UFC on Fox 21: Demian Maia's Incredible 15-Year Summit

UFC on Fox 21's Demian Maia is turning 39 in just over two months. His first professional MMA fight was 15 years ago. He heads into his fight against former welterweight contender Carlos Condit, seeking his 18th UFC victory.

Maia is an anomaly in the welterweight division; his MMA career has lasted longer than the nine-year average, which isn't especially remarkable. What's remarkable is, Maia, pushing 40, is the No. 3 welterweight in the UFC, routinely beating top-ranked, younger fighters with undeniable dominance. Of the UFC's top 15 welterweights, Maia has fought and bested five. 

The Brazilian came into MMA an especially proficient Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with rough striking. With 23 of his 29 fights under the UFC banner, we've had the opportunity to watch Maia evolve over nine years.

Prior to squaring off with No. 4 welterweight Condit, we take a look at Maia's arduous journey and how he's managed to stay so adept after all this time. Maybe it's because his preferred M.O., as stated on his UFC profile, is this:

"My favorite technique is to submit my opponent without him hurting me or me hurting him." 

With one title shot under his belt and an overall record of 23-6, Maia is once again nearing a pinnacle of his career. He just has to get through Condit first.

2001-07: The Early Years and UFC Debut

Maia began training in martial arts at a young age, according to his website. After establishing a foundation with judo, karate and kung fu, he took up Brazilian jiu-jitsu at 19, reaching black belt in just four years and seven months. His biography says it was "pretty much a record" at the time. Twenty years later, that's still fast.

Maia made his MMA debut in September 2001 against the hapless Raul Sosa who, according to Sherdog, has this one fight to his name. Maybe he was brought in as an easy win for Maia. Either way, Maia came out hungry and aggressive, going straight to the clinch and taking Sosa down. From there he grappled his way onto Sosa's back, flattened him out, and pounded either side of Sosa's head with his fists until the referee stopped the fight just 48 seconds into the round.

After his first fight, Maia went on a four-year hiatus. He returned in December 2005 to face Lukasz Chlewicki, a shorter, stocky Polish judoka (video above). Chlewicki's judo proved no trouble for Maia; he scored two easy takedowns, controlled essentially the entire fight and was never once in danger. Maia submitted Chlewicki via armbar in the last minute of the first round. 

These first two fights were won with BJJ. Maia's expertise trumped any skill in either striking or grappling his opponents may have had. Maia racked up four more wins, three of which were in a tournament, before making his UFC debut in October 2007. It was his seventh fight to opponent Ryan Jensen's 14th. 

Jensen's greater experience couldn't save him from Maia's grappling. He opened with a punch, and Maia met him with a single leg takedown, sliding right into side control. Jensen's efforts to get out from under him were briefly successful, but in the worst way. After gaining half and then butterfly guarding, Jensen managed to get to his feet, only to have Maia take his back by jumping onto it. The Brazilian sank in a rear-naked choke and won his first fight in the UFC at two minutes, 40 seconds into Round 1.

Maia's dominance in the cage and proficiency with Brazilian jiu-jitsu further established him as a prospect to watch. He didn't disappoint.

2008-12: Middleweight Years and First Losses

Maia vs. Ed Herman

After defeating Ryan Jensen in short order, Maia continued to impress in the Octagon. His next opponent was Ed Herman in April 2008, a wrestler who managed to keep him at bay for two-and-a-half rounds before succumbing to a triangle. In these early UFC fights, Maia was overly aggressive to the point of recklessness. He seemed confident his BJJ could answer any question an opponent posed, and he rushed in banking on the likelihood he wouldn't get caught on the way.

Maia vs. Jason MacDonald

It worked as he grappled his way through a drawn-out fight with Jason MacDonald in August of the same year. It was the first time in the UFC an opponent had defended against Maia's BJJ so well and so extensively. Well enough to establish some dominant positions on him, in fact. Dominant as they were, Maia was also never in any real danger. Other fighters could've been, but Maia betrayed no concern or panic, going through the motions to escape or sweep or reverse as effortlessly as if he were just going through drills.

