Demian Maia on Anderson Silva: "I'm no fan of him as a person."

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"I've always been a fan of him as a fighter. I'm no fan of him as a person. I'm not a fan of his on a personal level, like I am of Minotauro, Cigano and Wanderlei. But as an athlete, I'm still a fan, regardless of what happens in this fight. He's excellent. I'm happy when he wins and I support him. I confess that when he faced Thales Leites, I didn't root for him, but in a lot of other fights of his I did. I have no problem with him whatsoever. I'm cool about it."  - Demian Maia

Most people are fans of middleweight champion Anderson Silva, but middleweight contender Demian Maia recently had choice words for his upcoming opponent.

While the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist supports Silva in most of his fights, Maia told Nocaute Magazine, that he will not have a problem stepping into the Octagon with Silva, as he does not look to him as a friend.

The two Brazilians will face off for the middleweight belt in less than a week, and their national pride will not get in the way of winning. Unlike with Silva and light-heavyweight champion, Lyoto Machida, who refuse to fight each other due to the friendship, there is no familial bond between Silva and Maia. While Silva trains at the Black House and Maia with Wand Fight Team, both will be looking to take home the middleweight belt.

UFC 112 will take place on April 10 in Abu Dhabi. Other fights featured on the main card include a lightweight title fight between B.J. Penn and Frankie Edgar, and a battle of legends between Matt Hughes and Renzo Gracie.