The Ultimate Fighting Championship makes its inaugural visit to Chile on Saturday, as Demian Maia takes on Kamaru Usman in the UFC Fight Night 129 main event. Maia and Usman are two of the best grapplers in the welterweight division but get it done on the ground in very different ways. Maia is one of the most accomplished jiu-jitsu practitioners in mixed martial arts history, while Usman has proven to be a dominant wrestler inside the cage. No matter which way this goes, most expect it to hit the mat at some point.
The Human Backpack
Maia might not have an official nickname, but fans have dubbed him “The Human Backpack,” which perfectly sums up his style. Early in his career, Maia attempted to be a well-rounded mixed martial artist and had success doing so. He earned himself a middleweight title shot against Anderson Silva just five years into his MMA career and has amassed an 19-8 record inside the UFC. However, after his loss to Chris Weidman in 2012, Maia changed his approach and appeared to realize his grappling skills alone could get him much further. In every fight since, he has focused on getting his opponent to the mat and has gone on one of the best runs of his career as a result.
Since focusing on his grappling, Maia has run through some of the best fighters the division has to offer while throwing hardly any strikes. In eight of his 19 wins in the UFC, he landed less than 15 strikes, and in five of them, he landed less than five strikes. Maia has proven you do not need to have elite striking to hold your own in MMA, bringing back the single-discipline style of fighting on which the sport was built. Maia made quick work of Carlos Condit when he finished a rear-naked choke in less than two minutes. Maia pushed Condit’s right knee to the floor and floated his hips over his counterpart to take the back and secure the choke.
Everyone knows Maia loves to take his opponent’s back and look for the rear-naked choke, but he can land submissions from any position. Against Chael Sonnen at UFC 95, he surprised the All-American wrestler with a lateral drop, locked up a mounted triangle and moved to his back to complete the finish.
Maia does not have the best setups for takedowns -- it has gotten him in trouble against elite wrestlers -- but his drive on them is second to none. Oftentimes when fighters fail to get their preferred grip on a takedown, they give it up. Maia does the exact opposite and will cling to any limb he can get his hands on. He simply does not give up until his opponent hits the ground.
Next-Step Development
Usman has been making waves in the UFC since his debut in 2015, and he gets his chance to take the next step in his development at Maia’s expense. Usman has shown himself to be one of the best wrestlers in the UFC today, and at 31 years old, he has plenty of time to round out his game. His striking may be sloppy, but just like Maia, Usman can rely on his grappling to dominate most opponents.
Grappling-based fighters often limit themselves to a single takedown and lack diversity. However, Usman can take down his opponents in a variety of ways and never relies on a single technique. Much like lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, Usman will create a false sense of security and allow his opponents to get to their feet before landing another takedown. Not only does this score points with the judges, but it demoralizes his opponents and takes a toll on their cardio.
It seems recently that Usman is trying to prove a point and strike with his opponents. He has had success thus far, but there are glaring holes in his standup game. He rarely throws straight punches and elects to run forward with wild hooks and overwhelm his opponents with pressure. This works at the lower levels, but to compete with the elite fighters at 170 pounds, his striking need some serious work.
Usman silenced critics who claimed he lacked knockout power when he knocked out Sergio Moraes in the first round at UFC Fight Night 116. He pumped out his left hand while shifting to orthodox to hide a stance switch and then landed the right hand that earn him his first knockout inside the Octagon.