Demian Maia is the latest guest on Helwani’s superb interview show the MMA Hour. During the guest spot the jiu-jitsu ace revealed how important bjj is to him and representing the community in addition to plenty of other things including how he plans to approach Woodley match.

Tyron Woodley : Maia (And Jiu Jitsu) Don’t get Enough Credit In The UFC

 “When I started to strike a lot back in the day, you know, I lost a little bit of my jiu-jitsu,” Demian told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “It’s normal. It’s just normal, you know. You cannot do everything well. You lose a little bit. Some sharpness.”

But while he may have strayed a bit from the art that has allowed him to bully some of the toughest men to set foot in the octagon, Maia is determined to get back to his roots:

“The crucial thing for us is during the training camp to come back to my roots, to come back to jiu-jitsu.”

“It’s about awareness and be conscious that it’s just another fight and not see it as the biggest fight of my life. I really need to believe that,” he said during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour.

“When I fought Anderson (Silva), I was like, ‘This is the biggest fight of my life, and this is going to happen.’ You’re dreaming too much about the future, the tomorrow. Fighting Tyron I need to know that it doesn’t matter what happens after this. I am living in this fight, just another fight and I feeling that, not just saying it. It’s important. I am a much better wrestler, striker and I am much better in control of my feelings. I am much better overall.”

“The things that I learned with my time is that you don’t put this kind of pressure, it’s unreal pressure. Like, it doesn’t matter if it’s the last chance or not,” he added. “It’s just another fight. I could’ve fought Tyron a couple of years ago, and now I am fighting him for the title. In my mind, it’s just another fight. I need to go in there and win against a really tough opponent. If I put that in my mind that I got to win it will be pressure that can put me of track.”