UFC 156 ‘Aldo vs. Edgar’ Preview

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Welterweights

Jon Fitch (24-4-1, 14-2-1 UFC) vs. Demian Maia (17-4, 11-4 UFC)

The Matchup: This matchup pairs two fighters who were responsible for two of the most enduring moments of UFC 153. For Fitch, it was escaping from a rear-naked choke from highly regarded prospect Erick Silva en route to an enthralling decision victory. For Maia, it was squeezing the blood from the visage of Rick Story via neck crank in a first-round submission triumph.

While Fitch, with one title shot on his resume, has been there and done that in the welterweight division, Maia, a former Top 10 contender at middleweight, looks rejuvenated at 170 pounds after wins over Story and Dong Hyun Kim.

Both fighters have gotten to this point by executing one aspect of MMA extremely well. Fitch uses constant pressure to wear down opponents, grinding them down in clinches before dragging them to the mat. It is rarely crowd pleasing but almost always effective; by the third round of his bout with Silva, the Brazilian was completely spent, and Fitch was left to unleash a steady stream and ground-and-pound in a decisive final frame.

Maia has improved his standup over the years, and now he is adept at using his strikes to close the distance. From there, he can score takedowns using trips or throws. An extended striking war is not in the game plan of either man, but whoever is able to land more effectively will have a significant advantage as the bout unfolds.

Since Maia does not pose the knockout threat that Silva did, Fitch can be the aggressor while looking to move into tie-up and takedown range. The American Kickboxing Academy product is not an especially fluid athlete, so Maia should look to counter as Fitch moves forward.

If Maia is unable to get the best of Fitch in the clinch, he can also resort to pulling guard. The Brazilian is comfortable on his back and will force Fitch to defend a multitude of submission attempts from above. Maia needs to capitalize on small openings to impose his grappling, because Fitch will be in his face from the outset of the bout.

The Pick: Fitch has not been submitted since Mike Pyle tapped him with a rear-naked choke in his first professional bout. It is that submission defense that will carry him through a few tough moments and allow him to gradually outwork Maia to earn a close decision victory.

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