demian maia
Tuesday afternoon it was announced that Mark Munoz had sustained an arm injury in training and that Michael Bisping would face Chael Sonnen for a number one contender's match for the middleweight title. After the initial shock wore off fans and media were left asking: what about Demian Maia? Maia's management was adement that he'd still fly to Chicago in hopes that the UFC would find a replacement. Well that didn't take Joe Silva and the UFC to long as Dana White has formally announced that Demian Maia would face Chris Weidman on January 28th.
The tweet said the following:
3rd fight in the FOX Jan 28th is Maia vs Undefeated Chris Weidman.
Dana confirmed with a fan that Palhares was offered the fight and turned it down. Belcher was never an option because he is hurt.
Full tweet after the jump...
@danawhite
Dana White 3rd fight in the FOX Jan 28th is Maia vs Undefeated Chris Weidman!!!
Favorite Retweet
0 recs | 199 comments
You disappoint Paul Harris.
Sam Cupitt - January 17, 2012
You dissappoint
His passport is expired.
Worldisart - January 17, 2012
When has he ever let time expiring stop him from cranking a leg.
Sam Cupitt - January 17, 2012
Found this gem yesterday, thanks for the perfect opportunity to share it.
pdl - January 17, 2012
headline
jafotinatos - January 18, 2012
Palhares also on the Overeem horse meat diet?
daftshadow - January 18, 2012
Bloody hell
jim-ma - January 18, 2012
Don’t know how it works in Brazil, but in America, you can get a passport renewed in less than two weeks. It probably has more to do with his constant training as mentioned by his manager in the link posted below.
Pantherhare - January 17, 2012
This is 11 days
Worldisart - January 18, 2012
Maybe I missed it in another post but what is Belchers injury? Hope its not his eye
Art_Wanderlei - January 17, 2012
I think Art_Wanderlei is flashing through time like the LOST island or something.
smoogy2 - January 17, 2012
Alan Belcher is injured?
The MMA gods are extremely cruel if this is true. Belcher’s a champ
MostDiabolicalCasanova - January 17, 2012
your name is very interesting
i feel like ive seen it before somewhere…
milk72 - January 18, 2012
From where I'm standing
it seems pretty original. Straight from the aether.
GreyedOut - January 18, 2012
yeah this is the first I heard of a new Belcher injury
biggant - January 17, 2012 via mobile
JOE SILVA!!!!
PUT ME IN COACH!!!!!
MostDiabolicalCasanova - January 17, 2012
I think this is way too soon for Weidman.
Keren - January 17, 2012
Agreed. Phil Davis part two..although I would not object to seeing Weidman pull off the upset here.
RonSwanson - January 17, 2012
I disagree
Weidman is a beast. Facing Maia on short notice is almost a win/win situation; if he wins then he’s an instant star, if he loses nobody will think less of him and he’ll still get the exposure. For a keen BJJ player with developing stand-up (and awesome wrestling), facing someone like Maia is probably a pretty good way to find out what you need to work on.
wonderfulspam - January 17, 2012
Agreed
I was hoping for TOquinho, but Weidman is a great choice too!
Its a win/win for him, and a big chance to step into the limelight.
Snatchl - January 17, 2012
Not sure it's a win-win.
Reminds me of when Ben Saunders stepped in to fight Fitch.
POW - January 17, 2012
The difference is Saunders had lost two fights ago
SSreporters - January 17, 2012
True.
But “too much too soon” has been the downfall of a lot of promising careers.
POW - January 17, 2012
Thankfully, Demian isn't the kind of guy to ruin a fighter.
He’s not going to hit him that hard and he won’t embarrass Weidman so badly that he’s broken. The dude even says he likes to win fights without hurting his opponent.
pdl - January 17, 2012
Or when Johnny Hendricks stepped up to fight Fitch
Shaun32887 - January 18, 2012
I think Weidman is going to be a LIVE dog in this fight. I can really see him pulling it off.
AHutch - January 17, 2012
…..or he is going to open as a 2-1 favorite.
Snake_Pliskan - January 18, 2012
I can see this fight decided on the feet
It’s an interesting style matchup. I can’t really see Maia taking Weidman down unless he pulls guard, and while Weidman can probably take Maia down, I don’t think it’s wise for him to do so. I think that in the end, this fight will be decided on the feet.
chrisbboy82 - January 18, 2012
They don't do a good job of developing prospects
And this is excellent evidence of that fact.
