Chael Sonnen vs.
Damien Maia

Chael Sonnen was the last man to challenge for the WEC middleweight championship. And he would have become the champion if Paulo Filho had made weight. This UFC fight is a good example of how the champions and would-be champions of the WEC are coming in to the UFC only as being “in the mix” and not title contenders. Unlike when Dan Henderson came in from PRIDE and challenged for the UFC belts right off the bat. So, don’t mourn the loss of the heavier weight classes; the WEC is only known for having the best little guys.

Both Sonnen and Maia have equally matched stand-up skills. You could generously describe said skills as “average” although that’s not to say that these fighters are too old to improve.

What’s not in question is Sonnen’s top-notch wrestling skills. Coming from Team Quest – the home of Greco extraordinaire Dan Henderson – it’s no surprise that he’s got the ability to grind out a win. Provided of course he doesn’t lose an arm in the process.

In his first match with Paulo Filho (God knows where that guy has gone to) he showed a weakness for getting careless while in the top position. Well, make no mistake that Damien Maia is every bit the submission master as Filho if not more so. And unlike Filho, Maia is on the upswing of his career.

This is not a favorable match-up for Sonnen. If nothing else, it shows that they’re giving the WEC champ more credit than we thought…or they’re content to use him as cannon fodder.

Both fighters are working to become complete Mixed Martial Artists and thus have the potential to be better than how we’ve seen them in the past. However I’m giving the edge to Damien Maia with his wicked grappling skills. However Chael Sonnen may have the ability to keep this fight on the feet. If that happens, this contest could go either way.

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