Demain Maia went back to his roots tonight at UFC 153, utilizing his world class BJJ skills to tap out Rick Story inside the first round.
Story came out swinging from the opening bell, and Maia wasn’t planning on matching him, instead dropping down for a takedown. Story stayed on his feet at first, but Maia didn’t let up, pressing him up against the cage then getting him to the mat.
Before long the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu master was able to take his back, and that was bad news indeed for Story.
The inevitable rear-naked choke was quickly worked in from their and was then modified for a neck crank to produce the tap at 2.30mins of round one.
This was what Maia’s fans had long hoped for, finally bringing back the emphasis on his ground game that had electrified the UFC when he first joined and produced four ‘submission of the night’ performances in his first five fights.
