While UFC 194’s main event between Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo is garnering the majority of the media attention, one fight is going completely under the radar. On the main card of UFC 194, the two best grapplers in the 170 lbs division, Demian Maia and Gunnar Nelson, go toe-to-toe in a fight with real title implications. The main intrigue surrounding this fight circulates about which of these two illustrious grapplers will win the ground battle, speaking on this week’s Just Roll Podcast BJJ great Eddie Bravo gave his take on the match-up:
“Damn, that could… it’s so, it’s so tough to call. I mean, if it was an Abu Dhabi match I’d think Demian Maia would definitely win, I’d put all my money on him. But you know, when you got punches and elbows and kicks in the mix, man… Jiu-Jitsu level, you just don’t know how it’s gonna look. I mean, maybe, I mean Maia might take him down and run right through him, pass his guard and never let Gunnar Nelson breathe. That could happen. Or he takes him down but can’t pass really his guard or maybe passes a little bit, but then Gunnar keeps recovering and it becomes like a stalemate on the ground. Or, maybe Demian Maia can’t take Gunnar Nelson down – maybe Gunnar takes Demian Maia down and surprises the world and goes through Demian Maia. I dunno. If I had to guess, if I had a gun to my head, I would say Demian Maia takes him down, but really can’t get him, but he can’t finish him. He just cannot get good position on Gunnar Nelson and it ends in a decision but Demian Maia ekes out the decision.”
Bravo went on to elaborate that he could foresee Maia annihilating Nelson on the ground, but that the decision was the most likely outcome:
“Demian Maia could go right through him he could pass his guard like butter, mount him and just beat the s— out of him or might even take his back. That could happen, but uh, I think it’s gonna be more of a stalemate on the ground.”
The Eddie Bravo Invitation V goes down on Sunday, December 13th and is available to stream on Budo Videos. Be sure to check back at Bloody Elbow for more EBI content throughout fight week.