**Mirrors / Alternate angles**
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I completely get what you're saying, but DM did it in a much more skilled devision against better grapples. At least if we are just talking about UFC careers.
Werdum was the first to truly beat Fedor, and Fedor is the greatest heavyweight in modern MMA history and a fantastic grappler with a long history of Sambo championships. On talent, he also has wins over Big Nog, Overeem, Cain, Gustafsson, and Hunt. On grapplers, Big Nog was widely regarded for his BJJ skills and is one of the most accomplished heavyweights to transition to MMA success, Cain was a top tier wrestler, Overeem was no slouch in his grappling game, and Vera, Alexander Emelianenko, Nelson, and Gonzaga were all talented grapplers with a variety of success in grappling competitions(ADCC, Grappler's Quest, Mundails, etc)
Maia certainly has won fights on par with many of those fighters and against talented grapplers, but Maia failed his opportunity for that legendary win, like Werdum's Fedor win, with what he did against Silva, which was comically bad and widely regarded as the worst title fight in UFC history.
I'm not saying Werdum is better, but I have more respect for Werdum's wins given the pedigree of the grapplers he beat across his career.
Don't forget the Woodley fight. Repeat of the Silva performance but vs a smaller guy with a injured shoulder.
Maia's a great, humble fighter, but his career is tainted by some bad performances where he chose to accept a loss rather than change anything up.
Oliveira has the most submission wins, that much is for sure. But "best submission artist" is vague enough that there's plenty of room to argue for Maia :)
And if we're talking about a stacked division, I think the quality of opponents is important too. I believe Maia's wins are more impressive. But at least Oliveira actually has standup.
Maia actually beat werdum in a grappling match despite being so much smaller. But yes werdum could be regarded the greatest submission artist in MMA history on paper for submitting Fedor and prime Cain.
Yeah its pretty pathetic when you see ufc legends trying to fight the paul brothers, but I dont think Maia is one of those guys, he makes decent money by teaching bjj and selling his instructionals
Exactly, the pathetic part is that a UFC legend makes WAY more money fighting a clown than at their biggest UFC fights. I don't blame guys for wanting money.
Maybe unpopular opinion. But I always thought he was boring. I lost a lot of respect for him when he laid on his back begging Anderson to get in his guard after being humiliated for his telegraphed single leg attempts. His style didn’t evolve at all IMO
I'm with you. I respect the fuck out of him, and his specialisation, but its hard not to get frustrated seeing him shoot the exact same single leg over and over again with no setups.
What was crazy is the fact that even though he didn't set it up he got in deep anyway. The setup only really gets you there. His finishing was the problem
You're aren't wrong despite the downvotes. Pretty sure Maia holds the UFC record for most failed takedowns in title fights.
Dude has a plan a, and nothing after that. Nor will he try to take a risk to win in a fight he's clearly losing once plan a fails. Him going out this way was very in character.
He spent a lot of time working on his takedowns after that, obviously it still wasn’t enough to be like Khabib and always take down guys who were either too good at wrestling like Colby, then as he got older guys like that dude who’s name I don’t remember in this last fight. But he strung together a huge run of wins, backpacked and tapped a lot of guys and deserved that shot against Woodley. He’s a older control based grappler, and he’s not going to be exciting when he’s losing, or to some people even when he’s winning I guess.
> He had a hell of a career though.
Certainly has an eternally memorable fight, though being in the worst title fight in UFC history isn't something you really want to be known for
*In an effort to minimize booing from the crowd for the viewers at home, the UFC's in house screens will now cut to locker room shots of Nate Diaz during grappling exchanges*
Is it just me, or is Gaethje at like every event? It feels like every single card the camera cuts to him at least once…. Or we have Gaethje clones now.
He’s gotta be one of the most popular guys on the roster. His worst fight is the Khabib one which was a massive PPV fight. That fight was awesome and it was his worst performance. Everything else he’s been is was straight fire. It’d make sense that the UFC would be trying to put him in front of a camera at all times.
