Fighting for contendership spots is a tough ordeal in mixed martial arts. With so few positions at the top available, competitors must do whatever is needed in order to place themselves at the top of the ranks and one step closer to a title reign. Often times these fighters will decide to cut weight to a lower weight class after an unsuccessful run in another division. Yet another former title contender is deciding to take a step down in hopes of earning his place among the elite in another weight class.
Brazilian standout Demian Maia has decided to shed an additional 15 pounds to move from middleweight down to welterweight for his next bout. The former grappling world champion was once a major contender at 185, facing off against Anderson Silva back at UFC 112. While he has always maintained a position within the top ten of the middleweight division, he has not been able to get over the “hump” in order to demand that number one contender’s spot. Since that title shot, he’s gone 3-2 with wins over Kendall Grove, Jorge Santiago, and Mario Miranda, but has suffered losses to top ten fighters in Chris Weidman and Mark Munoz. Instead of toiling away in the weight class, Maia took to his Twitter account to announce that he’s going to move down in weight. However, will this move present him with the benefits that he is expecting?
Along with the lightweight division, the welterweight group is one of the toughest weight classes to compete in as a mixed martial artist. Look around and you see names such as Johny Hendricks, Jake Ellenberger, and Mike Pierce emerging as upstart contenders in the group. Not to forget about stalwarts such as interim champion Carlos Condit, Josh Koscheck, Diego Sanchez and Jon Fitch, all of whom have been stars in the organization for years. Plus there’s this guy named Georges St. Pierre who has been every bit as dominant as Silva is within the middleweight ranks.
It would be tough to see Maia fitting into these ranks and defeating any of these opponents. While we have watched him improve over time, his most recent bout against Weidman ended with even more questions about what the fighter must do to get back to his peak performance. During the fight it seemed as if Maia was more exhausted than Weidman, who had just cut 18 pounds on short notice. At 34 years of age, cardiovascular endurance can’t become a question mark, especially when joining a weight class that is stacked with all-star wrestling talent. With so many fighters that can successfully stuff takedown attempt after takedown attempt, you have to wonder how Maia will be able to fare over the course of a bout.
There’s no secret that Maia’s grappling abilities are some of the best in the sport; however, he has gotten away from those talents in favor of trading punches with opponents. While it is always a great skill to be able to mix up your game, you have to be able to stick to your best abilities, and Maia has been getting away from that more and more often. Once on the mat he will hold an advantage over anyone in the weight class, but getting them there is going to be quite the battle.
Demian Maia is one of the top talents in mixed martial arts with, a skill set that many other fighters envy. However, moving down a weight class may not be for the best at this stage of his career. His first opponent hasn’t been announced, but it will be interesting to see who is placed across the Octagon. Maia is in need of a big win to spark his career, but I do not believe this is the best way to go about it.
I don't think its fair to say Maia has gotten away from his grappling in favor of trading punches with opponents. I think he's just faced some good wrestlers recently who (unlike Sonnen) were reluctant to tie up with him.