Middleweights Maia, Santiago to Collide at UFC 136
Mike Whitman Jul 15, 2011
A pair of Brazilian middleweights will collide at UFC 136, as
Demian
Maia will square off with Jorge
Santiago at the Oct. 8 event.
Maia (Pictured; file photo) announced the news via Twitter on Friday. While not yet officially announced by the promotion, UFC 136 is expected to emanate from the Toyota Center in Houston. The show will likely feature another pivotal 185-pound affair, as Brian Stann takes on Chael Sonnen.
Maia, 33, possesses one of the most potent submission games in the sport. The 11-time UFC veteran began his Octagon career in 2007, rattling off five straight submission victories before being derailed by Nate Marquardt in 2009. Since that time, the southpaw has posted a record of 3-2, notching decision wins over Dan Miller, Mario Miranda and Kendall Grove. Maia received a title shot against middleweight champion Anderson Silva in April 2010, but he was thoroughly outclassed in a bizarre, one-sided UFC 112 main event. Most recently, Maia had a two-fight winning streak snapped by Mark Munoz, as the wrestler was awarded a hard-fought unanimous decision in their competitive UFC 131 tilt last month.
Formerly Sengoku’s middleweight champion, Santiago vacated that title and returned to the Octagon in May, falling by knockout to Stann at UFC 130. The Imperial Athletics representative has won 11 of his last 13 contests, notching notable wins over Siyar Bahadurzada, Kazuo Misaki and Mamed Khalidov since his first run with the UFC ended in 2006. The 30-year-old holds 21 of his 23 victories by either knockout or submission and has never been submitted as a pro.
Maia (Pictured; file photo) announced the news via Twitter on Friday. While not yet officially announced by the promotion, UFC 136 is expected to emanate from the Toyota Center in Houston. The show will likely feature another pivotal 185-pound affair, as Brian Stann takes on Chael Sonnen.
Maia, 33, possesses one of the most potent submission games in the sport. The 11-time UFC veteran began his Octagon career in 2007, rattling off five straight submission victories before being derailed by Nate Marquardt in 2009. Since that time, the southpaw has posted a record of 3-2, notching decision wins over Dan Miller, Mario Miranda and Kendall Grove. Maia received a title shot against middleweight champion Anderson Silva in April 2010, but he was thoroughly outclassed in a bizarre, one-sided UFC 112 main event. Most recently, Maia had a two-fight winning streak snapped by Mark Munoz, as the wrestler was awarded a hard-fought unanimous decision in their competitive UFC 131 tilt last month.
Formerly Sengoku’s middleweight champion, Santiago vacated that title and returned to the Octagon in May, falling by knockout to Stann at UFC 130. The Imperial Athletics representative has won 11 of his last 13 contests, notching notable wins over Siyar Bahadurzada, Kazuo Misaki and Mamed Khalidov since his first run with the UFC ended in 2006. The 30-year-old holds 21 of his 23 victories by either knockout or submission and has never been submitted as a pro.
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