Ultimate Fighting Championship

Demian Maia believes he deserves the next title shot and he wants the UFC to know it

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:03 a.m. ET

Fansided, Nicole Bosco/Fansided

Demian Maia is looking for a title shot and today he took to Facebook to make sure that he is not overlooked by the UFC.

Demian Maia is looking for a title shot. The 39-year-old Brazilian fighter is not willing to let fate decide if he will receive the title shot that he has waited so patiently for. On Thursday, Maia took to his Facebook page to speak his mind and address the issues he has been dealing with regarding this topic.

He spoke about his understanding of comments made by UFC president Dana White following the last welterweight title fight between champion Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson. Maia says that he thought he would be next in line for the shot following the rematch of that fight and wanted to make sure that would still be happening.

Maia (24-6) is currently on a six-fight win streak. He is ranked third in the official UFC welterweight rankings, yet he is worried about is chances of a title shot. At UFC 205 in November the champ Tyron Woodley fought Stephen Thompson, the thought of many at the time was that Maia would fight the winner of that fight. Maia was just coming off of a very impressive win over Carlos Condit, which earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.

When the Woodley/Thompson fight ended in a draw that put Maia’s title hopes on hold. Dana White was pushing for the rematch following that fight with the thought that Maia could wait or fight in the meantime.

To this, Maia says, “When Dana White said at UFC NY post-fight press conference after Wonderboy and Woodley fought to a draw, my understanding was that I had earned my title shot and that it was going to happen sooner or later”.

Now Maia is saying that he is willing to wait for that shot. He says that there is only one fight on his mind and that is for a title “interim or linear.” Maia says that many have gotten their shot at the belt after accomplishing much less than he.

He urges to remind the UFC that title shots should be based on skill rather than popularity. He said, “All I want is an opportunity that others had, sometimes with much less done to get their chances. This is a sport in the end, and even though it`s entertainment, there is no reason why it can’t be treated as a sport and still entertain lots of people.”

Maia is a true fighter who is just looking for his hard earned shot at UFC gold. He was been patient and understanding and continues to be gracious as he waits in line. To end his statement, Maia said, “I trust Dana and the UFC, a place I have been calling home for the last 10 years, and I`ll continue on my path to becoming the best I can be. In life, you can`t be sure about where you`ll get, so you have to treasure your journey. My journey continues, and we are learning something new every day.”