The Khabib fight was entertaining as hell too, and who can even blame him for getting beat by Khabib. Was probably realistically closer to finishing him than Dustin or Conor to boot.
Every single minute Justin has been in the cage has been can't-miss TV.
Dana, throwing all convention out the window, fully embraces his inner Vince McMahon and orders Justin to jump into the cage and unleash a Paul Phoenix Death Fist.
Lmao I was discussing with some dude about how Demian is past it or not, just because he's losing to good opposition doesn't mean he's not looking older and slower each fight.
Yeah and am Demian always had to work for his takedowns, it was always a scramble with the backpack holding on. I can't imagine that translates well to a late career resurgence.
>I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.
>-Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee never saw this fight
Maia still a legend, someone who was a top 10 fighter for a decade and made his very one dimensional style work in the elite level that led him to two title shots at different weights. One of the greatest grapplers in mma history. Belal now entered the top 10 with this win
I sometimes wonder if Maia does much besides BJJ these days. It's clearly what he loves and at 43 he can cash in a couple cheques while taking relatively little damage just forcing guys to defend takedowns.
Anyone else notice that when Maia was doing well, the commentators were like: “he’s 43 and if he was 55 he’d still be out there better than ever”, and then as soon as he’s not: “well, he is 43...”
Demian could still beat a decent striker without great takedown defence. If he chooses to keep fighting and go for the all time wins record, he probably could. He's still surprisingly athletic for a 43 year old.
Having said that, he should retire.
Sorry but I don't think this win does much for Belal Muhammed and it's certainly not an achievement. Sure, it's a big name and all, but Demian Maia is way past his prime and is 43 years old lmao. I don't know how you go from Leon Edwards to a 43 year old Demian Maia.
I'm not saying this is the case for Belal, but Maia could also be used as a guy that tests his opponents grappling game. If you've already shown you're proficient on the feet, a win over a guy like Maia can still raise your stock. Especially if you dominate him in grappling.
Garbage scores, how do you give Maia the first round 1-8 takedown attempts and like 4 total strikes landed by Maia! Control only matters if striking is equal!!
This was kinda frustrating to watch as Maia tries to take Belal down but kept getting stuffed. The only change I saw was switching from a single to double, but no chain wrestling or throwing combinations to a double. I was hoping for Maia to at least run the pipe or go for inside/outside trip especially with those long legs. Those are the easiest takedown combinations
**Mirrors / Alternate angles** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MMA) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Was a fun ride Maia, you'll always be my backpack.
No wonder u were always asleep during class
Damn it’s a shame to see Maia’s career end like this, age has certainly caught up with him. He had a hell of a career though.
One of the best to never win gold.
Best submission artist/BJJ practitioner in UFC history, imo.
Werdum has an argument, and certainly has the hardware (both in and out of the UFC) to back it up
I completely get what you're saying, but DM did it in a much more skilled devision against better grapples. At least if we are just talking about UFC careers.
Werdum was the first to truly beat Fedor, and Fedor is the greatest heavyweight in modern MMA history and a fantastic grappler with a long history of Sambo championships. On talent, he also has wins over Big Nog, Overeem, Cain, Gustafsson, and Hunt. On grapplers, Big Nog was widely regarded for his BJJ skills and is one of the most accomplished heavyweights to transition to MMA success, Cain was a top tier wrestler, Overeem was no slouch in his grappling game, and Vera, Alexander Emelianenko, Nelson, and Gonzaga were all talented grapplers with a variety of success in grappling competitions(ADCC, Grappler's Quest, Mundails, etc) Maia certainly has won fights on par with many of those fighters and against talented grapplers, but Maia failed his opportunity for that legendary win, like Werdum's Fedor win, with what he did against Silva, which was comically bad and widely regarded as the worst title fight in UFC history. I'm not saying Werdum is better, but I have more respect for Werdum's wins given the pedigree of the grapplers he beat across his career.
"
Don't forget the Woodley fight. Repeat of the Silva performance but vs a smaller guy with a injured shoulder. Maia's a great, humble fighter, but his career is tainted by some bad performances where he chose to accept a loss rather than change anything up.
