Duel between Demian Maia and Ben Askren confirmed as UFC Singapore main fight

D. Maia (left) and B. Askren (right) face each other in October. Photo: Montage SL/MMA Press

North American Ben Askren will have a great opportunity to recover from the lightning defeat he suffered in his last match, when he was beaten in just five seconds by Jorge masvidal, UFC 239, in July. The athlete will face the jiu-jitsu legend, Demian Maia, in combat that will take place on October 26, in Singapore. The information was confirmed by Dana White, president of the UFC, in a recent interview after the 'Contender Series'.

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Although he is reportedly close to the end of his career, at 41 years old, Maia is going through a good moment in his career. The São Paulo native went through instability within Ultimate when he suffered three consecutive defeats within the organization (Tyron woodley, Colby covington e Kamaru Usman) between 2017 and 2018. After the bad moment, Demian managed to recover and has two consecutive victories.

In his last match, almost two months ago, the São Paulo native managed to defeat the young Anthonyy Rocco Martin, who, for many, would win the duel. Maia acted in her comfort zone and used her biggest weapon, which are takedowns and submission attempts. Although he was unsuccessful in his attacks, Demian was declared, after three rounds, the winner in the majority decision of the judges.

His next opponent, however, needed to find a name opponent to be able to rebuild his status as a good athlete within the organization. Askren was hired by the UFC as one of the bets for the welterweight category (up to 77kg.). Charismatic, Ben speaks well and knows how to promote his fights. However, against Jorge masvidal, the athlete was unable to present anything he had trained for, as he fell into his rival's trap and suffered a devastating knockout.

Askren arrived at Ultimate in March this year, after being involved in a negotiation with ONE FC. To get the fighter, the UFC made a trade involving the former flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson. In his first appearance for his new home, Askren defeated the former division champion, Robbie Lawler.

The fight between Ben and Demian could mark Maia's last fight in MMA, as the athlete revealed that he does not intend to pursue a career in mixed martial arts for much longer.