Demian Maia’s second effort at welterweight will take place at UFC 153, promotion officials announced Tuesday, as the Brazilian will square off with Rick Story at the Oct. 13 event.
Known as one of the UFC’s finest jiu-jitsu practitioners, 34-year-old Maia made a successful debut at 170 pounds in his most recent outing, stopping Dong Hyun Kim less than a minute into their July 7 meeting at UFC 148. Prior to that performance, Maia racked up a 9-4 promotional record at 185 pounds, including an unsuccessful challenge for Anderson Silva’s middleweight title in 2010.
Story also enters the cage following a win, as “The Horror” outpointed Octagon newcomer Brock Jardine at UFC on FX 4 last month. The victory snapped a two-fight skid for Story, who won six straight UFC bouts before dropping unanimous decisions to Charlie Brenneman and Martin Kampmann to close out 2011.