MacDonald's grappling in the fight was truly impressive, and the fact he made it through two-and-a-half rounds is a testament to his capability. Halfway through the third, his luck ran out. Maia scored a single-leg takedown after a scramble had MacDonald in his full mount. After goading him to give up his back in order to avoid ground-and-pound, Maia snaked his arm under MacDonald's neck, closed up a rear-naked choke and got the tap.

Maia vs. Nate Quarry

Next came Nate Quarry in November 2008. Maia pulled guard early in Round 1, ultimately transitioning to full mount. When Quarry tried to to escape it, Maia took his back, locked in a body triangle and disoriented him with punches from one side while working to sneak in a choke from the other. He got it. At 2:13 in the first, Maia secured his third rear-naked choke victory in the Octagon.

Maia vs. Chael Sonnen

In his fifth UFC fight, Maia squared off with wrestler Chael Sonnen in February 2009. Sonnen used his wrestling fairly successfully to stuff Maia's initial takedown attempts and avoid getting caught in his guard. But when Maia gets Sonnen into a clinch, it goes downhill fast.

Maia tripped Sonnen, landing not only in full mount, but with a triangle set up at the ready. It seemed like Sonnen either didn't realize that or didn't know sitting up would allow Maia the room necessary to close the triangle. So Sonnen sat up, and Maia closed the triangle, getting his second win by triangle in the promotion.

Maia vs. Nate Marquardt

Maia first tasted defeat in his sixth fight. It came in quick and brutal fashion in August 2009. Maia faced Nate Marquardt and, as he had previously, banked on his speed and distraction techniques to allow him to get close enough to take his opponent down.

Marquardt, however, was prepared. As Maia dropped his left hand as he started to throw a kick, Marquardt countered with a huge right. The impact and Maia's momentum spun him 180 degrees, dropping him face- first onto the mat. At just 21 seconds in the first round, Maia was finished.

Maia vs. Dan Miller

He returned in February 2010 a slightly different fighter. Maia met Dan Miller with a much more tentative game, initially throwing mainly counters. He's tempered his enthusiasm for takedown attempts with caution, and he gets a few, but Miller's BJJ is strong enough that, coupled with Maia's reserve, leads them to a decision. Maia won unanimously.

Maia vs. Anderson Silva

It was barely two months later that the UFC tapped Maia to fill in for an injured Vitor Belfort and challenge Anderson Silva for the middleweight belt. The fight (video above) saw Silva dominate and taunt Maia for two rounds. The latter three were spent with more taunting than anything else; Silva wasn't attacking, and Maia couldn't accomplish much on him.

By the final round, the crowd was actively booing Silva's inaction, which warranted him a warning from referee Dan Miragliotta. Toward the end of the fifth, Maia, still pushing forward, managed to find some success, but not enough to finish Silva. He lost via unanimous decision.

Maia exercised the same caution seen after his KO loss to end his next five with decisions, including losses to Mark Munoz and future middleweight champion Chris Weidman. He then dropped to welterweight.

2012-13: The Welterweight Run Begins

Maia vs. Dong Hyun Kim

After his loss to Chris Weidman in January 2012, Maia made his welterweight debut in July of that year against Dong Hyun Kim, who's currently ranked No. 10 in that division. It was a short fight; Maia took Kim down at the beginning of Round 1, landed with Kim in his mount and started striking. At just 47 seconds in, the referee stopped the fight. What commentator Joe Rogan initially thought was a broken rib, thereby forcing a stoppage, turned out to be a severe muscle spasm.

Maia vs. Rick Story

Maia met Rick Story next, in October 2012 (video above). Maia opened the fight with a right, and Story answered with combos. Maia countered the second combo attempt with a takedown, gradually and inevitably taking Story's back, while Story struggled against the cage. Maia attacked Story's head from both sides, alternating between punches and threatening chokes, until he got his arm across his chin.

With the neck protected, Maia changed to a crank, applying so much pressure it forced blood to spurt from Story's nose. He tapped halfway through the opening round. Story is tied with Kim as the UFC' 10th-ranked welterweight.

Maia vs. Jon Fitch

Four months later in February 2013, Maia faced former welterweight contender Jon Fitch in what would be Fitch's last fight for the promotion. The bout went all three rounds; each frame featured Maia shooting in early for a takedown and dominating the remaining time on Fitch's back. While unable to finish Fitch, Maia received 30-27s from all three judges. 

