Demian Maia
One of the greatest grapplers in UFC history, [autotag]Demian Maia[/autotag] has proven to be a nightmare matchup for anyone who stands across from him. A fourth-degree jiu-jitsu blackbelt and ADCC world champion, Maia has had a long and illustrious UFC career and is still trucking at 42.
His first shot at UFC gold came in 2010 against then-middleweight king Anderson Silva in what turned out to be a bizarre fight. Silva taunted Maia and was heavily criticized for his performance despite picking up a one-sided unanimous decision win.
Maia went on to alternate wins and losses, then eventually dropped down to welterweight. He strung together a seven-fight winning streak with wins over the likes of Gunnar Nelson, Carlos Condit and Jorge Masvidal en route to a welterweight title shot against then-champion Tyron Woodley. He fell short once again in a lackluster fight, then dropped his next two to Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman.
But just when it looked like things may be coming to an end for Maia, he rebounded from a three-fight losing skid with three straight wins over Lyman Good, Anthony Rocco Martin and Ben Askren, proving he’s still one of the best 170-pounders in the sport.
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