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Anderson "The Spider" Silva (-620) vs. Demian Maia (+460)

by Stan Leung
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UFC 112: Invincible
April 10th, 2010 7 GMT
Anderson Silva vs Demian Maia
UFC Betting Pick: Anderson Silva (-620)

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Middleweight Championship bout: Anderson "The Spider" Silva (-620) vs. Demian Maia (+460)

I think the world of Demian Maia (12-1) and it is my opinion that there is no mixed martial arts fighter with better ground technique than his, however, this is MMA and there is more to fighting than just ground game. It is unfortunate he has not developed his striking game to where it needs to be which was apparent when he battled against Nate Marquardt at UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira.

He will be facing one of the best strikers in the UFC in Anderson “The Spider” Silva (25-4) who has victories over Dan Henderson, Nate Marquardt, Hayato Sakurai, Carlos Newton, Patrick Côté, Forrest Griffin and Rich Franklin are of whom are better strikers than Maia.


Vitor Belfort was originally scheduled to fight Silva for this UFC Middleweight Championship, however, he injured his shoulder during training and is forced to miss this event.

Silva is a complete fighter and it is this total package that makes him the better combatant. Though known primarily for his skills in Muay Thai, he is also a black belt in Judo, a yellow rope in Capoeira and a black belt in Tae kwon do. His striking consists of a combination of different styles which makes his blows somewhat atypical and hard to train and fight against.


Though Silva may not appear to have significant power behind his punches, his strikes are from all levels and angles and it is this unpredictability that he relies on to defeat his opponenets. Maia cannot compare when it comes to striking and his only way to victory would be on the ground, however, he will need to get in close first for the takedown.

For Maia to even have the slightest chance against Silva he will need to pull guard and get the fight to the ground—but he needs to remember Silva's Muay Thai and the knees. Silva has the best clinch in MMA and if is to get the clinch, Maia will not be able to break free and will be knocked out.


If Maia goes low for the legs, he will need to contend with the Muay Thai's knees of Maia. Either way, Silva will hurt Maia as when he is in trouble, Maia likes to get in close and pull guard, which is really not a good option in this bout.

Despite the face that Maia may be the better grappler, Silva is also a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu which he earned in 2006 from Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira—a devout follower of the Gracie lineage through Murilo Bustamante at Brazilian Top Team. Though Silva's grappling skills may not be as developed as that of Maia, he does however, have the ability to stave off Maia

There is no way Maia will be able to hold his ground and trade with Silva in the standup as when compared to Silva, Maia is a novice when it comes to striking. Silva is the best striker in the game and it is not so much that is he quick, but rather his method incorporates so many styles that it is not possible to train in preparation against it. Silva’s head movement and quick elusive style confuses the best strikers out there and Maia will not know what hit him.

Maia inadequate striking was apparent when he faced off against Nate Marquardt at UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira. Marquardt’s power striking overwhelmed Maia and he was able to knock him out within 21 seconds of the first round. In all fairness, Marquardt should be the one to replace Vitor Belfort but with his recent loss to Chael Sonnen at UFC 109: Relentless on February 6th, realistically he does not have sufficient time to recoup, repair and train for the April 10th match so it will be interesting to see how Maia will fare as he faced and won a fight against Dan Miller at the same event.

Bottom Line: When it comes to sports betting, the odds are just too great to place coin on Anderson Silva, but on the other hand, it is not wise to bet on Maia either as he is a one dimensional fighter.


In reality, this would be one bet to stay away from. If you are really itching to throw some money down on this one there are two scenarios that may net you some cash—one, Silva will either KO Maia in the first round or two, Silva will dance around for five and land little pot shots to showboat while Maia cowers all the while hesitating to engage.

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