Demian Maia: I have one UFC fight left in me, and I want it to be Nate Diaz
It didn’t take long after Demian Maia’s UFC 263 loss this past Saturday for the speculation about his future to start up.
Maia (28-11 MMA, 22-11 UFC) dropped a unanimous decision to Belal Muhammad (19-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) in a welterweight fight on the main card at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. The setback gave the Brazilian back-to-back losses after a three-fight winning streak in 2019.
UFC president Dana White said after the event it’s likely the fight was Maia’s last one in the UFC, which would put an end to one of the longest tenures for a fighter in company history. Maia, famed for his Brazilian jiu-jitsu, is a two-time UFC title challenger at welterweight and middleweight. He debuted with the promotion at UFC 77 in 2007.
On Monday, he acknowledged in an Instagram post that his time as a fighter is coming to an end. He’ll turn 44 in November, but said he hopes the UFC will give him one final fight – and that he hopes that fight will be against another longtime face in the promotion: Nate Diaz.
Diaz (20-13 MMA, 15-11 UFC) dropped a decision to Leon Edwards (19-3 MMA, 11-2 UFC) in a five-round fight right after Maia lost to Muhammad.
“Last night I tried hard and unfortunately wasn’t able to put my best performance,” Maia posted. “As frustrated as I am, I kept trying until the end and that’s in the past now. I’m already looking forward as I know time goes by fast, and I won’t be doing this much longer.
“@natediaz209 , I saw your quote on the press conference, and think you’re great too. You’re a great fighter who also represents Jiu Jitsu and you’re real, I respect that.
“Regardless of last night, I know I still have one fight left in me, and it’s no secret that I feel like @UFC is my home, where I want to finish my career.
“Now, I have no idea if they will give me another fight, but if they do, I would be honored to do my last MMA bout with you, someone who always come to fight, who represents BJJ and whom I respect.
“I have had a long career, fought pretty much everybody, and proudly represented Jiu Jitsu the best I could. If I have one more, I don’t want to waste it with someone who I don’t respect. So If you want it, and the UFC want to do it, it will happen, and it will be my last dance. Much respect. #keepingitreal #ufc”
Whether or not Maia can convince White to give him one more shot remains to be seen.
“I think that was his last fight (with the UFC),” White told MMA Junkie at the UFC 263 post-fight news conference. “It was the last fight on his deal. 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 grabbing something or twisting it until you quit. 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.”
Maia also appears to have some work to do to convince Diaz, too. The popular MMA anti-hero of sorts was asked at the UFC 263 pre-fight news conference if he’d be interested in matchup with Maia.
Diaz said since he’s from a similar jiu-jitsu background, he considers himself to be on the same team as Maia.
“I have a lot of respect for guys like that,” Diaz said. “… I’m not hunting or looking for those kinds of fights. I feel like I’m pretty much on the same side as them. I feel like I’m representing the same thing – jiu-jitsu background. I wouldn’t say I would like to fight Demian Maia. I think he’s great.”
Demian Maia: I have one UFC fight left in me, and I want it to be Nate Diaz
