Marino. Malone. Moss. Maia?
The jiu-jitsu world champ and current UFC contender has torn off six straight wins, several of them over the company’s top welterweights.
However, at age 39, the end of Demian Maia’s career, or at least his athletic prime, i…
Marino. Malone. Moss. Maia?
The jiu-jitsu world champ and current UFC contender has torn off six straight wins, several of them over the company’s top welterweights.
However, at age 39, the end of Demian Maia‘s career, or at least his athletic prime, is growing more prominent at the horizon. What’s more, consistent dominance notwithstanding, his style isn’t the most pyrotechnic of things, and that rather than simply winning is critical to a shot at UFC gold.
This Saturday at UFC 211, Maia faces Jorge Masvidal, himself an accomplished fighter who hasn’t yet obtained a title fight. The winner may earn that elusive contest. Or not.
In the meantime, it got us thinking. Who, along with Maia, are the best active UFC fighters to never wear UFC gold? Who are the Dan Marinos, the Karl Malones and the Randy Mosses of MMA? Let’s take a look and count them up.
First, a few ground rules. Admittedly, we’re threading a bit of a needle here. We’re looking for non-title-winning fighters with the most impressive career resumes, but who are not only active but viable today. So there’s a sweet spot. For example, while there’s a case to be made that Khabib Nurmagomedov is the best lightweight on the planet right now, his actual career accomplishments don’t carry him as far as those of, say, Dustin Poirier, who has a much longer UFC tenure.
(Poirier also competes this Saturday at UFC 211, facing Eddie Alvarez with a potential title shot on the line.)
Entire careers are considered, but UFC success receives heavy emphasis. We are talking about UFC titles, after all.
All fighter record information courtesy of Sherdog.com.
Another major bout on the main card, besides the monumental title fights that top the card of course, Demian Maia versus Jorge Masvidal is an absolute monster of a fight. It’s crazy to think that Demian Maia isn’t fighting for the title next, but with the Tyron Woodley-Stephen Thompson draw and subsequent rematch, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu wizard probably thought it was best that he kept his blade sharpened. Too bad he has to contend with Jorge Masvidal who is a live dog in this fight. So how exactly do these two match up?
Another major bout on the main card, besides the monumental title fights that top the card of course, Demian Maia versus Jorge Masvidal is an absolute monster of a fight. It’s crazy to think that Demian Maia isn’t fighting for the title next, but with the Tyron Woodley-Stephen Thompson draw and subsequent rematch, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu wizard probably thought it was best that he kept his blade sharpened. Too bad he has to contend with Jorge Masvidal who is a live dog in this fight. So how exactly do these two match up?
Demian Maia is a man who has gone through a number of interesting transitions as a mixed martial artist. When he first came onto the scene, Maia was clearly just a jiu-jitsu player whose sole mode of combat was taking his opponents done and strangling them. Then we saw the version of Maia who fell in love with striking a bit too much and became a somewhat ineffective fighter. Now what we’ve seen is a man returning to his roots and understanding the means in which to implement that game while staying competent on the feet. But as far as his wrestling is concerned, he attacks the front leg well with single leg takedowns, but he’d do well to vary his attack.
In this bout, Maia is likely to implement a similar game plan to all of his most recent fight. Maia will look to push forward and be the bull against the former lightweight and likely this is the best approach. What he’ll want to do however is mix in his striking. Since he wants the fight on the ground, attacking with kicks should be apart of the game plan, albeit not heavily. If he can use a lead low round kick to the legs, it will go a long way to soften up Masvidal up. Maia should be watching for counters and should even invite them. Pressuring Masvidal will force him to counter back, especially considering that he’s a counter striker. Once Masvidal looks to counter back, the takedown should follow for Maia immediately afterward. Even a failed attempt will do great deal to put doubt in Masvidal’s head and that’s exactly what Demian Maia needs in this fight. Once Masvidal is down, bypassing the hips is priority number one. From there, Maia’s options are infinite.
Jorge Masvidal on the other hand is a man who is a born and bred striker who has rounded out his game over the years. While ‘Gamebred’ may have started out as a striker, he has combined a slick wrestling game and strong submission defense to his arsenal. Now what we see from Masvidal is not only a man willing to throw hands, but a fighter who can reverse takedowns and go for his own. But make no mistake, head and shoulder control as well as his boxing and movement are the keys to victory in this fight.
