Demian Maia will be returning to the octagon once again in the UFC event scheduled for Saturday May 19th.
The 40 year old Brazilian Jiu jitsu ace found his next opponent – he stepped in as a replacement for injured Santiago Ponzinibbio.
Frontrunner to fight Kamaru Usman on 5/19 is Demian Maia, sources confirm. Not 100% finalized but barring a last minute stumbling block that will be the fight.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 26, 2018
The opponent for his next fight is Kamaru Usman. Kamarudeen Usman is a Nigerian-American mixed martial artist who won The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians Tournament. His fight record is 12-1 with a streak of 7 wins in the UFC since 2015. He last defeated Emil Meek in January.
Usman and his family moved to the United States when he was 8-years-old, according to himself on the MMA Hour. After compiling a 53–3 record in high school wrestling and qualifying for the NAIA national meet at William Penn University, Usman’s wrestling career took off after transferring to the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
Usman earned NCAA Division II All-American honors all three years he attended and helped the school win its first-ever overall team title in 2008. In his senior season, he won the 2010 NCAA Division II national title at 174 lbs. Additionally, he was also a member of the University World Team for wrestling in 2010. (source: wiki)
Maia is on a 2 loss streak to notable fighters with wrestling background – Tyron Woodley and Colby Covington.
The May 19th event will be in Chile.
