Demian Maia outgrappled Ryan LaFlare with ease at UFC Fight Night Maia vs. LaFlare, to a unanimous decision victory. He landed several takedowns, passed his guard like it was nothing, and almost finished the fight on a couple of occasions, though the tap never came. Still, the Brazilian is not happy with what he exhibited.
During UFC Fight Night 62’s press conference, Maia said his ground and pound game has yet quite a ways to come.
“Jiu-jitsu is my origin, so I will always look for the submission and to control the fight”, Maia told Combate. “In this martial art we love so much, we look to tap our opponent out, not hurt him with strikes. Of course I’m there to win, but this mentality is completely intertwined with me. I will hardly try to hurt my adversary rather than submit him. That’s a part of jiu-jitsu and that’s why it’s the best martial art in the world. As an athlete, I must improve that.”
On a two a fight winning streak after losing to Jake Shields and Rory MacDonald in a row, Maia didn’t name any names he would like to face next, though he made clear he wants to do main events or co-main events in order to get closer to the belt.
“It’s not up to me to choose my fights. I would like to do main events or co-main events as much as I can. I know I still have some years left in me and I want to do my best to go for that belt before my time is up”, said Maia.
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