Demian Maia has been clamoring for a title shot since February of this year. He may have just secured one after his huge first round submission victory over Carlos Condit at the main event of UFC on FOX 21 in Vancouver.
What was the high point of the fight?
It was match-up between Condit’s striking and Maia’s grappling, and it was the latter that prevailed during the fight. Maia has so far improved leaps and bounds in his wrestling and takedown accuracy, and tonight’s fight was no different.
The multi-time ADCC champion utilized his single-leg takedown to get the fight on the mat, weathered some of Condit’s attacks from the back, passed to dominant positions before finally getting hold of the back and finishing the fight via rear-naked choke.
Where do these two go from here?
During his post-fight interview, Maia said he is willing to wait for the winner of the next welterweight title fight between champion Tyron Woodley and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. It is indeed a wise decision to make, since he has made a good enough statement to finally get a crack at 170-pound gold.
Condit, on the other hand, has experienced his second straight defeat, and says he is uncertain about his next career move. He still is worthy of a fight against a top-ten fighter if he does decide to carry on with his career.
Watch it now, later, never?
As Brian Stann put it, Demian Maia’s “unforgiving” grappling game was once again in full display in this fight. Definitely a must-watch, especially for Jiu-Jitsu aficionados.
“Hi, my name is Demian Maia. I’ll be the mixed martial artist choking you out this evening.” https://t.co/AVoXb8Rq5F
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) August 28, 2016