Demian Maia is one of the best grapplers to have ever walked the Earth, especially in the MMA scene. And now he’s returning back to competition, though not with a mixed martial arts fight.
Namely, the BJJ Stars promotion announced that Maia will make his return to grappling competition on April 30 – at no place other than Sao Paulo, Brazil! And, as MMA Fighting reports, he will do so against Alex Oliveira… Who is a UFC welterweight fighter.
The match between the two will be a 10-minute submission only one, under ADCC rules.
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Oliveira has lost his last four UFC matches; losses which include submissions against Randy Brown and Shavkat Rakhmonov. However, he does have submission finishes to his name – for example, he choked out the likes of Carlos Condit, Tim Means, and K.J. Noons.
Maia, on the flip side, has stopped competing for the UFC back in 2021. He also hasn’t competed under grappling rulesets ever since 2007; back when he won the 88kg division ADCC gold.
However, during his prime time BJJ career, Maia has managed to defeat many stellar opponents- such as Jacare, Rafael Lovato Jr., Gabriel Gonzaga, and many others.
Therefore, it’s safe to say that his return to grappling and match against Oliveira will be both extraordinary and superb to watch!
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