With no welterweights so far presenting much of a challenge for him, it seemed like Maia was set to flourish in his new division.

2013-14: Losses on the Ground and on the Feet

Maia vs. Jake Shields

In October 2013, Maia headlined UFC Fight Night 29 with fellow BJJ expert Jake Shields. Although Maia started the fight strong, taking Shields down twice and securing back control momentarily, Shields had reversed their positions by the end of the first round. He maintained that dominance for Rounds 2 and 3, using smothering top pressure to negate Maia's grappling. 

In the final two rounds, they exchanged more striking than the first three, interspersed with grappling. Maia edged Shields out on the feet, but his blows didn't affect or slow the former Strikeforce champion to any significant extent. By the end of the bout, both fighters were visibly fatigued and trading on the feet. With two scores of 48-47, Shields took a split decision. It was the first time Maia was bested on the ground.

Maia vs. Rory MacDonald

Maia sought to avenge that loss in February 2014 when he fought Rory MacDonald, and it looked like he was headed that way in Round 1. He took MacDonald down early in the first and advanced to full mount. MacDonald maintained his composure from within Maia's mount, bridging without giving up his back and working his way to butterfly guard. With his hooks in, MacDonald kept Maia's attacks at a great enough distance to ultimately return to the feet. They finished the round on the feet, trading shots and both finding some success.

MacDonald's striking overwhelmed Maia, who grew progressively more fatigued with several failed takedown attempts. Unable to mediate MacDonald's offense on the feet, Maia ate jabs and body kicks for the rest of the fight, save for a brief reprieve in Round 3 when he managed a double-leg takedown. MacDonald recovered his butterfly hooks and, by immobilizing Maia's upper body, managed to sweep Maia and get back to the feet. MacDonald led the rest of the fight, taking a clear decision over Maia. 

Although Maia's striking had improved exponentially since his KO loss to Marquardt, MacDonald's stymied him. Paired with MacDonald's competency grappling, Maia found himself bested again. Of his 22 takedown attempts in the fight, he completed just two.

2014-Present: Back on the Run

Maia vs. Alexander Yakovlev

Just three months after his decision loss at the mitts of Rory MacDonald, Maia returned to face Mike Pierce at the The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 finale in May 2014. Pierce had to pull out with a broken hand, and newcomer Alexander Yakovlev replaced him.

Perhaps in an effort to conserve energy, Maia didn't open with takedown attempts. Maia boxed until he knocked Yakovlev down halfway through the first round, took mount and stayed there until the end of the frame. The latter two rounds featured Maia controlling the fight on the ground. Unlike so many similar circumstances previously, Maia did not aggressively pursue a submission. His performance was indisputably dominant, and he took a unanimous decision where all three judges scored the fight 30-27.

Maia vs. Ryan LaFlare

Maia then headlined UFC Fight Night 62 with the up-and-coming Ryan LaFlare in March 2015. LaFlare was undefeated and had won all four of his UFC fights via clear decisions heading into the match. But this was LaFlare's first ranked opponent, and Maia controlled virtually the entire fight.

LaFlare's wrestling background undoubtedly helped him survive Maia's smothering grappling, but it wasn't strong enough to overcome it. For four rounds, LaFlare worked under Maia's pressure with little success, save for a short-lived reversal in the third. 

By the fifth round, Maia's tank had run out. He was so slow returning to the feet after a stand-up that referee John McCarthy took a point. Nevertheless, he took the decision easily, getting 48-46s across the board.

Maia vs. Neil Magny

Maia stopped the ascent of another rapidly rising star when he submitted Neil Magny with a rear-naked choke in August 2015. A full decade older than Magny, who had four finishes in his seven-fight win streak, it seemed Maia was going to be tested with a firmly established contender. He passed easily, scoring a single- leg takedown early in the first and spending the rest of the round in top position. Magny, unable to establish anything under Maia's flowing transitions, made it out of the first round despite Maia's armbar attempt near the end.

