Demian Maia blames period of inactivity on fatigue at UFC Fight Night 62

Demian (photo) won another one in Rio. Photo: Disclosure/UFC

Demian Maia dominated practically all the actions of the main fight of UFC Fight Night 62, held in Rio de Janeiro (RJ) on Saturday night, the 21st. The only moment of pressure for the Brazilian came in the last round, when, clearly tired, he ended up giving gaps for Ryan LaFlare.

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Maia was so tired that, in the final seconds, he lay down on the ground, avoiding the fight, which caused him to have a point taken away by the referee. Even so, the Brazilian prevailed in the judges' unanimous decision, handing LaFlare the first defeat of his career.

In an interview shortly after the fight, the Brazilian attributed his fatigue to the period of inactivity he faced, having faced a bacterial infection that left him away from the Octagon for ten months. “I managed to apply my strategy in almost every round. In the fifth I got tired, but I didn't fight for a long time, taking antibiotics. I spent three months without training at all, half of which was taking intravenous antibiotics, with a nurse going to my house and everything. Since I was 12 years old I had never stood still for so long. This certainly made a difference”, said the Brazilian, to the broadcaster “SporTV”.

This was Maia's second consecutive victory in the UFC, as, in May 2014, he had defeated Alexander Yakovlev in Sao Paulo.

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