What Masvidal is going to want to do primarily in this fight is keep his feet moving. What Demian Maia usually does well is pressure his opponents and keep them guessing just when he’ll shoot in for the takedown. Masvidal being on his bicycle is paramount in this fight, but he can’t afford to be too passive either. A stiff jab coupled with movement will win the day for him. When Maia overextends and looks for a takedown off of the jab, Masvidal should move his feet, whether that means a hard pivot or shifting backwards, then look to land a cross. Front kicks should be a primary weapon as far as leg techniques go, but going to the well too many time could lead to an easy takedown. Jorge Masvidal is truly a great boxer with a strong gauge of distance, but he can’t afford to start slow in this fight. In the event that he ties up with Maia, Masvidal needs to be savvy with the jiu-jitsu masters movement in the clinch and willingness to give up position to go for a sweep and look for top control. Landing that right cross will be absolutely necessary for Masvidal as well as moving directly after a shot is landed. Most of all, Masvidal must make Maia pay for every failed takedown attempt to deter Maia from reshooting.
It’s a throwback fight if I’ve ever seen one and a damned good one at that. Who wins the chance to face the beast Tyron Woodley?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
Demian Maia may be the clear front-runner for a shot at the welterweight crown, but he’s still taking one more fight before that happens. Maia is currently on a six-fight win streak and is the No. 3-ranked welterweight in the world. After his dominant win over former interim 170-pound champ Carlos Condit it was expected
Demian Maia may be the clear front-runner for a shot at the welterweight crown, but he’s still taking one more fight before that happens.
Maia is currently on a six-fight win streak and is the No. 3-ranked welterweight in the world. After his dominant win over former interim 170-pound champ Carlos Condit it was expected that the Brazilian would challenge for the title next – but that’s not the case.
Instead, Maia will take on No. 5-ranked Jorge Masvidal at the stacked UFC 211 pay-per-view (PPV) next weekend (Sat. May 13, 2017) from Dallas, Texas, a decision UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley referred to as ‘stupid’.
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Maia got the opportunity to respond to the welterweight champion’s comments, and blame’s a ‘lack of coherence’ for his outburst (quotes via MMA Junkie):
“He doesn’t know why I made this decision, he doesn’t know the kind of situation that went down,” Maia said. “So, it was an unfortunate comment. And, also, I see that pattern in him – he never knows if he wants to be a nice guy, or an arrogant guy, or a guy who promotes himself, or a good guy. He can’t go in one direction.
“I think this lack of coherence only hurts him. I think that’s why he’s a champion who doesn’t have a lot of charisma.”
With another win Maia expects to get the next shot at the welterweight throne, however, he’s not losing focus of the task at hand that approaches him next weekend:
“I think it is (the No. 1 contender fight), at least for me,” Maia said. “I think if I win, with seven wins in a row, (I deserve a shot). But I don’t know, because everything has been so crazy – we have no way of knowing.
“I want to see what happens, because I have this fight in front of me. I am no longer falling into this trap of losing focus on the fight. My title fight is next Saturday – that’s the most important thing. The rest is just consequence.”
Masvidal will certainly present the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist with some problems inside the Octagon, but after having 30 professional MMA fights under his belt, he believes there’s nothing he hasn’t seen before:
“I’ve fought many athletes who were strikers, and many fighters who defend takedowns well,” Maia said. “He has his specific features, of course, but it’s nothing I haven’t faced in my 30-fight career.”
Demian Maia has responded to Tyron Woodley’s comments on his decision to take a fight with Jorge Masvidal. Woodley, who is the reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight title holder, recently said Maia’s decision to fight Masvidal at UFC 211 was “stupid.” Maia meets “Gamebred” inside the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on May 13. […]
Demian Maia has responded to Tyron Woodley’s comments on his decision to take a fight with Jorge Masvidal. Woodley, who is the reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight title holder, recently said Maia’s decision to fight Masvidal at UFC 211 was “stupid.” Maia meets “Gamebred” inside the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on May 13. […]
For the last year, there has been one rivalry that has dominated the UFC welterweight title picture, which was between welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson. After fighting twice, which were both controversial fights, Woodley retained the belt and now the UFC’s 170-pound division can return to regularly scheduled business. Years ago, it would
For the last year, there has been one rivalry that has dominated the UFC welterweight title picture, which was between welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson. After fighting twice, which were both controversial fights, Woodley retained the belt and now the UFC’s 170-pound division can return to regularly scheduled business. Years ago, it would be assumed that Woodley would now be facing Demian Maia next, but that potential bout is in doubt because Maia is set to fight Jorge Masvidal next weekend at UFC 211.
