By Guilherme Cruz

photo: Eduardo Ferreira

Few days after beating Mário Miranda, the Brazilian Demian Maia already has a date set to come back to UFC’s octagon. On an interview given to TATAME, Demian commented the fight against the “giant” Kendall Grove, who is almost 6,5 feet tall, on TUF 12 Finale, on December 4. “His stand-up game is complicated because of his high, it’s a weird game. Being or not on the ground, it’s hard to be used to that reach. On the ground, he’s won for submissions many times, so he’s also dangerous on that area. I have to have a great game plan for this fight”, analyzes Demian. On the chat, Demian talked about his trainings, telling us about the backup of Edinaldo Lula, champion o WFE and is 6,59 feet tall, and analyzed the division, commenting the recent loss of Rousimar Palhares to Nate Marquardt and the possible rematch with the American, who has knocked him out in 2009.

How is your preparation for your next fight on UFC going?

I’m starting it now, it’s been three weeks since I fought and I came back slowly, Wednesday… I took two and a half weeks off, a larger time, usually I stop the trainings for about 10 days to recover myself. Now I’m doing some workouts, Jiu-Jitsu and I’ll start the boxing and Muay Thau training again.

What calls your attention on Kendall Grove’s game?

Man, his stand-up game is complicated because of his high, it’s a weird game. Being or not on the ground, it’s hard to be used to that reach. On the ground, he’s won for submissions many times, so he’s also dangerous on that area… He’s dangerous on the ground and weird and dangerous standing up because of his high. He’s a tough opponent and I have to have a great game plan for this fight.

How will you find a guy of that size to train with you for this guy?

Edinaldo Lula, who’s champion of WFE, he’s a guy who helped me a lot for my last fight and will help me now again, he’s 6,59 feet tall, if I’m not mistaken… There’re others here in Sao Paulo who’ll help me too, and in Salvador there’s Lula, so it won’t be a great surprise.

Being huge also means he has long arms and legs… Do your eyes shine just thinking about this opportunity (laughs)?

It’s true (laughs)… This is the good side, but the bad one is to get there.

You come from Jiu-Jitsu and know the complications of greasing on the ground game. Rousimar Palhares made a mistake and loss to Nate Marquardt. What did you think of this mess?

Man, I don’t you, you can’t tell. You can’t tell whether he had it or not, but later I heard he didn’t, but there’re athletes who do that indeed. I don’t know if Nate would do something like it, I don’t believe so, but there’re athletes who do and it’s obviously wrong, they’re cheating, especially with Palhares, who has a great foot-lock. Rousimar himself later said the guy really didn’t have it, so it really was a mistake.

How do you see your division currently?

I think it’s the most complicated and busy division, there’re lots of great guys… Sometimes you think of the light heavyweight division, which has Quinton (Rampage), Rogério (Minotouro), Lyoto (Machida) and (Maurício) Shogun, people who already had a great name when they came here from Pride, but we have the same technical quality in my division and on the division above mine, despite the guys on my divisions are younger and starting to be known now.

Nate is coming from a great win and asked for great fights, probably Belfort. Would you like to fight him again on the future and revenge that loss?

Man, you always want to fight those who have beaten you. I want to fight Nate, Anderson, but it’s not a thing I’m dying because of that. I want to do my fights relaxed, I don’t worry about revenge.

Few days after beating Mário Miranda, the Brazilian Demian Maia already has a date set to come back to UFC’s octagon. On an interview given to TATAME, Demian commented the fight against the “giant” Kendall Grove, who is almost 6,5 feet tall, on TUF 12 Finale, on December 4. “His stand-up game is complicated because of his high, it’s a weird game. Being or not on the ground, it’s hard to be used to that reach. On the ground, he’s won for submissions many times, so he’s also dangerous on that area. I have to have a great game plan for this fight”, analyzes Demian. On the chat, Demian talked about his trainings, telling us about the backup of Edinaldo Lula, champion o WFE and is 6,59 feet tall, and analyzed the division, commenting the recent loss of Rousimar Palhares to Nate Marquardt and the possible rematch with the American, who has knocked him out in 2009.

