UFC Singapore: Demian Maia Puts Ben Askren on Notice- It’s Not Wrestling, It’s MMA

UFC Singapore features a fight between two of the best grapplers in UFC at the moment. UFC veteran and arguably the best submission artist this sport has ever seen, Demian Maia takes on the most decorated and possibly the best wrestler in the welterweight division, Ben Askren.

This fight will be unique for both Demian Maia and Ben Askren since in all of the fights over their MMA career they have not fought someone willing to go to the ground and grapple there. However, it’s safe to assume that Ben Askren is going to take Demian Maia down as soon as the ring bells and Maia will be more than happy to secure positions from the top or even from the bottom.

Talking about his upcoming fight with Askren, Demian Maia said:

“He is a different challenge. This fight is totally different from than the previous 30 something fights that I had in my career. Since I started fighting professionally in MMA people were always avoiding the takedowns, the grappling and trying to avoid and strike, sprawl and strike, escape and strike, don’t stay on the ground, don’t clinch with me, and right now it’s different. He is a guy who is not avoiding that. I think he is a guy who will try to engage. So he is a different challenge.“

Colby Covington, Kamaru Usman, Jake Shields, and Chris Weidman have all used their superior wrestling to counter and possibly overshadow Maia’s BJJ. However, none of them took the fight to the ground to scramble or out grapple Maia, although they did control the fight on the ground for a significant period.

Well, things will be different in this fight since Ben Askren is not going to shy away from scrambling with Maia on the ground. With that said, he will still have the wrestling advantage over Demian Maia. However, Maia is not stressing too much on the wrestling pedigree that Askren possesses. Maia believes that the fight with Ben Askren is not similar to the fight he had with other elite wrestlers. Maia added:

“But to be a wrestler is one thing, but in MMA it’s different. Colby is different than Usman, then he is different from Woodley, then he different than Askren. So it’s all different kind of style. I think what we are gonna fight is not wrestling, but it’s MMA.”

This fight is a must-win fight for Ben Askren who is coming after the first loss of his MMA career. With 1-1 in UFC, Ben Askren will be looking to make a statement against Maia and campaign for a title shot thereafter. On the other hand, Demian Maia would like to continue the winning streak he is on at the moment to possibly get another title shot at welterweight.