Is "Ungassed Maia" one of the best fighters at ww?

Kelman

Kelman

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I think we've all been sleeping on Maia recently.

He dominated the first round vs Rory, then gassed and got beat up... but that was Rory, who is one of the best all-round fighters in the world.

He "lost" a split decision to Shields, but I don't know how anyone can feel certain about who won that fight. Shields had an eye-catching brilliant sweep at one point, but over the piece it was as even as it gets. And even then, Shields is one of the greatest grinding, nullifying, strong and defensively savvy grapplers in MMA history.

Consider just how strong and how dominant Maia was against excellent competition in Jon Fitch, Rick Story, and now Neil Magny (and I think it was clear how the Dong Hyun Kim fight was going to go before the injury).

Maia at ww just looks like a mw fighting ww's, he just seems way too strong for these natural 170 guys, and this allied to his other-worldly technique make him a daunting prospect for the guys at the top IMO.


OK, yes I am a bit of a Maia fanboy I admit this, but am I being irrational in thinking that he still has a last late-career title run in him? I don't believe Demian could defeat Lawler or Hendricks, but everyone else in the contender picture is a winnable fight for him as I see it. I can envisage him doing to guys like Condit and Woodley what he has done to Fitch and Story etc.

Or should I put the Kool Aid away and calm down?
 
yes.

unless he can't take you down. But if he's underrated anywhere, it's his takedowns. ridiculously effective.

I would fear for Lawler or Condit.
 
I don't believe that Maia fans exist.
 
I don't think he stands out as a top top fighter, but he's a threat to anyone. With the right matchup, and that MIGHT be Lawler, he seriously is title shot worthy.

He looked good tonight. Leaner, faster, and not gassy....
 
Nah, I'd still K-1 Hughes via late round stoppage.
 
Maia is a beast , love watching him do his thing .....Maia vs G Nelson would be good
 
Yes he is. He should have gotten a 10-8 against Rory the first round.
 
Demian "gastank" maia looks like he deserves another crack at the title.
 
Magny is good. But beating him isn't telling as to how he'd fair against the top 5. With that - I have long said that Maia is one of the more under appreciated fighters in the UFC. Obviously a handful of a grappler's fights are going to be boring. Most of the time, however, his style always poses an interesting threat to his opponents. & its often fun to watch them either effectively solve his puzzle or get lost in the maze
 
No. He's way overrated. can barely finish anyone at WW.
 
tombombadil said:
I don't think he stands out as a top top fighter, but he's a threat to anyone. With the right matchup, and that MIGHT be Lawler, he seriously is title shot worthy.

He looked good tonight. Leaner, faster, and not gassy....
Click to expand...

Do you think Maia could get Lawler down though? I'm not sure he could. Johny Hendricks found it difficult to get Robbie down, and Hendricks is the strongest & best wrestler in UFC 170 division. Think of Robbie's sprawls in the Rory rematch - literally some of the best TDD in MMA there.
 
The best thing Maia ever did, career wise, was make the drop to 170lbs. The guy should have been there all along because he's at that sweet spot where weight cuts aren't too difficult, but he's just big enough to really outmuscle his opponents. As someone else said in the thread his takedowns are super underrated. You know what he wants to do, and the fact that he's still able to snag takedowns in the first and second rounds is a testament to the fact that he's more than "just another grappler".
 
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