Patrick Wyman - January 17, 2012
I agree 100%
Weidman should’ve been matched with 3 or 4 more low to mid level fighters before a guy like Maia. He hasn’t learned all of the skills he could’ve at this stage in his career, especially the striking aspect.
amendamatrix - January 17, 2012
Exactly
And this is part of a larger pattern on the UFC’s part – setting up Rory McDonald with Carlos Condit in his second UFC fight, Phil Davis and Rashad Evans, the list goes on and on.
Patrick Wyman - January 17, 2012
Rory almost killed Condit
truck - January 17, 2012 via mobile
Shh, you’ll ruin the narrative with your facts.
fbihop - January 17, 2012
And what's the counter-narrative?
The UFC has done a fantastic job building prospects, as evidenced by the sustained success of… Brandon Vera? Charles Oliveira? Ricardo Funch? TJ Waldburger?
Some prospects work out and some don’t. That’s the nature of being a prospect. The UFC hasn’t established a solid track record of building fighters at an appropriate pace.
Patrick Wyman - January 17, 2012
Jon Jones, Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos
Alexander Gustafsson, Johny Hendricks….they all seem to be working out fine.
Some guys are destined to reach the top and some aren’t…the UFC isn’t designed to give you the easiest path to the top, to pad your record and prop you up to somehow seem better then you are…they test you, some people pass most of the tests, some don’t
Also….just because a prospect gets a tough fight and loses once doesn’t mean they are wrecked…plenty of young guys bounce back great after their 0 goes.
Chris Groves - January 18, 2012
rory mac is looking pretty solid right now
that loss seemed to have motivated him further as well
milk72 - January 18, 2012
The guys who just seem to be working fine were some of the only prospects that were developed properly.
Velasquez – Signed to the UFC ater two fights, was given 5 fights against low to mid-level guys like Jake O’brian, Ben Rothwell, and Brad Morris before fighting someone like Big Nog.
Jon Jones – Same situation as Velasquez, was given 6 different fights against mid-level people of varying styles before getting his contender level fight with Ryan Bader, who was also developed the same way.
These guys reached the top because they weren’t thrown into the fire before they got a chance to develop themselves and round out there skills. Charlie Breneman is the perfect example of a guy that got pushed to quickly after narrowly beating Rick Story, who fought on short notice, back in June last year. He clearly wasn’t ready to face Rumble, you could see it in the fact that the man had almost zero striking skills in his prior bouts, and was as one-dimensional as a wrestler could be, so he had no business fighting a bigger, stronger, more well-rounded wrestler at that point.
The thing I hate most about the poor development of MMA prospects in the UFC is that these guys get a lot of hype if they narrowly beat a more established fighter, but many people on sites like these don’t actually use their eyes and see the deficiencies in their skills to reasonably say “Hey, XXX did a great job in that fight with an established vet, but I saw that his striking and/or grappling needs some more work before I’d like seem him get more fights at the higher end of the division.” Once a guy beats someone who is on the cusp of title contention, usually there is no turning back after that. The last guy I recall who got throttled down in competition after a big win was JDS when he KOed Werdum, and look where he is now, he’s champion.
amendamatrix - January 18, 2012
Jon Jones was given Stephan Bonnar pretty early
I think he was 3 fights into his deal and he was a moderate underdog to Bonnar. IIRC he took that fight on short notice too.
HaterSlayer - January 18, 2012
True, but Bonnar was a mid level LHW who hadn't fought in a year prior to the fight.
After that fight, Jones was back to fighting Jake O’brian, then another good mid level guy in Matt Hamill.
None of the guys Jones fought prior to Bader were close, meaning 1 or 2 good wins, away from a title shot at the time he fought them.
amendamatrix - January 18, 2012
Rumble Johnson
Pushed too fast. TWICE. Chewed up and spit out by the machine. He could have been a huge draw if they brought him up right. He’s mostly to blame for he ridiculous weight cuts, but still…
bmilo - January 18, 2012
Almost being the key term there
And then he took about fifty unanswered blows to the head at the end of the third round.
