That didn't take long.
A few days after having his Ultimate Fight Night 22 main event opponent, Alan Belcher, pull out of the contest due to an eye injury, Demian Maia has a new adversary as well as a new date for his next bout.
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist will take on Mario Miranda at UFC 118 on August 28 in Boston, Massachusetts. MMAmania.com learned of the match up earlier today.
Maia (12-2) has been to the mountaintop but the Sherpa sent him sent tumbling back down it after a five round fiasco at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi. The loss to Anderson Silva was his second in three fights after stringing together ten straight wins.
He is undoubtedly one of the sport's most gifted grapplers, but his striking has yet to evolve to a higher level. To his credit, he showed a marked improvement in a unanimous decision win against Dan Miller at UFC 109.
Mario Miranda was last seen sending David Loiseau on his way from the UFC, yet again, after his UFC 115 victory as he defeated "The Crow" via TKO in the second round.
The 10-1 Brazilian middleweight lost his Octagon debut to Gerald Harris at UFC Fight Night 21 back in March. Prior to joining the UFC, Miranda cut his teeth on the regional circuit, with notable wins over Joe Vedepo and Ricky Story.
For complete coverage of UFC 118, click here.