Demian Maia Moving to Welterweight for UFC 148 Bout Against ‘Stun Gun’ Kim
UFC officials Wednesday announced the addition of two new matchups to UFC 148.
Jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia (Pictured, right) will make his welterweight debut against well-rounded South Korean “Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim, while middleweight talent Riki Fukuda will meet heavy-handed Constantinos Philippou.
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Maia, 34, has competed for the UFC 13 times as a middleweight, debuting with the promotion in 2007. After notching five-straight submission victories to start his Octagon career, the Brazilian has posted a 4-4 record in his last eight outings, most recently dropping a unanimous decision to prospect Chris Weidman on Jan. 28 at UFC on Fox 2.
Meanwhile, 30-year-old Kim has officially tasted defeat just once as a professional, emerging victorious in six of his eight UFC outings. The judo black belt was last seen outpointing Sean Pierson on Dec. 30 at UFC 141, rebounding from a knockout loss to current interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit six months prior.
Fukuda made his UFC debut in February 2011 and had a seven-fight winning streak snapped in a controversial decision defeat to Nick Ring at UFC 127. The onetime Deep champion rebounded from the loss by outpointing Steve Cantwell at UFC 144 in February.
Representing the Serra-Longo Fight Team, Philippou has posted a trio of Octagon victories since dropping his UFC debut to Nick Catone one year ago. The Cyprus native posted a pair of triumphs to close out 2011, outpointing Jorge Rivera in August before knocking out Jared Hamman at UFC 140 on Dec. 10. Philippou earned a unanimous nod over “Ultimate Fighter” Season 11 winner Court McGee three weeks ago at UFC on FX 2.
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