Patrick Wyman - January 17, 2012
But in the end Carlos Killed Rory
It was a good day and a pleasant end to a largely unsatisfying PPV
andrew i - January 18, 2012 via mobile
Alex Gustafsson, Cain Velasquez, and Jon Jones seem to be doing alright.
But as a general rule, you’re right.
pdl - January 17, 2012
They've done Gustafsson right
But Jones and Velasquez are pretty extreme outliers. Jones made it to the UFC three months after he started fighting, and heavyweight is so thin that it’s much different than every other weight class.
Patrick Wyman - January 17, 2012
Gustafsson is actually getting the Jones treatment.
Which is what all prospects, especially those 26 and under, should be receiving. A guy who’s fresh out of college wrestling shouldn’t be in the mix for a title shot in less than three years, unless they fight as many times a year as Donald Cerrone did in 2011.
amendamatrix - January 18, 2012
Preparing for Maias guard game and ever improving kickboxing is a daunting task. Wiedman doesn’t have anything Maia hasn’t seen before and figured out. Weidman is extremely talented, but I don’t see him getting past Maia. Wish he had a full camp to prepare.
ProfessorBLove - January 17, 2012 via mobile
Maia will have to get this on the ground first and Weidman ismore accustomed to people pulling guard that most with a wrestling background.
I expect this to be a stand-up match a la Maia v. Miller.
HonorableJudgeIto - January 17, 2012
Either way Maia wins. I think his kickboxing is better than Wiedmans.
ProfessorBLove - January 17, 2012 via mobile
But we’ve already seen Weidman make rapid improvements between his three UFC fights so who knows how good he is by now? Also, I’m not convinced Weidman will have to keep the fight standing to win.
wonderfulspam - January 17, 2012
Maia held his own against Munoz and beat Sonnen, who in my opinion is the best wrestler in MMA. Weidman doesn’t have anything Maia hasn’t seen. And 2 weeks isn’t enought time to prepare for him.
ProfessorBLove - January 17, 2012 via mobile
Jones and GSP have the best MMA wrestling.
Kefka - January 17, 2012
And Judo in the case of Jones.
Kefka - January 17, 2012
nitpicking
He’s good at Greco-Roman. Not exactly Judo, but his trips ARE good.
halitosis - January 17, 2012 via mobile
Thank you!!!!
Not every trip is judo. Although if it’s a trip, it ain’t G-R, either. Freestyle is what he uses.
duck - January 17, 2012
its all Jiu Jitsu.
:-)
the-gentle-way - January 18, 2012 via mobile
Sonnen is by FAR a better MMA wrestler than Jones
I think Jones is definitely up there, but Sonnen is one of the best MMA wrestler ever. Few men can do what he does, and the man is consistent.
Chad Raynard - January 17, 2012
Their wrestling games are very different
Jones uses strips and throws from the clinch, while Sonnen clinches then changes levels for the double or single.
discoandherpes - January 17, 2012
BJJ chops to go with his wrestling base?
wonderfulspam - January 17, 2012
I don’t even think this fight goes to the ground much, but Maia has better striking and will be able to utilize it to win a decision.
I dont think Wiedman isn’t talented, I think he’s great. But 2 weeks isn’t enough time to prepare. And Maia has the edge in experience.
ProfessorBLove - January 17, 2012 via mobile
I think Maia's the rightful favourite
But I do think Weidman has a chance. If Maia’s winning the striking exchanges I wouldn’t be all that surprised to see Weidman take it to the ground and doing reasonably well.
wonderfulspam - January 17, 2012
your right, Weidman is no joke and this is a win win situation for him and great exposure on fox
biggant - January 17, 2012 via mobile
this was my thought as well, as long as Weidman doesn't get KO/Subbed in the 1st round in highlight fashion
If he can show that he can at least grit it out with the top tier in this division
squaresphere - January 18, 2012
how in the world does Sonnen have the best wrestling in MMA? when almost all of his losses have been by submission??
benten20 - January 17, 2012
Because his submission defense has nothing to do with his wrestling.
ProfessorBLove - January 17, 2012 via mobile
yes
biggant - January 17, 2012 via mobile
Slap yourself
After reading your post back to yourself.