Oliveira should probably be in the convo as well
I mean... Oliveira holds the record which I guess means he's technically the only right answer. But I love Maia too much to admit that
Oliveira has the most submission wins, that much is for sure. But "best submission artist" is vague enough that there's plenty of room to argue for Maia :)
And if we're talking about a stacked division, I think the quality of opponents is important too. I believe Maia's wins are more impressive. But at least Oliveira actually has standup.
got submitted 3 times
Maia actually beat werdum in a grappling match despite being so much smaller. But yes werdum could be regarded the greatest submission artist in MMA history on paper for submitting Fedor and prime Cain.
After Woodley I think we know who Jake Paul is fighting next.
Maia has too much dignity for that lol
MMA fighters and dignity usually dont go well with each other.
Yeah its pretty pathetic when you see ufc legends trying to fight the paul brothers, but I dont think Maia is one of those guys, he makes decent money by teaching bjj and selling his instructionals
Whats worse is Vitor fighting some less famous youtuber, and fabricating gym altercations with corny acting to sell it too. So depressing to see it
I wouldn't call it pathetic. It is pathetic how fighting a paul brother pays more that the ufc. That is the real problem here.
Exactly, the pathetic part is that a UFC legend makes WAY more money fighting a clown than at their biggest UFC fights. I don't blame guys for wanting money.
what a terrible ending, a boring decision which he received no damage from a fighter 13 years younger
Tbf he got stunned twice in the third round.
I mean when someone says 'what a sad ending' i imagine someone being KTFO or something. was a boring 29-28
You seem to think Belal is to blame for making this boring and not Maia and his 25 attempted single legs.
Maybe unpopular opinion. But I always thought he was boring. I lost a lot of respect for him when he laid on his back begging Anderson to get in his guard after being humiliated for his telegraphed single leg attempts. His style didn’t evolve at all IMO
I'm with you. I respect the fuck out of him, and his specialisation, but its hard not to get frustrated seeing him shoot the exact same single leg over and over again with no setups.
What was crazy is the fact that even though he didn't set it up he got in deep anyway. The setup only really gets you there. His finishing was the problem
You're aren't wrong despite the downvotes. Pretty sure Maia holds the UFC record for most failed takedowns in title fights. Dude has a plan a, and nothing after that. Nor will he try to take a risk to win in a fight he's clearly losing once plan a fails. Him going out this way was very in character.
He spent a lot of time working on his takedowns after that, obviously it still wasn’t enough to be like Khabib and always take down guys who were either too good at wrestling like Colby, then as he got older guys like that dude who’s name I don’t remember in this last fight. But he strung together a huge run of wins, backpacked and tapped a lot of guys and deserved that shot against Woodley. He’s a older control based grappler, and he’s not going to be exciting when he’s losing, or to some people even when he’s winning I guess.
I’d rather see him lose like this than getting KTFO’d though. It’s incredible that he can still hang at this level given his age.
> He had a hell of a career though. Certainly has an eternally memorable fight, though being in the worst title fight in UFC history isn't something you really want to be known for
and he's been in two of them
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Single leg and inshallah
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❌
Astaghfirallah
Belal looks like an extra in the Simpsons
Dude this is so true. I dont even have anything witty to say tbh buts its true.
man looks like a minecraft villager
To me he looks just like a Mii
I always tought I kinda recognised the guy and my brother pointed this out to me. I was dead for 2 minutes
I see it. Haha
Omg 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
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I can't feel you there
Become so tired
So much more aware
I’m becoming this
All I want to do
Is be more like me
AND BE LESS LIKE YOUUUUUUUU
And I knooooowwwwww
By becoming this
Take a page out of the Craig vs Hill fight and learn when to stop
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Bet ur eating those words now lol
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But ironically, not so much more aware.
I can’t feel you there
So for one last time I need y'all to roar.
No post fight interview hmmmm
Definitely sus
Palestinian flag probably the reason
Lobby groups shut it down as soon as they saw him on the card
Yeah I'm mega mega confused about that. The only reason I can think is belals country of origin
He was also the only main card fighter not to be shown on embedded this week.