In between rounds, Magny's corner reassured him he'd just experienced "the best" Maia had to offer. The second round proved they were mistaken. Maia took Magny down without issue right away, working to tie up arms and force Magny to expose a limb or his neck. It worked; Magny gave up his back, and Maia locked up the body triangle, a difficult position to escape from any opponent, but nearly impossible with Maia. It was a matter of moments until Maia secured the rear-naked choke and got the tap at 2:52 of Round 2. Magny is currently the No. 7 welterweight.

Maia vs. Gunnar Nelson

With his BJJ employed so successfully he added a fifth rear-naked choke in the UFC to his running tally, Maia took on BJJ wunderkind Gunnar Nelson in December 2015. Nelson headed into the fight with a record of 14-1-1, and 10 of those wins came by submission. Three others were by KO/TKO, administered with the help of Nelson's masterful BJJ. 

Nelson's unavoidable grappling earned him a steady and steadily growing following, despite a split-decision loss to Rick Story, and the anticipation for his showdown with an all-time BJJ great was high. Then he got in the cage, and Maia shut him down completely. It was almost shocking how out of his element Nelson looked when confronted with Demian Maia. 

In Round 1, Maia opened with a double-leg attempt, but Nelson reversed it and ultimately took him down. They grappled for position, and it seemed fairly even, until Maia landed full mount. He controlled the rest of the round, transitioning to back control with a body triangle and then into an armbar attempt Nelson hitch-hiked out of in the final seconds.

Maia downed Nelson with a single leg in the first minute of the second round. Nelson managed to get to his feet, but Maia was right on him, pinning him to the cage. He took Nelson's back with ease from standing and locked in a body triangle, forcing the fight to the mat. Nelson managed to roll forward and work his way into Maia's guard, but Maia reversed him immediately and resumed his stifling top pressure. He maintained it through the end of Round 2, punctuating it with ground-and-pound.

Nelson, exhausted by struggling to survive and escape for the first two rounds, went down easily when Maia dove for a takedown. Nelson got to his feet, but that, like his other recoveries, was fleeting. A scramble and Nelson's attempt to take top position only resulted in him back under Maia. Halfway through the final round, Maia was on Nelson's back and closed up a body triangle. 

Maia didn't so much destroy Nelson's grappling credibility as much as he illustrated his own nearly unrivaled mastery on the mat. Maia's performance was so absolute, the scorecards read 30-26, 30-25 and 30-25 in his favor. Maia was 38 by this time. Nelson is currently the No. 12 welterweight.

Maia vs. Matt Brown

Six months after that stunning victory, Maia faced brawler Matt Brown in Brazil in May. Maia looked cautious but aggressive, timing his attacks and counters to facilitate a takedown in the first minute of Round 1. While Brown managed to get back to his feet, Maia took his back and locked in a body triangle, eventually forcing Brown back to the mat. He remained calm despite Maia's total control and constantly attacking hands, and finished out the round immobilized.

Brown tried his best in Round 2 to avoid going to the mat with Maia and managed to stuff almost two takedown attempts; he sprawled on the second with some success, until Maia transitioned to his undeniable single leg. They ended up as they did in the first round, with Brown trapped in Maia's body triangle. Maia continued to attempt a rear-naked choke, and Brown continued to defend.

In the third, Brown managed to avoid going to the ground with Maia through three takedown attempts and an attempt to draw Brown into his guard. But when Brown landed a punch that seemed to daze Maia, he swarmed Maia-right into his guard. From there Maia, who may have in fact been rocked but appeared recovered, managed to take Brown's back once again from standing. He again locked in the body triangle, and this time, Maia worked his way to the rear-naked choke—his sixth in the UFC. Brown is the No. 14 welterweight in the promotion.

After Maia's 11th submission win and 23rd overall, he asked for a title shot versus then-champion Robbie Lawler. Now, on the eve of his fight against previous interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit, Maia is tasked with proving himself once again. 

With a new champ in Tyron Woodley, and Lawler and No. 2 contender Stephen Thompson ahead of him, there's no guarantee a victory here will net him that chance. Maia has made it clear, though, that he will do everything in his power to earn it.

UFC on Fox 21 airs live Saturday August 27 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.