Rob Young - January 17, 2012 via mobile
hmmm
Another INEPT living up to his acronym. Boom!
POW - January 17, 2012
not a crazy idea
Munoz did an excellent job of shutting down Maia’s half guard game punished the body.
Weidman went to ADCCs in 2009 with one year of BJJ training and gave Galvao a hard match. The kid can straight up grapple, if he can lock down a good strong half guard, he could wear Maia down.
T.P. Grant - January 17, 2012
Please refrain from ruining my lame trash talk with your logic.
I know Weidman is good, but didn’t he end up getting posterized by Maghalaes in that ADCC? It’s just a huge step up, which rarely turns out well. If he can beat Maia, then he’s ready for prime time for sure.
POW - January 17, 2012
On short notice
I think it will be too much, I think with a full fight camp to prep he could give Maia a hell of a fight. He might still…
T.P. Grant - January 17, 2012
I think the short notice favors Weidman
Maia was not training for a wrestler. This is another Charlie Brennaman situation, imo.
KGNLuc - January 18, 2012 via mobile
if Weidman wants to keep the fight standing and strike
then it is the fight Maia was preping for anyway. if weidman wants to take him down, then the fight is in Maia’s wheel house. Maia’s halfguard sweeps and attacks really requires time to prepare for as opposed to Rick Story who hates being on his back and was counting on being the better wrestler in his match.
T.P. Grant - January 18, 2012
He did get posterized, but so did Pe De Pano. Getting caught with a flying armbar like that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not a great grappler.
As T.P. mentioned above, he gave Galvao a really, really hard match earlier in the tournament. I think that was a much better indicator of his grappling skills.
zorba - January 17, 2012
He's a prodigy for sure.
So is Maia though.
POW - January 17, 2012
Is'nt INEPT in first place?
Yeah, thought so.
Sweet Scientist - January 18, 2012
With that said, it might be too soon for Weidman to take on a guy like Maia.
Lawlor to Maia is a huge step up.
Sweet Scientist - January 18, 2012
Enjoy it while you can.
Based on the last event’s scores, you won’t be there long.
POW - January 18, 2012
Serra better sharpen Weidman’s sub defense.
Although I sense this will be a striking match
IRodC - January 17, 2012
That's the way I envision this
I don’t see it going to the mat unless Chris wants it there. Maia has sharpened up his striking, but I feel Weidman can at least outpoint him.
Baby Wads - January 17, 2012
We also gotta remember that Weidman is coming in on 2 weeks notice.
If his cardio holds up it will be an interesting fight for sure.
IRodC - January 17, 2012
Same notice he had for his debut and he outlasted Sakara.
And he had a broken rib going in to that fight too, so he was out of the gym mostly. Weidman is a scary athlete.
pdl - January 17, 2012
Demian Maia is way more skilled than Sakara
Specially on the ground since Weidman relied on his wrestling when he was tired.
IRodC - January 17, 2012
Maia grapples at quite a high pace too, once he gets a hold of someone.
Not much stalling from him.
VenusBlue - January 18, 2012
Weidman TKO 1st
He is going to surprise a lot of people.
NEW-HAMPSHIRE - January 17, 2012
Signed
AHutch - January 17, 2012
Maia has a pretty good beard though.
POW - January 17, 2012
Well
that is a huge step up.
av1o3 - January 17, 2012
Shame Palhares couldn't do,
But as long as Maia wins this, Palhares/Maia will be a great title contender match.
Chase316 - January 17, 2012
Agree on Palhares
But as for the title shot, I think Vitor needs to be in contention, as well as Munoz. But Palhares v Maia would be great. I’ve wanted to see that one for a few years now.
LenBarson - January 17, 2012
Truly disappointing...
That fight would have been epic… Id go with Tree Stump purely because of his retard strength lol
Chin Check - January 17, 2012
I think we should do Vitor vs. Palhares!
BrandtShaft! - January 17, 2012
neither have a realistic shot of beating Silva
Ricardo Arguello - January 17, 2012
You're right
I guess we should just stop having middleweight fights
halitosis - January 17, 2012 via mobile
Kinda weird that the only two compelling matchups for Anderson...
