Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia

Now this is the match-up Demian Maia needs. He’s got to deal with a very strong middleweight. Nate Marquardt is also very skilled in all areas. There’s no doubt that Maia’s got the superior submission arsenal. However Nate is considered to be the better mixed martial artist.

So, can Maia use his strengths to nullify Marquardt’s offense? Does Maia have the cardio to keep up with a Greg Jackson trained athlete? There’s a lot of pressure on Maia’s head. He’s undefeated in the UFC. This win would surely put him in line for a title shot.

Despite having the better win/loss ratio in this company, Demian Maia isn’t the favorite here. Perhaps you could argue that there is no clear-cut favorite, as both fighters have advantages in different areas. Marquardt is a little better at everything except for submissions. Nate will also have a bit of a size advantage.

It’s also important to consider the great wealth of experience that Marquardt has. It’s not just that he’s had more fights than Maia. It’s the fact that he’s faced tougher competition than him. That’s the reason why Nate has had a couple of losses in the UFC. He’s been to the top of the mountain. He’s had the obligatory loss to Anderson Silva.

Maia should be proud of the wins over guys like Jason MacDonald and Nate Quarry. However there’s a reason why he’s not getting a title shot here. The UFC knows that he can’t handle Anderson Silva until he faces someone like Nate Marquardt. This match will go a long way in showing where the MMA career of Demian Maia will go.

If Maia wins here, he should get a title shot. He’s too gifted at what he does to not face the top guys. However it’s possible he’ll need to go back and redefine his striking. He may be a little too small for a middleweight. But we’re not going to say anything substantial about that until after this Saturday.

It’s tough to pick a winner in this contest. I’m picking Marquardt because he has more ways to win than his opponent. Of course, it’s obvious that all the submissions enthusiasts out there are picking Maia to win. It’s understandable. There has to be one muscle-bound fighter losing by submission this year.

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