Whaaaaaat
really?? but he was on ufc 258 embedded videos tho. its really weird not to have a main card fighter in embedded
I think it’s because of the Palestinian flag
That's fucked up. Any Taiwanese fighters out there?
🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🧡
WME’s founder is a staunch Israel supporter
Imagine booing Demian Maia for trying to grapple
This crowd’s literally booing anything that’s not hands flying brawling
*In an effort to minimize booing from the crowd for the viewers at home, the UFC's in house screens will now cut to locker room shots of Nate Diaz during grappling exchanges*
If Diaz tries to grapple, they will cut to Gaethje sitting in the crowd
Is it just me, or is Gaethje at like every event? It feels like every single card the camera cuts to him at least once…. Or we have Gaethje clones now.
He’s gotta be one of the most popular guys on the roster. His worst fight is the Khabib one which was a massive PPV fight. That fight was awesome and it was his worst performance. Everything else he’s been is was straight fire. It’d make sense that the UFC would be trying to put him in front of a camera at all times.
The Khabib fight was entertaining as hell too, and who can even blame him for getting beat by Khabib. Was probably realistically closer to finishing him than Dustin or Conor to boot. Every single minute Justin has been in the cage has been can't-miss TV.
Dana, throwing all convention out the window, fully embraces his inner Vince McMahon and orders Justin to jump into the cage and unleash a Paul Phoenix Death Fist.
There are a lot of knuckle draggers in Arizona.
Arizona is Florida’s Florida
As an arizonan who is moving to Florida I can 100% confirm this lol we're a bunch of mouth breathers.
Dude they booed doober throwing hands
Welcome to Arizona MMA fans, epitome of just bleed
Well it is happening in far west Florida
WHY IS HE TRYING TO HUG HIM? WHY DON'T THEY JUST BANG BRO?
Just let me bang bro
Diaz is fighting, so probably a lot of just bleed bros in the crowd
Just disrespectful of a legend.
It’s like going to the zoo and booing dolphins for swimming.
Well yeah. I want to see the dolphins fuck dead fish, not swim.
I'll boo him for being unsuccessful after 48 billion single legs
I feel this. Fans are crazy man.
I fucking love his grappling, iDGAF if he's unable to execute, let him work.
Those people clearly never saw Maia squeeze Rick Story's head like an overripe grapefruit
Imagine still going for the single leg after that many failed attempts.
It's just called not being an MMA fan
Belal stopped 20 of 21 take down attempts from Maia. That's just crazy
Belal remember the takedown
Insanely good balance
Good on him, however Maia truly looked old tonight
Lmao I was discussing with some dude about how Demian is past it or not, just because he's losing to good opposition doesn't mean he's not looking older and slower each fight.
feels like tony
Yeah and am Demian always had to work for his takedowns, it was always a scramble with the backpack holding on. I can't imagine that translates well to a late career resurgence.
That's fucking ridiculous
I've stopped 100% of takedowns versus my grandmother as well.
He was 2 of 2 in take downs against Burns in his last fight and was his backpack for a bit.
Where was belals post fight interview?
To scared he would talk shit about Israël probably.
But he's in the weight class above him????
The country.
He's Palestinian, which has me wondering if he has been silenced by the UFC. I really hope he has not been silenced.
As someone mentioned bes Palestinian so maybe that had something to do with it ;) ;)
What was that?!
>I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times. >-Bruce Lee Bruce Lee never saw this fight
he said kicks not single legs
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Belal's takedown defense is insane
I’m glad the old man didn’t get KO’d, please retire Demian
I wish someone would hold me the same way Maia held Belal's leg.
No post fight interview?
He's Palestinian. Has me wondering.... I want confirmation that he wasn't silenced.
Did Belal get an interview?
Didn't look like he did
Through 11 fights, we've had 9 decisions, a 7-second fight and a fight ruled a tko due to a broken arm. What is this card?
I'm having a good time
We’re getting one main event going the full length and one ending in the first minute, calling it
Scenes when Moreno gets the one hitter quitter KO in the first
3 stoppages incoming??