Are both fighting in Bellator…. Meaning Lombard and Falcao,
Chin Check - January 18, 2012
Chael Sonnen and Paul Harris have much more of a shot of winning than Lombard and Falcao.
discoandherpes - January 18, 2012
I dont doubt that...
But they dont really intrigue me as much, Sonnen had his chance and failed to an injured Anderson and Palhares would probably beat himself lol
Chin Check - January 18, 2012
I could see the case for Lombard, but Falcao? He’s not really that great.
discoandherpes - January 18, 2012
Falcao to me seems like a guy that wouldnt back down to Anderson's striking.
Im not saying he’d beat Silva but id like to see what would happen if you put those two in the octagon.
Chin Check - January 18, 2012
Watch the Forrest Griffin fight
Henrique - January 18, 2012
Different division + Different physique and fighting style = Different fight
Chin Check - January 18, 2012
This card got a whole lot better....
Really looking forward to this card now. Gonna be a fun night of fights and can’t wait to see The Count get another beating!
Taiter - January 17, 2012
Dammit, Paul!!!!
Earl Montclair - January 17, 2012 via mobile
Are people forgetting?
Weidman held his own at ADCC against Galvao. Obviously Maia and Galvao are two different type of BJJ players but I don’t think it’s a guaranteed submission for Demian if goes to the ground.
KyleCobra - January 17, 2012
It never is, when's the last time Maia submitted someone in the UFC?
There’s no doubt Maia is an exceptional grappler, but he’s not been a submission machine lately.
YPG - January 17, 2012
Maia's UFC career
Started off with three RNCs and two triangles, was knocked out by Marquardt and then went 4-2 in six consecutive decisions.
wonderfulspam - January 17, 2012
I use to like Maia but now he is so boring. His stand up is not very good(its better than his early fights but has plateaued) and he no longer subs people, before he was all about the ground game, even pulling guard to get the fight to the ground.
Kefka - January 17, 2012
OK
so the Munoz fight was boring? pretty sure it got fight of the night and Maia was robbed in that fight anyway.
nickrodamous - January 17, 2012
fucking a he was.
It was, at worst, a 10-10 3rd round. How anyone could see that round for Munoz is stupefying to me.
John Danaher's Hair - January 17, 2012
so, using the parlance of Kefka...
this is a plateau, yes?:
John Danaher's Hair - January 17, 2012
Were you trying to argue against my post, because you just gave facts to support it.
4-2, 6 consecutive decisions.
He’s not exactly like Palhares where he’s ripping limbs off in round 1 any more.
YPG - January 17, 2012
Not arguing either way
Just pointing out his strange UFC career that started with 5 subs and (so far) ended with 6 decisions with a KO loss sandwiched in between.
wonderfulspam - January 17, 2012
The reason for that is everyone(except Munoz) has gone on full defensive mode when he takes it to the ground
He even tries to bait people into stuff, but they just lay there and try to not get submitted.
HaterSlayer - January 18, 2012
this^
T.P. Grant - January 18, 2012
Weidman is extremely talented. But I don’t think he’s ready for Maia.
ProfessorBLove - January 17, 2012 via mobile
that’s a big leap in opposition. hope he’s up to it.
Victor Rodriguez - January 17, 2012
didn’t he also get flying armbarred by Magalhaes? Not that it’s exactly relevant here.
POW - January 17, 2012
Big fan of Weidman
But Maia is a BIIIIGGGG jump up compared to Tom Filthy Lawlor.
Would have liked to see him get another fight before challenging a top 10 MW
djfivenine - January 17, 2012
this is bullshit! Toquino! Toquino!
dajulzta - January 17, 2012 via Android app
According to Dana's twitter
Palhares turned down the fight
Rolandando - January 17, 2012
This guy :-)
Is ecstatic that Bis is gonna get stomped.
Bloodsport - January 17, 2012 via mobile
I'd rather see Maia/Sonnen and Bisping/Weidman
but I get why they did it the other way around.
sun yue - January 17, 2012
i agree i wanna see if chael tightened up his triangle defense
benten20 - January 17, 2012
THIS IS FUCKIN AWESOME GUUUUUURL!
