Demian Maia is a Brazilian-trained MMA fighter and Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. He is widely regarded as one of the top welterweight boxers in the world. He is a five-time Jiu-Jitsu World Champion with a deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the welterweight division. He has also studied Judo, Karate, and Kung Fu, in addition to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
He is also renowned as one of the top ground experts and grapplers. After being influenced by fellow BJJ practitioners and UFC Hall of Famers Royce Gracie and Rickson Gracie, Demian chose Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as his major art form. He has battled a number of well-known competitors, including Rick Story, Chael Sonnen, and Ryan LaFlare. He is best known for his MMA debut, in which he defeated his opponent with a technical knockout in just 48 seconds. Damian currently leads the official UFC welterweight rankings.
Childhood and Early Life
Demian Maia was born Demian Augusto Maia Baptista on November 6, 1977, in So Paulo, Brazil. His father’s name is Guto Maia, but very little is known about his mother.
He developed an interest in martial arts at a young age and began learning Judo when he was four years old. By the age of six, he had developed an interest in more conventional martial disciplines such as karate and kung fu.
When he was 19, Demian was exposed to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or BJJ. It was around the same time that he graduated from college with a degree in journalism.
Career
Shortly after being introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he enrolled in Fabio Araujo’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy to begin his training. Fabio Araujo was a brown belt who trained under Carlson Gracie, a well-known BJJ fighter.
Demian made his professional fighting debut in 2001 against Raul Sosa in Venezuela. Sosa was knocked out in 48 seconds by a technical victory.
After a four-year hiatus, Demian returned to demonstrate his subservient prowess and defeated Lukasz Chewlicki by armbar. This occurred during the Cage Vol. 4 – Redemption battles.
In 2007, he earned a deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and faced Ryan Jensen of Team Quest, whom he defeated with a rear-naked choke. Later, Demian defeated Ed Herman and Jason MacDonald in submission fights.
In 2009, Demian defeated Nate Quarry, a heavy-handed striker, and Chael Sonnen, a UFC middleweight title contender, 2009. Later that year, in August, Demian was knocked out by a straight right hand-delivered by his opponent, Nate Marquardt.
Demian defeated Dan Miller by a unanimous decision in 2010. He also faced Kendall Grove and won by a unanimous decision. In 2011, he narrowly lost to Mark Muoz. Later that year, he defeated Jorge Santiago by a unanimous decision.
Demian’s choice to descend to the 170-pound welterweight class resulted in a string of victories over some of the sport’s top fighters. In 2012, he defeated Rick Story, forcing him to submit.
In a close match in 2013, he was defeated by Joke Shields, another Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. However, Demian lost a unanimous decision to Rory McDonald in 2014, and he won his first Fight of the Night Award.
Demian was on a winning streak in 2015, defeating Ryan LaFlare, Neil Magny, and Gunnar Nelson. It didn’t stop Demian from winning in 2016. He showed off his ground skills against Matt Brown and Carlos Condit.
In May of 2017, he defeated Jorge Masvidal. In July 2017, he will take on UFC champion Tyron Woodley.
Achievements and Awards:
He obtained his first black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu after only four years of training. Fábio Gurgel, an eight-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion, bestowed this honor on him.
At the BJJ World Championships in 2000, he placed first in the Brown Belt Medio-Pesado division.
He finished second in the Brown Belt Medio-Pesado division at the BJJ World Championships in 2001. He won first place in the Brown Belt Medio-Pesado division at the BJJ Brazilian Championships.
He is also a former UFC Fight of the Night winner. He has earned the UFC’s Performance of the Night award twice and the Submission of the Night award four times.
In his debut bout in 2001, he knocked out Raul Sosa in 48 seconds at the Torments en el Ring event in Caracas, Venezuela. Following this fight, he rose to prominence and received a lot of accolades for his finest entrance.
In 2007, he received three straight Submission of the Night accolades. He defeated Ryan Jensen in the first round with a rare naked choke. He subsequently fought Ed Herman into submission with a mounted triangle choke at 2:27. A black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu named Jason McDonald came up against him. At 2:44, he won the fight by getting him into a rear-naked choke.
After defeating Chael Sonnen 5-0 in 2009, Demian was dubbed the best functional grappler in MMA. His unique approach, pure BJJ skills, and subservient prowess earned him the championship.
Demian has been dubbed the best ground combatant in the UFC. He has also won the ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championship and four Submission of the Night awards at the UFC.
In 2006, he won the Pan American Championship.
In 2007, he won the 2007 Super Challenge Champion in the under-83 kg division after winning three fights in a row.
In 2008, FIGHT! The magazine awarded him Newcomer of the Year.
In 2014, his fight against Rory MacDonald was named the February Fight of the Month. He was named Sherdog’s Comeback Fighter of the Year the following year.
Personal Life
Demian married Renata in 2005. She works for a Brazilian magazine. Pietra Vieira Maia, the couple’s first child, was born in 2011. The couple’s second child, a son, was born in March 2013. Lorenzo is the baby’s name. Demian announced the new member’s arrival on Twitter.
Demian is a very philosophical person in real life. He enjoys taking on new challenges and conditioning his physique for battles. He also trains his brain to overcome periodic frights and uneasiness. He says he is a person who likes to compete, but he always keeps a cool head during his fights.