Demian Maia

ABU DHABI –  On Saturday, April 10, 2010, three years and seven fights since joining the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Demian Maia will get a middleweight title shot.

The only problem is, his opponent makes Ultimate Fighters look like amateurs. He embarrasses them for fun.

Maia is no tattooed TUF noob. He is one of those rare breed grapplers Mr. Rogan refers to as “top of the food chain.”

Maia has choked out many men on his path to this title.

Ryan Jensen, Ed Herman, Jason MacDonald, Nate Quarry, and Chael Sonnen have all been finished inside the Octagon by Maia.

Nate Marquardt knocked Maia out at UFC 102. It was one punch. Maia made a mistake. It was a bump in the road, a hiccup, it was one battle in the war.

Maia bounced right back and defeated the very well-rounded Dan Miller by unanimous decision at UFC 109 in February.

And it was because of his ability to come back strong and win that fight he was chosen as a replacement for Vitor Belfort, who was originally supposed to face Anderson Silva for the title.

Belfort is a dynamic striker, exciting, with super fast punches. However, due to an injury, he had to withdraw from the fight.

Now, instead of a striker, Silva will face one of the absolute most dangerous grapplers in the world this weekend.

One man is 32-years-old from Brazil. The other is 34-years-old from Brazil.

One is a submission specialist. One is a striking specialist.

This Saturday night at “UFC 112: Invincible” Anderson Silva will either defend his title for the seventh straight time, or Demian Maia will do what no man before him has been able to do, dethrone “The Spider”.

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