With all the top UFC welterweight contenders booked, Demian Maia (18-4 MMA) wants to remain busy. The BJJ practitioner has been on a tear since joining the welterweight division, compiling an impressive 3-0 record stopping both Dong Hyun Kim and Rick Story in the first round.
In his next fight, Maia dominated a top 10 welterweight in Jon Fitch via unanimous decision and is now known as the “Fitch Killer.” The win clearly put Maia in the mix among the top potential title challengers at welterweight.
With all the other competition booked up, the #5 ranked Maia would love to test himself against the #6 ranked/retired Nick Diaz as it was reported on UFC Tonight on Fuel TV.
“Demian Maia’s manager Eduardo Alonso says that Demian’s anxious to get back,” said Ariel Helwani. “Demian wants to return on the August 3rd card in Rio, and he’d be honored to fight Nick Diaz. They have a lot of respect for Diaz. This fight makes a lot of sense. If you look at the welterweight rankings, everyone else is booked or just fought. They’re ranked fifth and sixth and would make a lot of sense.”
While the bout would make sense and fans would love to see it, Nick Diaz will more than likely stay retired unless he gets something that won’t happen, being a rematch with GSP or a super fight with Anderson Silva. Fans would love to see those fights, but after two straight losses, there is no way the UFC would sign either of those fights.
~ Final Thought ~
Nick Diaz versus Demain Maia would be an awesome fight and a grapplers dream. If Maia can out wrestle Fitch, just imagine what problems, if any, he would cause Diaz?
Plus, Diaz is no joke on the ground either. This would make a perfect main event for a Fuel TV card. Fans of both would be all over this fight if it happened. Diaz has nothing to gain in beating Maia so I don’t see him or his camp accepting this fight.
Diaz will only accept fights with a purpose or something to gain in the long run, and a win over Maia wouldn’t even put him at the top again. I respect Maia for wanting a real/true challenge in Diaz, but I don’t see this fight being signed.