How is your preparation for your next fight on UFC going?

I’m starting it now, it’s been three weeks since I fought and I came back slowly, Wednesday… I took two and a half weeks off, a larger time, usually I stop the trainings for about 10 days to recover myself. Now I’m doing some workouts, Jiu-Jitsu and I’ll start the boxing and Muay Thau training again.

What calls your attention on Kendall Grove’s game?

Man, his stand-up game is complicated because of his high, it’s a weird game. Being or not on the ground, it’s hard to be used to that reach. On the ground, he’s won for submissions many times, so he’s also dangerous on that area… He’s dangerous on the ground and weird and dangerous standing up because of his high. He’s a tough opponent and I have to have a great game plan for this fight.

How will you find a guy of that size to train with you for this guy?

Edinaldo Lula, who’s champion of WFE, he’s a guy who helped me a lot for my last fight and will help me now again, he’s 6,59 feet tall, if I’m not mistaken… There’re others here in Sao Paulo who’ll help me too, and in Salvador there’s Lula, so it won’t be a great surprise.

Being huge also means he has long arms and legs… Do your eyes shine just thinking about this opportunity (laughs)?

It’s true (laughs)… This is the good side, but the bad one is to get there.

You come from Jiu-Jitsu and know the complications of greasing on the ground game. Rousimar Palhares made a mistake and loss to Nate Marquardt. What did you think of this mess?

Man, I don’t you, you can’t tell. You can’t tell whether he had it or not, but later I heard he didn’t, but there’re athletes who do that indeed. I don’t know if Nate would do something like it, I don’t believe so, but there’re athletes who do and it’s obviously wrong, they’re cheating, especially with Palhares, who has a great foot-lock. Rousimar himself later said the guy really didn’t have it, so it really was a mistake.

How do you see your division currently?

I think it’s the most complicated and busy division, there’re lots of great guys… Sometimes you think of the light heavyweight division, which has Quinton (Rampage), Rogério (Minotouro), Lyoto (Machida) and (Maurício) Shogun, people who already had a great name when they came here from Pride, but we have the same technical quality in my division and on the division above mine, despite the guys on my divisions are younger and starting to be known now.

Nate is coming from a great win and asked for great fights, probably Belfort. Would you like to fight him again on the future and revenge that loss?

Man, you always want to fight those who have beaten you. I want to fight Nate, Anderson, but it’s not a thing I’m dying because of that. I want to do my fights relaxed, I don’t worry about revenge.

twitter|site|blog|academia|ufc|academia web|demian web|interviews|badboy|loja

Learn Brazilian Jui-Jitsu and MMA Techniques from one of the world’s best mixed martial artist at 68 Inside Sports on October 16th, 2010 1:30pm to 5:00pm!!

Register Online at www.SEVLAPROMOTIONS.com

twitter|site|blog|academia|ufc|academia web|demian web|interviews|badboy|loja

Source: Tatame

Former UFC middleweight title challenger Demian Maiarecently bounced back from his embarrassing UFC112 title fight against champion Anderson Silva by defeating one of Silva’s pupils via unanimous decision this past weekend at UFC 118. Maia dominated his opponent and, though he was unable to finish his fellow Brazilian via his vaunted ground game, was in control for most every moment of the fight. Maia spoke with Brazilian MMA news source Tatame.com and revealed that the presence of Silva, who toyed with him in their UFC 112 meeting, in Miranda’s corner was a big motivating factor for him to win.

“Of course it did,” Maia said when asked if Silva cornering Miranda motivated him to perform well. “I was glad when I knew he’d be on his corner because I knew it’d motivate me even more. With all due respect to Mário, but I was glad when I heard that Anderson would be on his corner because I knew I’d motivate me even more.”

