Top Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight contender Demian Maia wanted nothing to do with surging 170-pound striker Jorge Masvidal, forcing “Gamebred” to call out wimpy bums like Neil Magny.
Then Maia learned he was no longer guaranteed a division title shot.
That means the Brazilian has been sitting on the sidelines — and missing out on potential paydays — for a fight that was never going to happen. But don’t worry about Maia, who eventually accepted the Masvidal showdown, because he does not regret his choices.
“I did what I was supposed to do, tried to wait,” Maia told MMA Fighting. “But things change and I took this fight right now and I’m not regretting about anything. I have a pretty tough fight ahead, I don’t know if I’m going to win or not.”
Hey, the strategy worked for Tyron Woodley (who may be in denial).
Maia (24-6) is the winner of six straight, defeating some of the more prominent names in the division along the way, like venerable stalwarts Matt Brown and Carlos Condit. Why he was not given the winner of Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson 2, which took place earlier this month, remains a mystery.
It certainly wasn’t because of this guy.
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