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UFC 91 Couture vs. Lesnar
November 15th, 2008 8 PM
Demian Maia vs. Nate Quarry
UFC Betting Pick: Demian Maia -275
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UFC Middleweight fight: Demian Maia vs. Nate Quarry
No idea if the online sportsbook will give Nate "The Rock" Quarry (10-2) the TUF betting bump but I sure hope so. Demian Maia (8-0) will dominate Quarry in this fight and I hope the sportsbook odds maker are dumb enough to put Quarry as the online betting favorite.
Nate Quarry is a nice guy and we all like nice guys but he is not in the same league as Maia and is just a step below him in skill on many levels. Nate Quarry has decent hands and better standup than Demian Maia but this fight will go to the grounds and once that happens it will be over quite fast.
Nate Quarry’s last fight was a win over the butt of all mixed martial arts fighters, Kalib Starnes at UFC 83: Serra vs. St. Pierre 2 who we figure is still trying to run away. Quarry does have very good hands and his stand up is better than Demian Maia’s but he does not overwhelm Maia in this category and everyone knows that Maia will take this fight to the ground eventually submit him.
Once a member of Team Quest Nate Quarry now trains at the Sports Lab in Gresham, Oregon run by former Team Quest instructor Greg Thompson while Demian Maia at one of the best Brazilian Jiu Jitsu clubs in the world at Team Brasa. The training and club factor will go to Maia who will just trains at a better club with more sparring opponents while Quarry will not have the high quality training partners he once had at Team Quest.
I feel that Quarry will not be prepared for this fight and will underestimate Demian Maia. I believe that he thinks he can out knock out Maia in this fight. He is saying the same things he said when he was about to fight Rich Franklin and that his stand up skills are good enough to win. Well just like the Franklin fight he is stepping up in level of competition and he is going be surprised by what a high level fighter brings to a fight.
Yes Quarry has the better striking skills and has KO victories over Pete Pell twice at UFC Fight Night 11 and at UFC Ultimate Fight Night and a KO victory over Shonie Carter at UFC 53: Heavy Hitters but I would not consider those two fighters as top level fighters.
When it comes to Demian Maia he is the best thing in the middleweight division and is the only real threat to Anderson Silva. Maia will not be able to out strike Quarry but he will be able to counter and check his shots and bide his time till he goes for a takedown.
The difference in this fight is that Maia has fought similar fighters to Quarry. He has already beaten Jason MacDonald at UFC 87: Seek and Destroy and Ed Herman at UFC 83: Serra vs. Pierre 2. Both these fighters have similar fighting styles to Nate Quarry. However, Quarry has never fought a grappler with the credentials as Maia.
Many believe Maia is one of the foremost and best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in the world, as he holds grappling victories over the likes of Ronaldo de Souza and Gabriel Gonzaga, who are both, much larger than him. Grappling wise there is no comparison on the ground. Just look at his victories in BJJ.
- 2007 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Champion
- 2007 Super Challenge under-83kgs Champion
- 2006 Pan American Champion
- 2005 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Runner-Up
- Three-time World Cup champion
- Two-time World Champion
- Brazilian champion
- 7x state champion
- 4x Brazilian team champion
Despite being a second Degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Maia also has trained in Judo which gives him the advantage in the clinch. If this fight goes to the clinch Maia has the ability to sweep and take Quarry down.
Bottom Line: Quarry does not have the striking power that most think he has. Who has he beating? Since he was on the Ultimate Fighter reality show he gets the marketing and hype from the UFC which mostly means he is a marketable fighter but not necessary a good one.
The jury is still out on Quarry and we have yet to see if he is the fighter the UFC says he is. The UFC does not have a good record marketing fighters that should be better. Just look at Brandon Vera, Chris Leben, Jorge Gurgel and many other fighters that are overhyped.
Needless to say this is good for sports bettors who get favorable betting odds. Just look at the Josh Koscheck versus Thiago Alves fight. Koscheck got favorable lines just because he is better known as a fighter. Maia should open up a betting favorite but the UFC betting lines won’t be as high as most people think. Quarry is a fan favorite, respected, well spoken, speaks English, honorable and most importantly white.
As a UFC bettor I would lay a lot on Maia because he ground game is just so impressive and Quarry is more of an average fighter and the question is out if he really is as good as people say he is. Right now I say no.
Quarry is a like a fish out of water. Look for Maia to dominate Quarry on the ground and submit him in the second round
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