4. Maia’s moment passes
Whether the stoppage was a few punches too early or not, [autotag]Demian Maia[/autotag]’s first-round TKO loss to Gilbert Burns felt like the end of his time as a relevant welterweight. And he basically admitted as much afterward.
Maia came into the bout with Burns on a three-fight winning streak. At 42, retirement has been a subject of discussion for several years. He said he was willing to postpone his timeline if the run of success continued, but instead it came to a screeching halt courtesy of a Burns left hook.
Now with just one fight remaining on his UFC contract, Maia has all but committed to hanging up his gloves after the next one. He’s got a perfect opportunity to ride into the sunset in glamorous fashion, too, with UFC 250 on May 9 scheduled for his hometown of Sao Paulo.
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