Demian in photo by Carlos Ozório
After racking up five-straight finishes in as many UFC fights, the last of which came in February 2009 against Chael Sonnen, Demian Maia hasn’t managed to end a fight via submission, his main weapon, since. The black belt devoted a good amount of time to rounding his skill set out, mainly working on his punches and kicks. This Saturday in Canada, though, Demian faces wrestling specialist Mark Munoz, and he guarantees he’ll be returning to his old style.
“What I want is to win by submission, and that’s what I’ll be seeking. I had to spend some time developing my standup game and I feel something clicked in my mind. Now I’m much more relaxed when I go to the ground, because if the fight gets stood up I’ll be able to handle myself well. But I know I’ll find balance again and will get back to submitting my opponents,” he guarantees.
“He’s a tough wrestler and experienced athlete. He doesn’t have that many MMA fights, but he’s had a bunch of wrestling matches, so I feel he’ll be a tough opponent. He also hits hard,” adds Demian in a statement posted on the UFC website.
After losing his title bid to Anderson Silva in April 2010 he’s notched back to back victories. Demian hopes to add a third in order to once again set himself up for a middleweight title fight.
“My plan, ever since starting at the UFC, was to one day be champion,” remarks the fighter, who knows the pressure is always huge.
“In the UFC there’s always a lot of pressure on you, it doesn’t matter who you’re fighting. When you fight in the biggest event in the world, with the biggest crowd in the world, there’s always a lot of pressure, but I know how to deal with it. It’s not a problem. To me it’s all about being prepared and ready to fight. I know how to deal with the rest,” he says in closing.
Check out the card:
UFC 131
Vancouver, Canada
June 11, 2011
Junior Cigano vs. Shane Carwin
Kenny Florian vs. Diego Nunes
Jon Olav Einemo vs. Dave Herman
Demian Maia vs. Mark Munoz
Donald Cerrone vs. Vagner Rocha
Yves Edwards vs. Sam Stout
Jesse Bongfeldt vs. Chris Weidman
Mike Massenzio vs. Krzysztof Soszynski
James Head vs. Nick Ring
Dustin Poirier vs. Jason Young
Joey Beltran vs. Aaron Rosa
Darren Elkins vs. Michihiro Omigawa
