In the opening bout of the UFC 153 main card, Demian Maia made quick work of Rick Story by finally going back to his bread and butter, grappling. After quickly jumping on him and getting him to the floor, Maia patiently worked his way to mount and sunk a rear naked choke onto Story. He couldn’t get the right grip on it, so he switched it to a neck crank to elicit the tap. The finish came at the 2:30 mark of the first round.
The win was Maia’s second straight at welterweight since he dropped down, and sets him up for some big fights in the division. Story has now dropped three of his last four, and needs to get things back on track ASAP.
What was the high point of this fight?
The finishing sequence. The visual of blood pouring out of Story’s nose as Maia cranked away was almost disturbing, but definitely memorable.
Where do they go from here?
I’m not alone in hoping that Maia goes directly into a bout with Jon Fitch. The bout could one of the best grappling matches you’ll ever see in the the UFC, and I certainly hope they go in that direction. If not though, there are plenty of good opponents for him since he’s so new to the division.
Story will have to go back to the drawing board. I’m not sure if he’d be a suitable next opponent for Erick Silva or not, but I like the idea of that matchup.
Watch it now, later, or never?
Now. It’ll remind you of the good old days when Maia just ate everyone else up on the ground. And the nose thing is…just crazy.
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