MMA veteran and legendary Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Demian Maia is intrigued by his upcoming bout against fellow grappler Ben Askren. Generally used to having to fight to take his opponents to the ground in order to try and catch them in a submission, the Brazilian tells Ag Fight that it will be interesting to take on someone who else prefers to fight on the mat, although they have different backgrounds.
Even though fighting Askren was not a possibility Demian had considered up until he was offered the bout, Maia likes the challenge, even if it’s a little intriguing for himself, as he says it is the first time someone will not be afraid of a ground battle against him.