Kamaru Usman vs Demian Maia in the works for UFC ‘Chile’ on May 19 with Santiago Ponzinibbio hurt

One’s man misery is another’s fortune.

Demian Maia is in talks to step in on three weeks notice to face Kamaru Usman at the upcoming UFC Fight Night 129 event on May 19, 2018 in Santigao, Chile after Santiago Ponzinibbio was forced out of the bout against Usman with an injury.

That’s according to MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani, who reported the news earlier today (Thurs., April 26, 2018).

If the fight comes to be, it will be another item scratched off Usman’s list as he has been calling for a showdown against the Brazilian submission artist for quite some time, though his calls for the bout have gone unanswered.

Instead, Maia was booked to face off against Colby Covington in his previous outing, which he lost via unanimous decision last October, his second straight defeat. As for Usman, he is currently riding a seven fight win streak inside the Octagon -- 11 straight overall — and has quickly become one of the most dominant fighters in the division.

The bout will headline the FOX Sports event, which recently also lost a co-headlining bout between Volkan Oezdemir and Mauricio Rua, which has since been rebooked to headline UFC Fight Night 134 on July 22.

To see who else is competing at UFC Fight Night 129 click here.