A week has gone by since Demian Maia reminded the world that he may be the greatest Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner to ever step into the Octagon. In less than three minutes he earned his 24th win and the 12th via some form of submission. Since that moment the conversation has shifted to a sort of reveling at the way Maia has blended BJJ into his MMA game. The way he’s done so creates an affinity for grappling in combat sports.
Every opponent that steps into the Octagon against Maia knows his game plan before the fight starts. Close the distance, score a takedown, grapple to control and submit. Time and time again Maia flows from one style to the next, blending striking to wrestling and then wrestling to Jiu Jitsu. In many ways he embodies everything that is found within the idea of calling BJJ “the gentle art.”
“Fighting for me is a chess game. I’m not angry at my opponent,” Maia said after a submission win over Matt Brown at UFC 190. “I just want to go in there and win without him hurting me or me hurting him.”
When looking at that quote and comparing Maia’s competition statistics from FightMetric, it’s easy to say that he’s succeeding. According to FightMetric, Maia has sustained only 13 significant strikes in his last 4 battles, combined. That means the combined forces of Neil Magny, Gunnar Nelson, Matt Brown and Carlos Condit basically didn’t damage Maia in any form as he worked towards victory. Brown scored 10 of those shots and Nelson is the only one to not get finished in that streak.
While statistics are not as relevant in mixed martial arts as they are in other sports, it’s still an impressive feat to see that Maia had done during this run. He’s scored 15 takedowns, and has passed his opponents’ guards 41 times since being defeated by Rory MacDonald at UFC 170 back in 2014. Again, those numbers may not say enough about all the intricacies that are involved in MMA, but they still are worthy of praise when watching what Maia is doing to his opponents.
Some are suggesting that Maia is showing that a mastery of one art is enough to go on a great run in MMA; but that is not the case. The way he’s grown as a wrestler and striker since joining the UFC nearly ten years ago is what has kept him a prominent name in the sport while other specialists continue to struggle in different ways. Maia is truly a joy to watch in the cage and while he may not be next in line for a shot at the UFC welterweight title; he’s recognized as one of the – if not the greatest – grappling specialist to ever compete in MMA.