Maia to fight Silva for title at UFC 112

[zY|]

I'm sure everyone saw this, but if not.

Demian Maia agrees to replace Vitor Belfort, will face Anderson Silva at UFC 112
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Feb 12, 2010 at 9:45 pm ET
The guesswork of the past 24 hours can finally cease.

Demian Maia (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) has agreed to replace an ailing Vitor Belfort and will now face UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (25-4 MMA, 10-0 UFC) in the main event of UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi.

The UFC officially announced the replacement on Friday, ending a day of speculation by MMA observers and fans alike.

UFC 112 takes place April 10 at Concert Arena at the Ferrari World theme park on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is the first UFC event to be held in the Middle East, and the first event to take place outdoors.

Maia emerged from a crowded pool of UFC contenders on the strength of a UFC 109 win over Dan Miller this past Saturday. Despite a loss to Nate Marquardt at UFC 102, UFC brass deemed Maia the best available option.

Chael Sonnen had laid his claim to top-contender status with a dominating victory over Marquardt at UFC 109, but injuries suffered in the bout left him unavailable for a fight with Silva.

"It's always tough when a top fighter like Vitor Belfort has to pull out of a big title fight, but we have found a high quality replacement," UFC president Dana White stated in today's release. "Top contender Chael Sonnen was not available due to injuries sustained in his fight with Nate Marquardt, so top-six middleweight Demian Maia will step in to fight for the title.

"Maia is an Abu Dhabi grappling champion, a five-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, and he is 12-1 in MMA and coming off a win over Dan Miller at UFC 109. Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia will be a matchup between MMA's best striker and MMA's best grappler."

Maia is currently under medical suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission until Aug. 6 due to an left vertical upper eyelid laceration. However, Maia was not issued a minimum suspension, and he can be cleared early by an ophthalmologist or ocular-plastics doctor.

Maia wasn't immediately available for comment when contacted by MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), but the UFC obviously feels confident the wound will receive clearance.

While Abu Dhabi does not have an athletic commission in place to regulate the event, the UFC acts as its own governing body and does observe the rules and regulations set forth by most U.S.-based commissions, including the NSAC.

Silva and Maia will fight in UFC 112's main event in a bout the organization is billing as "MMA's best striker vs. MMA's best grappler."

Belfort's return to date from the shoulder surgery that forced him out of the contest has not yet been announced. Belfort's manager, Fabiano Farah, today told MMAjunkie.com he expected his client to miss at least four months of action.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/17931/demian- ... fc-112.mma

Wow. Should be interesting.

[Mr. IWS]

I didnt see it, thanks for getting this up.

I hope the odds aint too bad. Ill be on Anderson for sure.

[SPX]

Fucking stupid.

I thought Maia was injured?

I have to think that Anderson's going to fuck him up for sure. Marquardt really would've been a better choice.

[zY|]

SPX the article addresses his injury. Maia is really the best choice if you're going to keep it a MW title shot. Sonnen isn't available and Marquardt just lost convincingly. It's a weird triangle thing with those 3 guys anyways, with Sonnen losing to Maia but beating Marquardt, and Marquardt beating Maia but losing to Sonnen, so any of them would suffice in my opinion.

As far as the actual fight, I don't really like Maia's chances either. While he possibly possesses the offensive capabilities to actually win against Silva, he's pretty fragile and isn't likely to last too long. It could be interesting if he gets Anderson to the ground, although Silva neutralizing Leites and Maia not getting much done on top of Miller doesn't do much for my confidence.

I also don't expect a repeat of Silva/Leites. Leites is more durable than Maia with a better chin and more punching power, so I would expect Silva won't be as reticent to engage with Maia and get him out of there quicker.

Silva by TKO Round 2

How do you guys see the line opening?

[Luke]

-450 or higher for Silva


Hope he lasts longer against Silva than he did against Nate

[zY|]

-450 or higher for Silva


Hope he lasts longer against Silva than he did against Nate

I'm sure he will.

Quote from Maia on Tatame

"“If I say to you that I’m gonna exchange with him I’ll be lying."

Good stuff.

[Mr. IWS]

I think Anderson has enough Jitz, training with big NOg, that it will keep him out of trouble for the most part. Anderson via laser like precison ko.

[Thewiseman]

I think Silva has value up to -850.

[MMA_scientist]

I think Maia is going to beat him.


I will be on Maia for this. He has great takedowns and will be the best grapper Silva has ever faced. Maia by sub.

[zY|]

^^possible but extremely high variance

[MMA_scientist]

^^possible but extremely high variance

yes, but I think the fight is only about 60/40 for Silva. These guys put together a few wins and their hype gets so out of control... Maia will absolutely humiliate Silva on the ground. Everyone who has tried to take Silva down, with the exception of Leites, has done so.

Anderson is a great striker, but its not like he has superhuman powers. Silva is not as great a striker and Maia is a grappler (if that makes sense).

I think the likelyhood that Maia takes him down and subs him is almost as great as the likelyhood that Silva KO's Maia. So I will be making a play on Maia, because he will be at least +250.

[zY|]

Well Leites did get him down, and if you read my first post, I disagree with a lot of what you said.

[Ludo]

I honestly don't see how Maia is going to deal with the vast arsenal of strikes Silva has at his disposal. Silva is a very crisp striker and has an innate ability to come at you from odd angles with his muay thai. Plus his kicks are everywhere. I wouldn't be surprised if Anderson Silva keeps Maia at bay with his knees and Muay Thai Clinch when Maia tries to close in.

[Mr. IWS]

I honestly don't see how Maia is going to deal with the vast arsenal of strikes Silva has at his disposal. Silva is a very crisp striker and has an innate ability to come at you from odd angles with his muay thai. Plus his kicks are everywhere. I wouldn't be surprised if Anderson Silva keeps Maia at bay with his knees and Muay Thai Clinch when Maia tries to close in.

+1

I really dont see this one hitting the ground at all. Maia couldnt sub Miller. Is Miller that much better a grappler than anderson? He may be better, but I dont think he is light years ahead of Anderson. If Anderson fought Miller, would anyone think the fight would be competitve? Probably not.

I know styles make fights, but look at the guys Maia has subbed/beat recently. No one is in the same galaxy in terms of striking as Anderson is. Ill throw out the Nate fight, that was kind of a flukey loss for Maia.

Sonnen
Quarry
McDonald
Herman
Jenson

None of these guys could threaten Maia standing much, so he could go in there and grapple with these guys. If he gets in the same zipcode as anderson, I think he goes to sleep.

[Mr. IWS]

[quote=MMA_scientist]

Everyone who has tried to take Silva down, with the exception of Leites, has done so.

[/quote:3tudibb6]

He had Michael Jordan (Lutter) locked up in a triangle when that fight was stopped. He choked out Hendo as well. I think Anderson has good enough Jitz to stay out of trouble.

[MMA_scientist]

He was also mounted by Lutter for a while. If Maia mounts him, he won't be getting out. He got that triangle by landing an upkick...

Hendo also controlled him for a round. If Maia has 5 minutes to work on him, he will probably be taking home an arm.

Silva is the rightful favorite. But his ground game is not great. He has some long limbs which allow him to stall out with his guard. Maia had Miller on the ground for a couple minutes at the very end of the fight. A) yes, I think Miller is a better grappler than Silva; B) Maia was already sort of gassed at that point.

I just think people tend to overstate these guys' advantages. Silva is awesome, but he has been beaten. He couldn't finish Leites. He couldn't finish Cote- does that mean he won't finish Maia? No. But it doesnt mean anything more than Maia's inability to finish Miller.

Maia is a different fighter than Leites. His hands are not as good, but his takedowns are better.

I think he presents the biggest threat, style-wise, to Anderson.

[Mr. IWS]

A) yes, I think Miller is a better grappler than Silva;

I said Miller was probably better too.

Hendo also controlled him for a round.

And got choked out in the second.


Its not like Maia is just gonna come in and start diving for takedowns and catch Anderson off guard. He really has to set them up against Silva. How? with his striking. Thats where he will be knocked out IMO.

I also have to believe, from just looking at the two fighters, that Silva is going to have a size advantage, to go along with speed, power, and overall explosiveness advandages he will have in this fight.

We will agree to disagree.

[zY|]

I think he presents the biggest threat, style-wise, to Anderson.

I agree with this.

Maia has one of the best chances to beat Silva due to his sheer offensive capabilities on the ground.

That said, Maia's limited striking, lack of power, poor defense, mediocre chin, and overall fragility make him also very likely to be punted into the 8th row in very short order.

That's more what I'm counting on.

[poopoo333]

I will be throwing a unit down on Maia...I have always thought that Maia would be the guy to beat Silva in the middleweight division. I see the odds being more lopsided then the Belfort/Silva lines as well, so this should have some great value.

[SPX]

I'm still pissed Vitor is out, because I honestly felt like he had a damn good shot at knocking Silva the fuck out. I really had that "this could be a big upset" feeling about that one.

As for Maia, I agree with everyone who said that he's probably gonna get blasted on the feet and pretty quickly. However, if he can get it to the ground things will get interesting.

I want Silva to lose, though. I really do. I don't really like the guy and the middle weight situation is so boring right now because of his dominance. But as I've mentioned before, I also don't think Silva has been challenged by championship-calibur competition. I mean, except for Hendo--who is 3-2 in the UFC with the Franklin win being a split--and Franklin himself, Silva hasn't really fought anyone who I think will ever hold a belt. (MAYBE Marquardt, but only in a relatively weak division.)

If Maia comes out with awesome odds, I will take him for .25u. I'll expect to lose it, but oh what sweet victory if he wins.