Demian Maia is at a major juncture of his career and it all comes down to his fight against Ryan LaFlare this Saturday at UFC Fight Night 62 in Brazil. Even though LaFlare is a relatively unknown fighter in mainstream circles, he is an undefeated 31-year old with a 4-0 UFC record. Most importantly, he is the next fighter standing in Maia’s way as he makes the climb up the UFC welterweight ladder.
Maia is a 19-6 MMA fighter and has only lost to some of the best fighters in the world. After losing to Chris Weidman via decision at middleweight, Maia made the jump to the UFC welterweight division and started 3-0. However, after entering the realm of top-10 fighters, Maia lost two straight to Jake Shields via split decision and Rory MacDonald via unanimous decision. He is now looking for his second straight win after defeating Alexander Yakovlev, and he will headline the UFC’s next card in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this weekend against LaFlare.
If Maia comes away with the win, it will be interesting to see who the UFC selects next for the Brazilian. Maia is currently ranked 7th in the UFC’s welterweight division and is taking on the 14th ranked fighter in LaFlare. Tyron Woodley just fought in late January and has not been scheduled for another fight. Furthermore, Matt Brown took a decision loss to Johny Hendricks last weekend, which could open door for a grueling matchup between Brown and Maia. Jake Ellenberger is also coming off a win against Josh Koshcheck and may be a good option for the UFC.
If Maia takes another loss, his next opponent will once again be unranked and his chance at UFC gold dwindles as well. Judging by the fighters listed above, the UFC welterweight division is stacked with talent and another loss will set him back far enough where retirement starts to enter the picture. He is turning 38 in November but has proven to be in great physical condition. However, regardless of his skills and conditioning, age will play a factor against such fierce competition at 170 pounds as the division gets harder to climb.
For MMA grappling fans, Maia is a pioneer and a loss would be quite devastating. He is a top-quality fighter but is competing in one of the toughest divisions in the UFC. He has already made one close attempt at a title shot but the second one seems less likely given the road he needs to travel. For now, Maia will have to focus all of his energy on the quickly rising LaFlare, who will want nothing more than to end the Brazilian’s welterweight climb in his home country of Brazil.
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