) vs. Demian Maia—Welterweight Title Fight
• Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino vs. Tonya Evinger—Women’s Featherweight Title Fight
• Robbie Lawler vs. Donald Cerrone—Welterweight
• Jimi Manuwa vs. Volkan Oezdemir—Light Heavyweight

Prelims: FXX, 8 p.m. ET

• Ricardo Lamas vs. Jason Knight—Featherweight
• Renan Barao vs. Aljamain Sterling—140-pound catchweight
• Renato Moicano vs. Brian Ortega—Featherweight
• Andre Fili vs. Calvin Kattar—Featherweight

Prelims: UFC Fight Pass, 6:30 p.m. ET

• Alexandra Albu vs. Kailin Curran—Women’s Strawweight
• Jarred Brooks vs. Eric Shelton—Flyweight
• Josh Burkman vs. Drew Dober—Lightweight

           

Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier

Lost in all the animosity between Jones and Cormier is the fact that the two still present an interesting stylistic matchup. 

In their previous meeting, Jones won four rounds on each of the judges’ scorecards, but DC won Round 2 on two cards and Round 3 on the other, per MMA Decisions.

In short, Cormier was able to compete with Jones in spurts, but overall, the numbers tilted in Bones’ favor:

How each fighter adjusts in the second go around is what’s fascinating about this fight. 

After going 1-for-8 on takedown attempts and the only successful one coming in the final moments of the fifth round, will Cormier continue to force takedown attempts? Because the energy saved on seven failed takedown attempts can be spent in the striking department, where Cormier had some success in the last fight. 

Jones—backed by Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn—is one of the smartest fighters of all-time, though. He’s going to look to improve on his methods of breaking down the champion, and he’s looking for a finish. 

“Now I already know what I can do,” Jones said after admitting he had some hesitation in the first fight, per Mike Bohn and John Morgan of MMAjunkie. “I have a great blueprint I’ve been studying extensively, and the goal here is to finish the fight. I want to be the first person who makes ‘D.C.’ quit inside that octagon, and I believe with all my heart that it’s going to happen.”

Cormier may find pockets of success, but Jones remains the scariest man in MMA. With a foot-long reach advantage, the mental edge of having beat Cormier and one of the most diverse skill sets in the sport, it’s tough to pick against the former champion. 

Jones is hittable, which makes him beatable, but Cormier doesn’t have the one-punch power to capitalize. 

Prediction: Jones via Unanimous Decision

        

Tyron Woodley vs. Demian Maia

It’s been seven years since Maia last competed for a UFC championship. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner put on an infamously curious performance against Anderson Silva for the middleweight title in 2010. Now he gets a crack at Woodley for the middleweight belt. 

Maia has certainly earned his shot. While Woodley briefly chased a superfight with Michael Bisping and gave Stephen Thompson an immediate rematch, Maia was busy taking out Gunnar Nelson, Matt Brown, Carlos Condit and Jorge Masvidal as part of a seven-fight win streak. 

The 39-year-old has compiled his victorious run doing what he does best: wrapping up opponents like a pretzel and smothering the life out of them with a swarming grappling attack. 

Three of the seven wins have come by way of submission, and the rest have featured multiple takedowns followed by ground dominance. Maia is admittedly a one-dimensional fighter, but that one dimension can swallow a competitor whole. 

Plying that trade against Woodley will be a different ball game, though. 

Woodley‘s supreme athleticism, power and wrestling background are going to make it difficult to get him on the ground and a threat to finish the fight at any time. 

The champion is good at managing distance, preferring to stay on the outside, attack in bursts and move outside as soon as that attack is finished. First-round knockout wins over Robbie Lawler and Dong Hyun Kim show the devastating power he has.

This is one of those fights where it will be clear who is winning. If the two are standing and trading, Woodley is having his way. If the fight hits the mat, it’s probably nearing the end. Maia will add another submission victim to his list. 

Getting T-Wood down is a tall order, though. He’s only been taken down three times in his career, according to FightMetric, and Maia might find his lack of skills on the feet don’t allow him to close that distance. 

Prediction: Woodley via second-round TKO

         

Cyborg Justino vs. Tonya Evinger

MMA fans are finally going to witness something that has been built up for years. No, it’s not Fedor vs. Lesnar. Cyborg will finally fight for a UFC championship. 

It isn’t quite the superfight with Ronda Rousey that fans clamored for for years, but it is a chance for the most dominant female fighter in the sport to join the hierarchy of champions in the world’s biggest MMA promotion. 

To join that club she’ll have to defeat Invicta FC Bantamweight Champion Evinger. The 36-year-old is a gritty grappler on a 10-fight win streak of her own, and she’s not buying the Cyborg hype. 

“I’m willing to take any fight,” Evinger said in Wednesday’s press conference. “I’m here to work and prove that I’m the best. … I think I’m going to put on a show and prove a lot of people wrong and hopefully come out with the win.”

Evinger isn’t the first to say something like that before facing Cyborg, though. 

Since losing her debut fight, women have stepped up to the plate to take on Cyborg. For 12 years, she’s shut down every challenge in convincing fashion. 

Cyborg is a whirlwind of violence and few survive to even see Round 2, much less a decision. Only two of her 17 wins have ever gone the distance.

The kind of power she has displayed even in her two UFC fights at 140 pounds is just uncommon in this division, per UFC Canada:

Evinger will try to take this fight to the ground, as if that hasn’t been tried already. The Invicta champion might be tough, but Cyborg’s power and speed are simply too much to handle. The UFC will get the result it’s looking for here. 

Prediction: Cyborg via first-round TKO

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com