D. Maia (left) and B. Askren (right) face each other. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @demianmaia
The Brazilian Demian Maia and North American Ben Askren made their first appearance for the UFC Singapore promotion, which takes place on October 26th. In a respectful meeting, the athletes came face to face and then posed for photos in the city-state where the show will take place. After the moment, the athletes spoke to the press about their expectations for the confrontation. Maia even talked about retirement.
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“After this fight I want to do a few more and maybe that’s it,” declared the Brazilian.
Far from the top of the division (10th in the rankings) and at 41 years of age, Maia is unlikely to achieve great things within the welterweight category (77kg.). With a high number of young talents in the division, the veteran has become a kind of test for fighters who dream of competing for a place among the elite of athletes.
However, the fighter enjoys prestige in the world of MMA, mainly because he is a tough athlete to beat and performs with mastery in jiu-jitsu, being, for many, the best representative of the sport in the company's history.
In his next commitment, Demian will face an athlete who was hired as a great promise for the company. Ben Askren was brought to the UFC in a deal that involved an exchange with the former flyweight champion (up to 56,7kg), Demetrious Johnson, next to ONE FC.
The athlete arrived undefeated in Ultimate. In his first match, he defeated the former category champion, Robbie Lawler and, soon after, he was chosen to face Jorge masvidal. The clash with Jorge, however, became a nightmare for Askren. In the fight that represented one of the most anticipated duels in the UFC 239In July, Ben was knocked out just five seconds into the fight, suffering the quickest defeat in the organization's history.
The fight against Maia, then, is seen as a need for redemption for the athlete. Beating an opponent like Demian, who is a former challenger for the welterweight and middleweight title (up to 83,9kg), can put any athlete in the organization's spotlight.
“The UFC has a short memory and if I can win my next fights, I will get back on track again. I'm treating this fight as seriously as all the others, especially because I'm back in a place where I've had a lot of wins (Singapore),” said Ben.
Watch the stare
Battle for Best Grappler/Wrestler in all of MMA. HYPED! @Benaskren @demianmaia #UFCSingapore pic.twitter.com/RlI2kqnNi0
— Champion Sports Productions (@ChampSportsProd) September 3, 2019
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