One of the biggest names in the history of Jiu-Jitsu, Zé Mario Sperry , who was a Jiu-Jitsu world champion and also in the ADCC, in which he is a member of the “Hall of Fame”, recently participated in the podcast “ Pura Connection ”, where he spoke about his career and subjects related to the world of martial arts. Among them, the former fighter gave his opinion on why Demian Maia , who, like him, comes from Jiu-Jitsu, has never been a UFC champion .
“The truth is that the fight starts standing up. Imagine if the fight starts sitting down, Demian Maia would be unbeatable until today, he would be beating everyone, I believe. The big problem is that fine line of what to train. MMA, mixed martial arts, so I have to know a little bit of everything, but at the end of the day, I have a road to go, I have my way. Demian’s was the floor. It’s very difficult to draw and get it right every time, one time it fails and misses. It’s very difficult for Jiu-Jitsu fighters to always get it right. His standing part is not as good as the ground and the takedowns”, analyzed Zé Mário Sperry.
Demian Maia has been retired from professional MMA since 2021, when he lost to Belal Muhammad. The Brazilian has 39 fights under his belt, with 28 wins and 11 losses. The Jiu-Jitsu black belt fought twice for the UFC belt. In 2010, he was defeated by Anderson Silva in a title match at middleweight (up to 84kg), and in 2017, he was defeated by Tyron Woodley at welterweight (up to 77kg).
