Ryan LaFlare ensures that he won’t be afraid of Demian Maia’s ground game when they meet on March 21, in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. LaFlare. Interviewed by Brazilian media at Maracana Stadium, in Rio de Janeiro, the undefeated Welterweight promised to use his wrestling background to beat the Jiu-Jitsu specialist, just like he has been doing in his entire career.
“I feel comfortable on the floor. I’m going to take a big risk, but I’ve been training a lot of Jiu-Jitsu. I prefer to fight with Maia where I’m strong and not the opposite. I’m an experienced fighter, why would I give up from half of my game? Maia is a good fighter and a good grappler, but I’m here to win. I can accept the fight anywhere it goes. I’m in the main event for a reason.”
After four unanimous decision wins in four bouts in the UFC, LaFlare has hit 19 takedowns and conceded 6 to his opponents, according to his profile at Fightmetric. Maia has six wins by submission inside the Octagon, and one ADCC title outside of it.