T.C. Engel - January 17, 2012 via mobile
Sweet dreams
Weidman
chillnnsht - January 17, 2012
I keep thinking these fights are this Friday.
shows how much coverage UFC on FX 1 is getting
nickrodamous - January 17, 2012
Well I just saw a promo with Melvin Guillard
But it was a marathon of his fights to counter-program UFC on FX
halitosis - January 17, 2012 via mobile
Weidman has this fight, What has Maia done lately to make anyone think otherwise? Sure he had one good round against Munoz but so did Kendall Grove. Weidman won’t get subbed or out grappled, Maia’s stand up is improving but so has Weidmans. I’m hoping the odds are as biased as the opinions on here.
tremblay6 - January 17, 2012
What has Weidman done to make you think he is such a lock, other than beating bottom-of-the-barrel fighters? Don’t you think Maia would look incredible impressive if he was facing those guys?
alxn - January 17, 2012
Do you really think Maia can't outgrapple Weidman?
Sweet Scientist - January 18, 2012
Weidman will pull off the upset
ill sig bet it. hes got the wrestling to keep it standing, if it does go to the ground he has the jiu jitsu to avoid being subbed, and i think he is all around more athletic than maia. itl be a close decision fight but i think he guts it out ftw.
plus maia has failed to impress with his main weapon as of late. now that his striking has plateaued he needs to go back to focusing on his submissions again or all he is going to be is another MW gatekeeper.
SWEDishfish - January 17, 2012
kind of agree about his wrestling but what on earth makes you think his Bjj is nearly enough to hold off maia on the ground?
benten20 - January 17, 2012
Probably because he competed at the ADCCs
after only a year of training BJJ and made it to the quarter-finals in one of the most stacked divisions, where he suffered a very close points loss to Andre Galvao, one of the best pound-for-pound submission grapplers in the world.
Scott Haber - January 17, 2012
He is coming in on two weeks notice. His cardio might not be up to snuff for a fight, which could leave openings for Maia.
IRodC - January 17, 2012
Oh certainly. I was more
responding to claims that Weidman in general isn’t in Maia’s league on the ground, when he’s done very well in the no-gi grappling arena.
Scott Haber - January 17, 2012
Beating Daniel Tabera != Maia's no-gi record.
Weidman is skilled, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
VenusBlue - January 18, 2012
Maia isn't exactly a cardio machine
discoandherpes - January 17, 2012
But he has had a full camp
IRodC - January 18, 2012
Doesn't necessarily mean he is going to be in better shape
There are guys who benefit from shorter training camps because they are less prone to over training.
discoandherpes - January 18, 2012
So.. much.. Maia hate
Charles Awad - January 17, 2012
The UFC is amazing, pumping out great fights for free, they could’ve scrapped Maia from that card and no one would’ve complained.
It’s a bad time to be a Dana/UFC hater these days.
Kenya_MMA - January 17, 2012
I was just thinking about having this as the replacement fight
SSreporters - January 17, 2012
You obviously then texted Joe Silva, yes?
John Danaher's Hair - January 17, 2012
I am Joe Silva.
SSreporters - January 17, 2012
How does it feel to be four feet tall?
av1o3 - January 17, 2012
That's quite generous
halitosis - January 17, 2012 via mobile
I want to see Joe Silva
congratulate Big Foot after a win.
av1o3 - January 17, 2012
I´m sure he´ll say some good words to Big Foot´s knee
edtSD - January 18, 2012
This has the potential to be similar to the Munoz - Maia bout.
Should be interesting to see if a) Weidman can keep it standing, and b) if he doesn’t, how good his jitz really is. No offense to Weidman, but subbing Jesse Bongfeldt and Tom Lawlor isn’t exactly top tier gold. But good for Weidman that he gets the opportunity. However, I’d bet on Maia.
jason18 - January 17, 2012
Being invited to the ADCC’s and only letting Andre Galvao scrape by you on 4 points is a lot more impressive than subbing Bongfeldt and Lawlor. Then again, MMA BJJ isn’t the same as pure BJJ, but Maia has struggled to finish lower-level grapplers than Weidman in recent fights.
Scott Haber - January 17, 2012
That's because he hasn't tried to submit people in his recent fights
he tried against Munoz but it’s hard to submit that guy.
av1o3 - January 17, 2012
He was all over Grove and Miranda on the ground,
but never got the tap. I wouldn’t say he “wasn’t trying”…It’s not like he was just stalling and holding position, but these days if your opponent has decent defensive grappling, it’s very difficult to get the tap if they just shell up on the ground and go into lock-down mode.
