ADCC champion and longtime UFC veteran Demian Maia may have just had the last fight of his career. At UFC 263, Maia dropped a unanimous decision to Belal Muhammad, as Maia was largely unable to implement his grappling-heavy game. At a post fight press conference, UFC president Dana White gave his thoughts on Maia’s career status.
“It was the last fight on his deal,” White told the assembled media. “He’s 44 years old. He’s been so good at getting in there, securing the takedown, getting on top of people, and just strangling them or, you know, grabbing something or twisting it until you quit, and he couldn’t get it done tonight. He’s 44 years old. He’s a great guy. He’s had a great career. Yes, I would say that’s probably it.”
Demian Maia is actually 43-years old (he turns 44 in November of this year), but he is nonetheless undeniably at the tail end of his career. Before the fight, Maia himself said he expected to fight more, but left the door open for this to be his final bout.
A BJJ black belt and ADCC champion, Maia has long been considered one of the best representations of jiu-jitsu in MMA ever. Over the course of his 14-year career in the UFC, he has earned wins over the likes of Chael Sonnen, Carlos Condit, Jorge Masvidal, and Ben Askren.
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