On Saturday, October 28, jiu jitsu stand-out Demian Maia will take on rising challenger Colby Covington at the co-main event in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Both grapplers have a knack for getting opponents to the ground, though both use different tactics. The winner could set themselves up for a title shot against current UFC welterweight champion, Tyron Woodley.
Maia looking to rebound off a title loss
Demian Maia has long been regarded as one of the best jiu jitsu practitioners in the UFC, regardless of weight division. He has used his dominant grappling skills to put together a seven-fight win streak, beating the likes of Carlos Condit, Matt Brown, and Jorge Masvidal.
It wasn't until he fought current champ, Tyron Woodley, that he found himself in trouble. Numerous times, Maia failed to secure a takedown. This resulted in Woodley landing the harder blows that had Maia retreating and defending constantly. The fight showed that sometimes a specialist, such as Maia, needs more tools to compete with the very best in the division.
Covington taking a step up in competition
Covington has put together quite a streak of his own, which is difficult to do in such a stacked weight class. Training out of American Top Team, Colby has sharpened his stand-up skills to complement his suffocating top control. His confidence is growing, so much so that he has taken to Twitter to voice his confidence and secure a high-profile UFC fight.
Ask and you shall receive. He's now set to face one of the best grapplers in Maia, who's currently ranked third in the UFC's welterweight division. There's just one question that remains: Can Colby keep the fight standing? Many fighters have tried and failed, miserably.
Keys to victory
It's clear that both fighters are elite in the grappling department.
What this co-main event may come down to is execution and experience. When things go Maia's way, he's the best in the world. He'll need to take Covington down early and unleash his traditional, yet effective submission attack. If Covington can keep the fight on the feet for an extended period of time, he'll have a distinct advantage.
He's shown great power and his boxing combinations are developing quite nicely. He'll want to play it safe for the first two rounds. Once Maia is tired, which he has a tendency to become the longer the fight goes on, he should be able to take over. This competitive bout has the makings of an instant classic, with a lot on the line for both contenders.
