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UFC 304 takes place Saturday, and Jon Litterine is back to break down the top fights, plus offer his DFS picks and predictions for the key matchups on the card.
UFC 286 takes place Saturday, and Jon Litterine is back to break down the top fights, plus offer his DFS picks and predictions for the key matchups on the card.
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Booked for UFC 263
Maia will fight Belal Muhammad in a welterweight bout at UFC 263 on June 12, MMAFighting.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Maia last fought in March 2020, losing via TKO to Gilbert Burns. That loss snapped a three-fight win streak. Meanwhile, Muhammad's last fight was a no contest against Leon Edwards last month, and he's 18-3-0 as an MMA fighter.
Maia last fought in March 2020, losing via TKO to Gilbert Burns. That loss snapped a three-fight win streak. Meanwhile, Muhammad's last fight was a no contest against Leon Edwards last month, and he's 18-3-0 as an MMA fighter.
Knocked out by Gilbert Burns
Maia lost to Gilbert Burns via TKO (punches) at 2:34 of Round 1 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Brasilia, Brazil.
ANALYSIS
This was a fight Maia had to have and he didn't get it. It's made all the more frustrating by the fact Maia looked excellent in the early going of the bout. He picked up a pair of early takedowns and came close to clamping on a rear-naked choke. He was ultimately unable to do so and Burns floored him with a right hook when the two returned to a standing position. Maia still has plenty of game left at age 42 and his ground skills remain elite but the days of him truly competing with the best in the world at 170 pounds are probably just about off. This setback snaps a three-fight winning streak for the veteran.
This was a fight Maia had to have and he didn't get it. It's made all the more frustrating by the fact Maia looked excellent in the early going of the bout. He picked up a pair of early takedowns and came close to clamping on a rear-naked choke. He was ultimately unable to do so and Burns floored him with a right hook when the two returned to a standing position. Maia still has plenty of game left at age 42 and his ground skills remain elite but the days of him truly competing with the best in the world at 170 pounds are probably just about off. This setback snaps a three-fight winning streak for the veteran.
Agrees to fight Gilbert Burns
Maia will face Gilbert Burns in a welterweight matchup in the co-main event at UFC Brasilia on March 14, Aaron Bronsteter of TSN.ca reports.
ANALYSIS
The fight has yet to be officially announced by the UFC, but Bronsteter reports that a verbal agreement is in place. Maia is coming off a win over Ben Askren via submission (rear-naked choke) at UFC Singapore in October. The 42-year-old will look to improve his winning streak to four against Burns, who carries a four-fight winning streak of his own. Burns defeated Gunnar Nelson via unanimous decision at UFC Copenhagen in September, a fight in which he displayed his improved striking skills while holding his own against Nelson's grappling. Maia is coming up on the end of his career, but he'll likely look to use his ground game to gain an advantage against Burns. Maia carries slight advantages in height and reach.
The fight has yet to be officially announced by the UFC, but Bronsteter reports that a verbal agreement is in place. Maia is coming off a win over Ben Askren via submission (rear-naked choke) at UFC Singapore in October. The 42-year-old will look to improve his winning streak to four against Burns, who carries a four-fight winning streak of his own. Burns defeated Gunnar Nelson via unanimous decision at UFC Copenhagen in September, a fight in which he displayed his improved striking skills while holding his own against Nelson's grappling. Maia is coming up on the end of his career, but he'll likely look to use his ground game to gain an advantage against Burns. Maia carries slight advantages in height and reach.
Continues to defy his advancing age
Maia defeated Ben Askren via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:54 of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Singapore.
ANALYSIS
In some ways this was a vintage performance from Maia. The finish was his ninth rear-naked choke submission in the UFC, which is a UFC record. However, the way he got to the submission was somewhat out of character. Going into this fight, Maia had only scored six reversals in his UFC career. Against Askren he scored two, including the sweep that ultimately led to the finish. On the feet, it was a mostly even affair. The ground really was the difference. Askren was able to score takedowns, but Maia was always able to defend or reverse the position. Maia is clearly nearing the end of his career. However, his ground game will always give him a chance in fights. The exciting grappling exchanges were also enough to earn the pair of combatants each a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus.
In some ways this was a vintage performance from Maia. The finish was his ninth rear-naked choke submission in the UFC, which is a UFC record. However, the way he got to the submission was somewhat out of character. Going into this fight, Maia had only scored six reversals in his UFC career. Against Askren he scored two, including the sweep that ultimately led to the finish. On the feet, it was a mostly even affair. The ground really was the difference. Askren was able to score takedowns, but Maia was always able to defend or reverse the position. Maia is clearly nearing the end of his career. However, his ground game will always give him a chance in fights. The exciting grappling exchanges were also enough to earn the pair of combatants each a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus.
Set to fight Askren
Maia will meet Ben Askren in a welterweight matchup on October 26 in Singapore, Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie reports.
ANALYSIS
Maia will look to make it two defeats in a row for Askren, who recently suffered his first career loss in devastating fashion just over a month ago. Maia is a two-time title challenger who also currently holds an impressive feat with the second-most wins in UFC history with 21. He's currently riding some momentum after garnering back-to-back wins. At 42 years old, this will be Maia's sixth UFC main event, compared to Askren's first. A five-round affair is typically more attractive from a fantasy standpoint, though given the grappling-based styles of each fighter, that may not hold true here. Don't expect to see much striking, as the two have tallied only three total significant strikes in their last four matchups COMBINED.
Maia will look to make it two defeats in a row for Askren, who recently suffered his first career loss in devastating fashion just over a month ago. Maia is a two-time title challenger who also currently holds an impressive feat with the second-most wins in UFC history with 21. He's currently riding some momentum after garnering back-to-back wins. At 42 years old, this will be Maia's sixth UFC main event, compared to Askren's first. A five-round affair is typically more attractive from a fantasy standpoint, though given the grappling-based styles of each fighter, that may not hold true here. Don't expect to see much striking, as the two have tallied only three total significant strikes in their last four matchups COMBINED.