UFC on FOX 21’s Demian Maia hopes seniority gives him title shot over Stephen Thompson

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White pretty much confirmed that Stephen Thompson would get first dibs at dethroning Tyrone Woodley from the top of the Welterweight mountain.

Demian Maia, however, hopes that after his first-round victory over Carlos Condit at last night’s (Sat., Aug. 27, 2016) event on FOX (see it here), UFC matchmakers will let him use the seniority card and give him the next crack at the title over "Wonderboy."

"I think (there’s a possibility of getting the next shot)," Maia declared during the post-fight presser (video replay here) via MMAjunkie. "I respect Thompson very much. He’s a great guy. Of course, I’m much older than him. So, if they can give me (the title shot) to me first, that would be great. If not, I hope they give it to him fast and I wait to see who wins the fight."

Though it’s highly-unlikely White and Co. will crush Thompson’s dreams by giving the 38-year old submission wizard the title shot against "The Chose One," it’s worth a shot to ask.

That said, Maia says if he little campaign doesn’t work, he will play the waiting game and not fight anyone else unless it’s the winner of Woodley vs. Thompson.

I will wait," Maia said. "I can stay active with training, doing my teaching and everything I do every day. I think the guy that I fought today is not just a former champion, but he’s a guy who many people, including me, thought won (against former champion Robbie Lawler) and was supposed to be the champion. So, what else should I do? I have six wins in a row and that’s it."

Smart move.

For Maia, taking another fight in the interim doesn’t make much sense, as he’s earned his way to the top with hard-earned wins over the likes of Condit, Neil Magny and Matt Brown, just to name a few.

For complete UFC on FOX 21 results and coverage click here.