Wandy: Maia is the man to end Anderson's reign
Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 8:08 pm
http://www.setanta.com/uk/Articles/othe ... nid-41147/
UFC 95: SANCHEZ vs STEVENSON: The big preview Koscheck v Thiago - The Lowdown Watch Dana White Live on Setanta! read comments | have your say
Wanderlei Silva told setanta.com that Demian Maia is the man who will end Anderson Silva's dominance of the 185lb division.
Click here for details of how to get Setanta Sports on Satellite, Freeview or Broadband for live coverage of UFC 95.
Maia takes on former WEC middleweight Chael Sonnen at UFC 95 on Saturday, knowing victory would put him right in line for a crack at champion Anderson Silva.
Eight men, including Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin, have tried and failed to beat Silva since he arrived in The UFC, but Wanderlei believes his training partner has what it takes.
“Demian is the best grappler in The UFC. Five times he has fought in The UFC, four times has taken home Submission of the Night," Wanderlei told setanta.com.
“I think he can beat Anderson. I think for somebody to beat Anderson Silva, he needs to come from a Jiu-Jitsu background.
“I train with guys of high level Jiu-Jitsu and it’s so hard – when you go to ground it’s so hard man.
“One, two, three minutes, they’re gonna get you. It’s hard to defend that all the time.
“Demian’s trained a lot of boxing, he has good kicks, every fight his level of stand-up goes higher.
“He will be a big surprise to UFC fans, he will knock out an opponent soon – his hands are so heavy...it will happen soon.”
UFC 95: SANCHEZ vs STEVENSON: The big preview Koscheck v Thiago - The Lowdown Watch Dana White Live on Setanta! read comments | have your say
Wanderlei Silva told setanta.com that Demian Maia is the man who will end Anderson Silva's dominance of the 185lb division.
Click here for details of how to get Setanta Sports on Satellite, Freeview or Broadband for live coverage of UFC 95.
Maia takes on former WEC middleweight Chael Sonnen at UFC 95 on Saturday, knowing victory would put him right in line for a crack at champion Anderson Silva.
Eight men, including Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin, have tried and failed to beat Silva since he arrived in The UFC, but Wanderlei believes his training partner has what it takes.
“Demian is the best grappler in The UFC. Five times he has fought in The UFC, four times has taken home Submission of the Night," Wanderlei told setanta.com.
“I think he can beat Anderson. I think for somebody to beat Anderson Silva, he needs to come from a Jiu-Jitsu background.
“I train with guys of high level Jiu-Jitsu and it’s so hard – when you go to ground it’s so hard man.
“One, two, three minutes, they’re gonna get you. It’s hard to defend that all the time.
“Demian’s trained a lot of boxing, he has good kicks, every fight his level of stand-up goes higher.
“He will be a big surprise to UFC fans, he will knock out an opponent soon – his hands are so heavy...it will happen soon.”