Maia’s strategy clear in UFC 112 title bout

Few are giving Demian Maia much of a chance to take the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight belt from Anderson Silva on Saturday.

In fact, Maia concedes he probably has only one shot.

"It is no secret that I will try to use my jiujitsu to win the fight," he said. "I always try and use my jiujitsu to win fights. That's my favorite method of securing victory. This fight with Anderson is no different."

The plan is far easier expressed than executed.

Silva is 10-0 since joining the UFC and, according to the organization's official statistics, has not had a serious submission attempted on him in that span.

Still, Maia is holding out hope to change that in the main event of UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The opportunity is one Maia appeared to be close to last year. The 32-year-old Brazilian had used his ground skills to tap out the first five opponents he faced in the UFC, including four submission-of-the-night bonuses.

He entered a UFC 102 bout against Nate Marquardt on Aug. 29 thinking a victory would give him a chance at Silva's belt.

It didn't work out.

Maia suffered the first loss of his career when Marquardt knocked him out 21 seconds into the fight.

"My loss to Marquardt was just one of those things. I made a mistake and got caught," Maia said. "I think I had a lot more to offer in that fight, but he caught me before I had a chance to show it."

He rebounded to defeat Dan Miller in February, then finally got this title shot when Vitor Belfort dropped off the card because of injury and Chael Sonnen could not take the fight because of a severe cut sustained in a win over Marquardt in February.

Maia doesn't care much about how the opportunity arose, just that it is finally here.

"Since that (loss), I've been working very hard on my striking -- as well as all aspects of my game -- in the hope that I'd eventually one day fight Anderson for the championship," he said. "I was happy with my win over Dan Miller in February, and now my chance has arrived. I couldn't be happier right now. This is what I've always dreamed of."

Maia knows that what happened against Marquardt easily could happen against Silva, one of mixed martial arts' most powerful and accurate strikers, if Maia doesn't alter his style.

Silva is credited as by far the UFC's most accurate striker, landing almost 75 percent of his attempts. The next closest fighter, Cain Velasquez, has been successful on 63 percent of his strikes, and the UFC's average is about 35 percent.

Maia knows he must find a way to neutralize Silva's obvious advantage in the stand-up.

"I've been working on keeping my distance and knowing when I'm in and out of striking range," he said. "Striking isn't just about kicking and punching. It's far more complex than that. It's also about timing and range. You can't lose your concentration when you get in range; otherwise, you'll get caught with something and knocked out. You definitely can't take those kind of risks against someone like Anderson."

In the end, Maia knows it will come down to his ability to take the fight to the ground. He also knows getting it there will be the most difficult part of executing his plan, which is why Maia says he spent much of his training camp working on wrestling and takedowns.

"I know what to do once we get on the floor, but I need to give myself the best opportunity of taking him there," Maia said.

The card will air on pay per view at 10 a.m. and will be replayed at 7 p.m.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.