Maia is certainly a top-tier middleweight fighter but is under no illusions that he is close to getting another crack at the title, citing UFC President Dana White‘s post-fight comments and the current line of middleweight contenders as reasons for his belief.

“Man, on the press conference what Dana said, when he was asked about what he thinks [would] be the next step for me, that he still doesn’t know because the division is too busy,” said Maia. “There’s Anderson’s fight with Chael (Sonnen), there’s Vitor (Belfort) who should get a title fight, there’re lots of athletes that are on the front line, so it’s one of the busiest divisions now.”

Maia is currently 2-2 in his last four fights, staggering losses to Nate Marquardtand Silva with victories over Dan Miller and Mario Miranda. His overall record as a professional mixed martial artist is 13-2.

UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn II went down on August 28th at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

twitter|site|blog|academia|ufc|academia web|demian web|interviews|badboy|loja

By Guilherme Cruz on Tatame

Jiu-Jitsu black-belt, Demian Maia gave a lesson on the ground against his countryman Mário Miranda on UFC 118, but, despite having fit several positions, he could not get the submission. “I got there and I felt I have evolved a lot and I got to the positions I wanted to”, comments Demian. On an exclusive interview given to TATAME, the fighter commented the win over Mário, on his recover after the loss to Anderson Silva in Abu Dhabi, and talked about the extra motivation of seeing his last tormentor on Mário’s corner. “With all due respect to Mário, but I was glad when I heard that Anderson would be on his corner because I knew I’d motivate me even more”, confess the fighter, who comment the rematch between Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva, which might happen on 2011.

What did you think of your comeback against Mário Miranda?

I was glad I came back with a win. Of course I’d like it to be due to a submission, but he’s a very slippery guy on the ground, defended himself well, kept himself calm during the whole fight, even when was on a bad position, he’s a good athlete. His professional record already shows he’d be a hard one for everyone on this division. He’s only got one loss in 12 fights, so, for sure, he’d be harsh on everyone.

Where you surprised with his abilities on defending the submissions?

No… I knew he was a Jiu-Jitsu black-belt and a very good Wrestling athlete, so I knew it wouldn’t be easy for me to submit him, but he really defended himself well and I also had some technical mistakes which I might correct. I think it was a good thing for me to have this chance to see what I must improve, but I won’t take his credits of being a high level athlete.

You have dedicating yourself a lot on the boxing trainings and other modalities, besides Jiu-Jitsu. Do you think that this helped you to lose so many positions and could not submit him, once you are training less your Jiu-Jitsu?

I don’t think so, not at all. I keep training a lot of Jiu-Jitsu, I don’t leave it aside… I don’t train only Jiu-Jitsu nowadays, but Jiu-Jitsu represents, at least, 50% of my technical training, so it’s a lot… It’s much more than many people train. I believe I have to chance some things… I got easily on the mount, on his back and arm…. I got to the positions I wanted to. I trained and I felt like I evolved a lot and got to the positions I wanted to. There was only a final detail missing because, besides that, I felt comfortable on getting to the positions…. I trained a lot of Jiu-Jitsu por this fight.

What did Dana White say about your win after the controversy fight with Anderson Silva?

Man, on the press conference what Dana said, when He was asked about what he think it’d be the next step for me, that he still doesn’t know because the division is too busy… There’s Anderson’s fight with Chael (Sonnen), there’s Vitor (Belfort) who should get a title fight, there’re los of athletes that are on the front line, so it’s one of the busiest divisions now.

Anderson was on Mário’s corner during the fight, since they are training partners. Did that motivate you more?

Of course it did. I was glad when I knew he’d be on his corner because I knew it’d motivate me even more. With all due respect to Mário, but I was glad when I heard that Anderson would be on his corner because I knew I’d motivate me even more.

twitter|site|blog|academia|ufc|academia web|demian web|interviews|badboy|loja