Scott Haber - January 17, 2012
Good point
for some reason all I remember from those fights were the bad stand up.
av1o3 - January 17, 2012
Maia needs the win much more than Weidman at this point if he’s to be in contention in the near future..Like someone else said this is a win/win situation for Weidman
savik - January 17, 2012
I think Weidman makes quick work of Maia, personally. I haven’t been impressed by Maia in like 3 years, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he even got subbed by Weidman. Awesome fight. I’m much more interested in Bisping/Chael and Maia/Weidman than I was the original fights. Munoz getting injured made this card a lot better. Can’t wait!
Shnak - January 17, 2012
Dude – time to put down the Kool Aid.
POW - January 17, 2012
Unreal
Charles Awad - January 17, 2012
Hey, nobody thought Machida would get subbed by Jones, and it happened, and in spectacular fashion! This is MMA, anything can happen. And Weidman has shown an ability to get odd subs. Who knows, it might just happen.
Shnak - January 18, 2012
so your comparing Weidman to Jon Jones?
T.P. Grant - January 18, 2012
Even Jon Jones wasn’t Jon Jones at some point… All I’m saying is that Weidman has been impressive recently with his subs, while Maia, as good as he is, hasn’t subbed anyone in over 2 years. All I’m saying.
Shnak - January 18, 2012
BJJ is not submission
Henrique - January 18, 2012
so Weidman taps two guys
who don’t really train BJJ.
Maia positional dominates BJJ black belts, and he is the one who is slipping?
T.P. Grant - January 18, 2012
Maia should be fighting at 170. He’d be a much more effective grappler at that weight, IMO. Weidman will handle Maia with ease. He’s got the wrestling base, and he’s submission savy. He’s got this.
Shnak - January 18, 2012
You just don't understand how good Maia's BJJ is
Henrique - January 18, 2012
When’s the last time he’s shown it, though?
Shnak - January 18, 2012
In every single of his victorys, except for the Dan Miller fight, for the most part
BJJ is not just submissions, you know?
Henrique - January 18, 2012
Someone with good wrestling skills usually nullifies the other aspects of BJJ like guard passes, sweeps, etc. Weidman is a great wrestler, and he’s quickly picked up submission skills. I think it’s more likely that he subs Maia than the other way around just because of his strong wrestling base.
Shnak - January 18, 2012
because the submission grappling world
isn’t full of wrestlers who train a little BJJ?
they are everywhere. To become a no gi world champ you have to be able to deal with that style.
I don’t think Maia is a lock to win because I question his strength and stamina, but Weidman isn’t going to just punk Maia on the ground.
T.P. Grant - January 18, 2012
I just said that above… Maia is too small for Weidman. He should fight at 170lbs, not 185lbs. I’ve been saying that for a long time.
Shnak - January 18, 2012
that I agree with
Maia is not a physical style of BJJ, and that flowing styling can work in MMA but it is very tough.
Personally I think Maia needs to strength train a bit more, and develop some more power on his GNP. The biggest reason guys can lock down and just defend submissions against him is because he doesn’t really hurt guys with his strikes on the ground. Powerful GNP opens up chances for submissions.
T.P. Grant - January 18, 2012
I'd love to know which wrestling coaches teach guard pass defense.
VenusBlue - January 18, 2012
Not that it’ll matter because Weidman will be on top controlling Maia…
Shnak - January 19, 2012
He'll be defending against the best half-guard in MMA then...
That’s a big step from Filthy Tom, and a very different threat than Galvao.
VenusBlue - January 19, 2012
Space debris may also fall into the cage, crushing Maia on the spot. But I wouldn’t bet money on it.
POW - January 18, 2012
http://mmajunkie.com/news/27016/rep-rousimar-palhares-a-no-go-for-ufc-on-fox-2.mma
rscott94 - January 17, 2012 via mobile
Time Joe to orgasm over Maia or Weidman’s immense improvement in striking
yellopanda - January 17, 2012
I like it
Very intriguing fight for a short notice bout. What else can we really ask for?