Woodley spoke about Maia vs. Masvidal at the upcoming event during a recent appearance on the UFC Unfiltered podcast(transcript courtesy ofMMA Fighting). According to Woodley, he thinks Maia made a “bad move” in accepting a non-title fight.
“Unfortunately for Maia, he accepted the fight the week of me and Wonderboy’s fight. In my personal opinion, bad move. Wait and see how the fight went. If nobody came out of the fight hurt, a clear winner, not another draw, you’re already in a position to fight for a world title. Why would you put yourself up against the worst possible matchup outside of a title fight? Why would you put yourself in that position? I don’t want to call him stupid but damn that was stupid.”
Maia is currently on a six-fight win streak in the division. However, even though he has been on fire as of late and beat some top names, Maia was never guaranteed a title shot and made to fight Masvidal instead in what is presumably a No. 1 contenders bout. Woodley is already training for his next title fight which he hopes to be in July. It all depends on how Maia’s fight with Masvidal goes as that could be an awfully quick turnaround for Maia. Woodley has been teasing that it’s somebody else who has yet to sign the papers.
“It’s a lot of fighters that say, ‘I’ll fight anybody, anytime, anywhere,’ but they really don’t mean that. If Conor McGregor wanted to fight me, he has an opportunity to do so. So does Bisping. So does Georges St-Pierre. So does Nick Diaz. So does Nate Diaz. all these guys got a chance to step up to the plate but ain’t nobody picked up the bat. When we announce the fight, that means the contract is signed.”
Woodley is not sure that Maia can beat Masvidal due to Masvidal’s excellent takedown defense and strong striking and distance management. Even if Maia can get past Masvidal, he is not too worried about the outcome.
“If I fight him, he’s getting knocked out. He ain’t getting no takedown. It’s a sprawl, it’s a knockout.”
Jorge Masvidal is coming for the welterweight title, and he has no shortage of confidence. ‘Gamebred’ solidified himself as a title contender after running through fan favorite Donald Cerrone at UFC on FOX 23 this past January. Now Masvidal must get past No. 3-ranked Demian Maia if he wants to challenge teammate Tyron Woodley for the
Jorge Masvidal is coming for the welterweight title, and he has no shortage of confidence.
‘Gamebred’ solidified himself as a title contender after running through fan favorite Donald Cerrone at UFC on FOX 23 this past January. Now Masvidal must get past No. 3-ranked Demian Maia if he wants to challenge teammate Tyron Woodley for the 170-pound throne, when they meet at the stacked UFC 211 pay-per-view (PPV) card on May 13th from Dallas.
Masvidal recently joined Submission Radio ahead of his clash with Maia and said he had reached out to UFC President Dana White for a $200k bet on his fight against the Brazilian, but received no comment. While he doesn’t think the UFC boss will take him up on the offer, he’ll be ready if he suddenly has a change of heart (quotes via MMA Mania):
“I wish it was in play for this, man. I wish, man. We reached out to him, it was no comment. It was like, ‘Ah you know, just fight this guy,’ and then there was no implications of a bet. So I mean, I don’t think any bet will be made, but I still got the money. The money’s there, it’s on hold. If Dana calls me tomorrow and he goes, ‘Hey, you know what, I’m gonna take you up on that bet, I think Maia’s got your number,’ that money’s going into an escrow account and then the winner the will take the money.”
UFC 211 goes down live on PPV from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on Saturday, May 13, 2017. It’s headlined by a heavyweight title contest between defending champ Stipe Miocic and No. 4-ranked title challenger Junior dos Santos.
Masvidal will certainly present the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist with some problems inside the Octagon, but after having 30 professional MMA fights under his belt, he believes there’s nothing he hasn’t seen before: