Demian Maia’s camp may have been expecting a middleweight title shot in August, but instead they’re getting what can only be considered a number one contender match with Nate Marquardt. Maia confirmed the news on his official website, saying the fight is on for UFC 102 in Portland, Oregon. Obviously it’s one hell of an interesting bout on paper, but the timing of this announcement begs the question, did Anderson Silva screw Maia out of a title shot with his performance against Thales Leites at UFC 97?
The answer is, pretty much. Had Silva gone out and looked like “The Spider” of old against Leites, the UFC probably would not have turned right around matched him against a former light heavyweight champ just a few months later, because they wouldn’t have needed to. If they felt like he was still a draw in a regular old title defense in his own weight class, Maia’s chances of getting that shot would probably have been much better. The only other reasonable choice would have been Marquardt, but he already had his chance and it wasn’t exactly the kind of fight that screamed out for a rematch.
Instead, the Silva/Leites snoozefest embarrasses Dana White and the UFC goes into crisis control mode to force Silva to do something interesting, and in the meantime Maia might as well take on Marquardt to decide who really deserves to be the top middleweight contender.
The good news for fans is, it’s a great fight. Maia vs. Marquardt makes great sense for the middleweight class, which has lacked a strong, undeniable top contender lately, and it’s an interesting clash of styles. You could make a case for either one of these guys being deserving of a shot right now. Whoever emerges from this matchup, you won’t even have to make the case for them. Meanwhile, Silva fights Griffin in a crazy superfight, and the UFC has a great summer on its hands. Everybody wins.
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First off, I have a background in Kodokan Judo and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and have briefly trained under Carlson Gracie, Jr., have rolled with Vitor Belfort, discussed a possible career in MMA with former UFC commissioner Art Davie and actually participated in one competitive tournament match (against a very solid and regionally known BJJ practicioner which I controlled for over 14 minutes before dropping my neck too low and submitting to a tight and quickly applied side guillotine). I am not telling you this to brag about toughness. I am sure there are probably people who have responded to this thread tougher than me. I am merely letting you know that I have some degree of first hand knowledge with this sport.
The main point I am trying to make is many people who are somewhat uneducated on the subject really underestimate the importance of a solid (or in Demian Maia's case, nearly flawless) ground game. With my background, I may be somewhat biased but I have a keen appreciation and understanding of just what that brings to the table. I also realize that Nate Marquardt is very well rounded with a background in wrestling as well as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu so he is no slouch on the ground as well but in today's MMA world Maia's jiu-jitsu skills are pretty much unparalleled.
Now, here comes a little bravado on my part. Since it would seem most of the people who have responded to this thread are of the opinion that Nate The Great is going to "destroy" and essentially steamroll Demian Maia, why doesn't anyone within this thread who isn't a welch put your money where your mouth is. I propose if you are so sure and you don't mind paying up when you lose the bet to wager a gentlemanly sum of $5 per person. I figure when Maia wins and providing everyone pays up I will be about $100 richer when things are all said and done. Of course, if I lose the bet 20 or so people will be $5 richer because I will pay up courtesy of the United States Postal Service (and if you live in my city I will hand deliver the cash to you) although I anticipate being right around $100 wealthier when all is said and done. I am beyond serious about this. I am supremely confident in the superior ground skills of Demian Maia. Are you equally as confident in Nate Marquardt?