Demian on the fight against Askren: 'Let's see who can outwit the other better'

D. Maia (left) and B. Askren (right) face each other. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @demianmaia

The Brazilian Demian Maia is close to starring in another Ultimate event. This Saturday (26), the athlete, together with North American Ben Askren, will be responsible for entertaining the public in the main fight of the UFC Singapore. Knowing that he will face a dangerous opponent with similar characteristics to his, the São Paulo native expects a balanced duel for the weekend. In an interview with 'Combate', the Tupiniquim spoke about his expectations for the meeting.

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“We're fighting MMA, we're not fighting jiu-jitsu or wrestling, but there's a good chance we'll get into grappling, because there are two guys who come from that style. He is an excellent grappler (grappling). His game is entirely based on clinching; very similar to mine, at this point. But the way he walks inside the octagon is a little different from mine,” said Maia.

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Although some MMA enthusiasts are not excited about the fight, as it involves two athletes who are known worldwide for their high level of grappling, the Brazilian claims that the fight will be well contested.

“It's difficult to say, but this fight will be interesting. There will be a lot of grappling and we’ll see who can untangle the other best,” she declared.

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In this Saturday's fight, Demian could reach a historic milestone in Ultimate. If he wins over Ben, the Brazilian will be one victory away from equaling the record of victories set by Donald Cerrone, the fighter with the most positive results for the company. In total, there are 23.

However, Maia prefers not to think about numbers and records at the moment, as the main objective is to have his arm raised at the end of the fight against Askren.

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“That motivates me a lot, but it’s far from being my focus this week. That's really cool, but I want to go there and win this fight, the record is a consequence. There's no way you can be focused on breaking the record. You have to be focused on doing your best, putting your strategy into practice and the consequence is eventually reaching the record”, concluded the athlete.

At 41 years old, Maia will complete his 36th career fight since he debuted as a professional athlete in 2001. In total, the Brazilian has already won 27 times and lost on nine. The fighter has already challenged for the middleweight (up to 83,9kg) and welterweight (up to 77kg) titles.

Askren, 35, has 20 fights and just one loss on his record. The North American tries to erase the brutal knockout given by Jorge masvidal, who needed just five seconds to defeat him in one of the most anticipated fights in the world UFC 239, in July.

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