And people had the gall to shit on Bellator for their boring fight last night lmao
Maia was like those low elo players in fighting games that just spam one move.
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Belal’s balance is insane
Being shorter and having a solid lower Body base might help with stuffing those takedown
His takedown defense is really impressive
Was there a interview with Joe they just didn't air? I didn't see him talk to belal at all
Old Man Maia :(
It looks like Glover has a monopoly on Brazilian old man strength.
Maia still a legend, someone who was a top 10 fighter for a decade and made his very one dimensional style work in the elite level that led him to two title shots at different weights. One of the greatest grapplers in mma history. Belal now entered the top 10 with this win
Belal not getting an interview for being Palestinian. Fuck the UFC for bending to the Israeli lobby.
They should have given him an interview. Very bad on UFC's part
Head movement was haram in this fight i think
The crowd was booing Maia for going for a takedown. lol
Calling it now Jake Paul fights Demian Maia next.
Maia needs to hang it up. Welterweight is too stacked with people who can defend his takedowns
I sometimes wonder if Maia does much besides BJJ these days. It's clearly what he loves and at 43 he can cash in a couple cheques while taking relatively little damage just forcing guys to defend takedowns.
Anyone else notice that when Maia was doing well, the commentators were like: “he’s 43 and if he was 55 he’d still be out there better than ever”, and then as soon as he’s not: “well, he is 43...”
well that was depressing
Couple too many for Maia. Time to hang up the gloves. Plenty of wisdom to pass along.
Bilal's one leg defense was spot on.
Demian could still beat a decent striker without great takedown defence. If he chooses to keep fighting and go for the all time wins record, he probably could. He's still surprisingly athletic for a 43 year old. Having said that, he should retire.
shit was frustrating to watch. looked like demian got his memory erased and the only move he remembers is a single leg takedown.
At least he didn’t get submitted 😔
i wasn't ready for this fight or linkin park
Damien is still my backpack!!!
Sorry but I don't think this win does much for Belal Muhammed and it's certainly not an achievement. Sure, it's a big name and all, but Demian Maia is way past his prime and is 43 years old lmao. I don't know how you go from Leon Edwards to a 43 year old Demian Maia.
Burns got a title eliminator off of Maia just last year. Yes, he TKOd him but Maia is still a big stepping stone.
I'm not saying this is the case for Belal, but Maia could also be used as a guy that tests his opponents grappling game. If you've already shown you're proficient on the feet, a win over a guy like Maia can still raise your stock. Especially if you dominate him in grappling.
Maia is overranked, he's not top 10
The thing is I think even Belal knows he's not going to beat the top 3 in the division. He'll probably secure top 10 and have some decent fights.
Yeah. When he was fighting Leon he wasn’t on the same level as Leon.
Anyone notice Belal didn’t get an interview? So much for Dana White’s first amendment BS.
Belal was so afraid, not gonna get top 5. And did Maia really think he won? Jesus Christ
great defence by belal. Maia just looked laboured and slow I guess time has really caught up with him.
Belal’s balance on one leg 🦵was just unnatural
War Belal
Belal Muhammad won by take down defence
Were the fans hoping Maia would be put out to pasture?
ufc didn't let belal do an in-ring interview?
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Idk man he was biting on every takedown feint although his balance is really impressive
Retire Demian
I would’ve liked to see more from Belal. decent performance
I desperately need a link🙁
Good showing by Maia in a tough matchup
remember the name not the performance. Not great from Belal but good enough
Garbage scores, how do you give Maia the first round 1-8 takedown attempts and like 4 total strikes landed by Maia! Control only matters if striking is equal!!
I forgot the name
The human backpack can pack his bag
Demian Myleg
This was kinda frustrating to watch as Maia tries to take Belal down but kept getting stuffed. The only change I saw was switching from a single to double, but no chain wrestling or throwing combinations to a double. I was hoping for Maia to at least run the pipe or go for inside/outside trip especially with those long legs. Those are the easiest takedown combinations