Demian Maia dominates in Rio with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Demian Maia won his second straight fight Saturday and handed Ryan LaFlare his first MMA defeat with a grappling clinic for a unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night in Rio de Janeiro.
Round after round, LaFlare fought with urgency and attempted to get the better of the multiple-time Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world champ on the feet with strikes.
However, Maia largely stayed out of danger on the feet, while landing his own solid strikes. The story of the bout, however, was how Maia used excellent timing and technique to take LaFlare down in each and every round and keep him there, while threatening with submissions and scoring with punches and elbows.
Takedown, leg weave, mount and repeat. Maia used variations on that submission grappling formula to deserve to win every round against a game LaFlare.
"I'm just really happy to come here to fight in the birthplace of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Helio Gracie, Carlson Gracie, Rickson Gracie, a lot of greats fought here," Maia said.
Scores were 48-46 from all three judges after five rounds of fighting. Near the end of a fifth round, in which Maia once again got a takedown and ground position advantage, as well as scored the biggest punch of the night, referee John McCarthy improperly took a point away from the Brazilian when he dropped to his back to an open-guard position that briefly threatened a leg lock.
Though LaFlare was not warned or penalized for repeatedly standing and running away from Maia on the ground, including one instance where he stood up from the side mount position on Maia, the Jiu Jitsu fighter was penalized for trying to take the fight to where it benefited him as time ran out. The inappropriate call and point deduction from McCarthy were not enough to hand the fight to LaFlare, and Maia notched his first win since coming back from a near-death infection last year. Maia hadn't fought since May.
Early in the first round, there was no indication of who would have the advantage, as both welterweights traded punches on the feet right away. Maia landed, but also got his head snapped backward by a right hand from LaFlare.
Soon after, Maia landed a quick takedown off his own jab. He passed from the half guard, to the side mount, landed punches, worked a leg drag then leg weave position to work into the mount.
LaFlare would not give in and defended well, recomposing his full guard, where the round ended. In the second, Maia shot in for a takedown under a punch from LaFlare, but got sprawled on.
Back on their feet, Maia landed a left cross to the head of the Long Island, New York, fighter. That punch likely helped him score his next takedown.
Maia worked for the leg weave again, to pin down LaFlare's hips, but the American gamely recomposed to half guard. Maia insisted on it, however, and eventually turned another leg weave into the mount again, with just over a minute left in the round.
From there, Maia worked for an arm-triangle but LaFlare got his half guard back. Maia earned back the mount and then landed big punches until the horn sounded.
In the third, LaFlare defended a single leg takedown attempt from Maia. Then, the wrestler not only defended Maia's next shot, but got on top himself.
Maia proved just as dangerous off his back, however, as he worked to a heel hook position, then transitioned into a calf-slicer sweep. LaFlare stood back up and turned around, but was quickly taken down again and landed on his back, side-mounted.
Maia worked into mount with two minutes left in the round, pressing LaFlare against the cage. LaFlare briefly escaped the mount, but was soon returned to that position and forced to eat punches until the horn sounded once more.
In the fourth, Maia scored yet another takedown. LaFlare looked for a Kimura shoulder lock from his half guard but was soon caught in a leg weave again and mounted once more.
Maia worked for an arm-triangle choke from LaFlare's half guard, but the bottom man defended well and escaped the second to last period. In the fifth round, Maia scored a takedown, but LaFlare popped right back up afterward.
Another shot came from Maia, but LaFlare defended and ended on top, inside Maia's half guard. Instead of working from there, LaFlare gave up the good position, stood up and walked away from Maia.
Maia shot again, LaFlare rolled and defended the takedown slickly. LaFlare achieved side mount on Maia, but stood up and walked away from the fight once more.
LaFlare clearly appeared to be trying to take advantage of Maia's fatigue and was perhaps smart to try to force the grappler into a stand-up striking exchange late. Once back on the feet, however, Maia landed the most thudding punch of the fight -- a straight left to LaFlare's dome.
The American ate it without flinching, however. Maia shot and scored with another takedown, but LaFlare swept him and stood up and walked away again.
As the two neared one another once more, on the feet, Maia dropped down and tried to position his legs up near LaFlare's own legs and hips to stay safe and open up chances for ground offense, but before he could or LaFlare could make him pay for his defensive move, the referee stopped the action and ordered that the ringside judges deduct a point from the scorecard of Maia.
The action resumed for a few remaining seconds, and then the final horn sounded. LaFlare was classy in defeat.
"Demian is extremely good on the ground," he said.
"I underestimated how strong he would be on top. More power to him. He taught me a valuable lesson today."
The win improved Maia's overall record to 20-6. LaFlare tasted defeat as a MMA fighter for the first time, as his record dips to 11-1.