PackMMA - January 17, 2012
Why the HELL was Weidman opening as a -325 favorite in some Vegas betting odds?
SSreporters - January 18, 2012
If that is not a mistake
Bet on Maia.
discoandherpes - January 18, 2012
Because Maia hasn’t done anything good in like 3 years?
Shnak - January 18, 2012
3 years ago, 2/21/2009, Maia did this
Henrique - January 18, 2012
i could watch that all day.
thuggis - January 18, 2012
hmmm since 2009
Maia has gone 5-3, so yeah… he sucks….
T.P. Grant - January 18, 2012
And of those 3 losses
One was a flash KO, other was to the best fighter of all time, and the third one he should have won.
Henrique - January 18, 2012
And of those he beat, how many are still in the UFC? Yeah… exactly.
Shnak - January 18, 2012
Anderson Silva, top #1 fighter in the world
Has victories over Thales Leites, Patrick Cote, James Irvin, Nate Marquardt, Travis Lutter…
All fighters that are not in the UFC anymore. That’s not Anderson’s fault.
Henrique - January 18, 2012
Hey, I’m with you… most of Anderson Silva’s opponents have been horrible. But that doesn’t change the fact that Maia doesn’t have a single good win in the last 3 years… am I supposed to be impressed by him beating guys like Miller, Branch or Grove? Seriously?
Shnak - January 18, 2012
welcome to the Middleweight division
Look at Chael Sonnen’s wins from the last four years and tell me how many of those guys are wins you’d be impressed by or guys that are still in the UFC?
you’ll likely come around to maybe 2 or 3
there is Anderson Silva and then like 4 to 5 guys that are a cut above the rest but below Andy. Maia beats he mid-level guys and is competitive and can beat the upper tier guys which puts him in that tier.
T.P. Grant - January 18, 2012
Okami and Marquardt are better wins than anything Maia’s ever done in the UFC, including him beating Sonnen himself a few years ago. And I say that because Okami and Marquardt were clearly top 5 guys at the time Sonnen beat them, while Sonnen himself wasn’t ranked very high when Maia beat him. If that makes any sense.
Shnak - January 18, 2012
Sonnen has been the same fighter for years
Maia beat the same Sonnen that beat Okami and Marquardt and that gave Andy Silva four hard rounds.
T.P. Grant - January 19, 2012
Disputing quality of wins doesn't really explain why Weidman should be a favourite
Since his main claim to fame is apparently losing gallantly to Andre Galvao at ADCC.
VenusBlue - January 18, 2012
Weidman should be a favorite because Maia hasn’t done anything in 3 years. That’s why.
Shnak - January 19, 2012
So...
beating Santiago (BJJ black belt), Sonnen, Miller (BJJ black belt), Miranda (BJJ black belt) and Grove – and this list should include Munoz too < Sakara, Bongfeldt, Lawler, 4 scrubs and Daniel Tabera at ADCC?
Riiiiiggghhhttttt.
VenusBlue - January 19, 2012
that screams immediate betting. Lines are gonna move big, if thats the initial line. C’mon, the one taking a fight in short notice is Weidman, and he is primarily a wrestler-ground fighter. I dont see in which aspect he has got the edge besides wrestling. And Maia can be a nightmare on the ground, even if he does not submit anybody since 2009.
Carlos Estrada-Ibars Martínez - January 18, 2012
Despite all this underdog talk
Weidman is actually favored pretty generously in this fight (at least for now). Bodog has him at -225 right now, while Sportsbook has him at -200.
[odds as of 9:05 EST]
Trice - January 18, 2012
Aaaaand I completely missed the comment chain above mine discussing the odds
My bad.
Trice - January 18, 2012
if I was a gambler
I would put money on Maia who I hate as much as some if you hate Bisping
Sonnens Political Adviser - January 18, 2012 via mobile
Why do you hate Maia?
Holls Hoyce - January 18, 2012
He's Sonnen political adviser
Henrique - January 18, 2012
This should be a fun fight.
I’ll be happy for whoever takes the win and on top of that getting to see Bisping and Chael both lose in the near future. As in one will lose on the UFC on Fox 2 card and the winner will be smashed by Anderson come summertime (or whenever that fight takes place).
NickRingp4pGOAT - January 18, 2012
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