There are Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belts. And there there is Demian Maia.
Carlos Condit, for so long one of the top welterweight fighters in the world, had no answer to Demian Maia's world class grappling game at last night's UFC card in Vancouver, Canada. Condit - who took former champion Robbie Lawler to the bring in their title bout last January - had no answer to Maia's anaconda-like strangulation, submitting to a rear naked choke inside two minutes of the first round.
Yes. This happened. Demian Maia becomes the first man in 10 years to submit Carlos Condit. pic.twitter.com/mn0kAbrhcl
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) August 28, 2016
Maia, 38, was clearly emotional in the ring after the bout and used his time on the mic to stake his claim for a title shot.
This is six in a row. This guy has been knocking out everybody, he's a former champion. I knew it would be a hard fight. I'm just so happy now, I think I earned a title shot. Now, finally, I will get the chance to fight for a title.
Maia, whose win takes his record to an impressive 24-6, complicates things at welterweight. Champion Tyron Woodley looks set to face Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson next, while Georges St-Pierre can't be too far away from a title shot of his own upon his return. Suddenly, just like that, welterweight is one of the hottest divisions in the UFC again.
.@Showtimepettis shocks Charles Oliveira with a huge third-round guillotine choke. #UFCVancouver https://t.co/1w8l430ROv
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) August 28, 2016
In the co-main event, former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis rebounded from a three-fight skid to make a statement on his debut in the featherweight division. 'Showtime' finished a back-and-forth fight against Charles Oliveira, submitting the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu whizz with an opportunistic guillotine choke in the third round.
Pettis looked sharp throughout and is another intriguing figure in the UFC's featherweight division currently ruled by Conor McGregor. Anthony Pettis vs Max Holloway, anyone?
Paige VanZant is another who will come out of Vancouver with her reputation considerably enhanced. '12 Guage' defeated Bec Rawlings via spectacular Maxtrix-style switch kick, successfully rebounding from her disappointing loss to Rose Namajunas last December.
Elsewhere, other highlights from the card included Jim Miller taking a close decision against Joe Lauzon and Sam Alvey besting Muhammad Ali's son-in-law Kevin Casey via second round strikes.
