Demian Maia is a man of few words.
Maia, who lost a decision to UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley earlier this year, takes on Colby Covington Saturday at UFC Fight Night 119 in the co-main event.
Covington has positioned himself as a title contender in the division based partially on his results and partially on his talking outside the Octagon. Either way, though, Maia sees a stiff challenge set before him.
“I think he is going down the same path that everyone thinks is right nowadays, which is to be controversial as the only way to promote a fight,” Maia said. “As a fighter, he is a great athlete, wrestler and, as with any UFC Top 10 fighter, he is a very tough guy. I think it will be an intense fight, because he is a very aggressive guy as I am, within my style.”
Maia, who was born in Sao Paulo, last fought here in 2014 when he scored a decision over Alexander Yakovlev, which served as the start to his seven-fight win streak.
“It’s special. I didn’t get this opportunity many times in my career,” he said. “I only fought in the city of Sao Paulo once and I would like to experience that more.”
