Can Maia handle a good wrestler?

[snapster]

Maia is looking more and more dominant with each fight. It ends up looking like the early UFC days, where guys who have never seen Jiu Jitsu before are getting easily submitted. It seems like his BJJ game is just on a higher level than his opponents.
But crucial to all of his recent fights has been his need to get his opponent to the ground. It seems like most of his opponents have been "MMA guys," guys who are well-versed at all aspects of MMA, but perhaps masters of none. I really wonder how he'd fare against one of these former All-american wrestler kind of guys, like Woodley, or even a fading Hendricks. I'd worry that Maia just would not be able to get these guys to the ground, and would waste huge amounts of energy doing so. what do you think?

 

[kimchi dog taco]

he broke Rick Story's face, a legit wrestler who outwrestled pre-USADA Hendricks, so I think that answers your question

 

[Sonny Qc]

He handle Sonnen so...

 

[Sonny Qc]

would take a good wrestler with an elite Top game.


Matt Hughes
Gsp
Jake Shield
back in the days


Jake Shield beated him

 

[shaffmeister]

Yes.

 

[13Seconds]

Chael Sonnen
Jon Fitch
Rick Story
DHK (Before his spine gave out)

All got smushed by Maia. A wrestler isn't his kryptonite.

Is someone with GODLY takedown defense.

 

[YoungRonniecoleman]

would take a good wrestler with and elite Top game.

Matt Hughes
Gsp

Yep that's the way. Weidman did it, granted he's a huge man compared to any WW. GSP might be the only WW able to topgame Maia

 

[FrankWank]

Shields is a beast on the ground. Very very underrated...but his standup was always atrocious

 

[Hans Gercmiov]

The trick is to run around yelling "where's your jiu jitsu playboy?" It's his kryptonite.

 

[Kraysla]

He already has.

 

[fortheo]

Chael Sonnen
Jon Fitch
Rick Story
DHK (Before his spine gave out)

All got smushed by Maia. A wrestler isn't his kryptonite.

Is someone with GODLY takedown defense.

The opposite is almost true: He's practically a wrestler's kryptonite: They're greatest strength is automatically neutralized by Elite BJJ.

 

[chinarice]

He's handled good wrestlers already but has been handled himself, by good wrestlers.

 

[CMNSPWR]

He fitched fitch.

 

[fortheo]

would take a good wrestler with and elite Top game.


Matt Hughes
Gsp
Jake Shield
back in the days


Jake Shield beated him

That controversial decision, though....the one where Maia took shields down at will, took shields back twice, but then let shields sit in his full guard for too long :/

 

[Necrocrawler]

Chael Sonnen
Jon Fitch
Rick Story
DHK (Before his spine gave out)

All got smushed by Maia. A wrestler isn't his kryptonite.

Is someone with GODLY takedown defense.

Or maybe someone who is good at sub defense and transitioning. IMO Shields won the fight with that.
Basically Maia shooted for a takedown, got Shields back and then lost it and ended up in guard. That happened about 3 times in the fight (or more, i dont remember) and then he gassed. Shields took that fight this way, basically.

 

[Bacco]

His kryptonite is GSP by jabfest

 

[NicholasJBasile]

Although I tend to believe it depends on the wrestler, I feel he can handle top shelf wrestlers. His sweep game is on point. He really doesn't even have the best takedowns from a wrestling standpoint, but I don't know that there's a fighter in the UFC welterweight division that is better at bringing their opponents to the ground.

 

[fortheo]

Or maybe someone who is good at sub defense and transitioning. IMO Shields won the fight with that.
Basically Maia shooted for a takedown, got Shields back and then lost it and ended up in guard. That happened about 3 times in the fight (or more, i dont remember) and then he gassed. Shields took that fight this way, basically.

That's a sad way to take a fight; having someones back is the most dangerous position in grappling. Maia had the best positions, and the majority of the takedowns, but Shields had a nice reversal here and there and slightly more "control time" where he did nothing in Maia's guard. Let's not forget that was a split decision, so I don't think it's a good idea to try to emulate that gameplan.

 

[moreorless87]

Maia is looking more and more dominant with each fight. It ends up looking like the early UFC days, where guys who have never seen Jiu Jitsu before are getting easily submitted. It seems like his BJJ game is just on a higher level than his opponents.
But crucial to all of his recent fights has been his need to get his opponent to the ground. It seems like most of his opponents have been "MMA guys," guys who are well-versed at all aspects of MMA, but perhaps masters of none. I really wonder how he'd fare against one of these former All-american wrestler kind of guys, like Woodley, or even a fading Hendricks. I'd worry that Maia just would not be able to get these guys to the ground, and would waste huge amounts of energy doing so. what do you think?

Wrestling alone isn't the issue, he's beaten Sonnen, Fitch and Story, all very good wrestlers. The issue is can he beat a fighter who has the skills to avoid the ground? people assume that all wrestlers have this but its simply not true, all those guys above could probably outwrestle Maia but by means taking him down not controlling distance standing and punishing him with strikes.

WW as a division for years really had nobody like Maia around so a lot of wrestlers got away with not having the skill to deal with it, the same way indeed they got away with not having to face a good striker with takedown defence. Besides potentially GSP all of Maia's bad matchups at WW are against somewhat newer names like Woodley, Lawler, Hendricks, Rory and Thompson.

 

[fortheo]

Although I tend to believe it depends on the wrestler, I feel he can handle top shelf wrestlers. His sweep game is on point. He really doesn't even have the best takedowns from a wrestling standpoint, but I don't know that there's a fighter in the UFC welterweight division that is better at bringing their opponents to the ground.

From a wrestling standpoint, he has an amazing single leg that he has a lot of variety on; but more than that, if he fails the single leg, he'll have you in a clinch where he excels at judo trips and other odd takedowns. Sonnen said it best when He said that Maia does things that wrestlers are taught not to do and that's why he's successful against wrestlers.