Maia faces hurdle before shot at title

Demian Maia has made no secret about wanting to fight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title.

With a win over Nate Marquardt tonight at UFC 102 in Portland, Ore., Maia finally should get a chance to reach that goal.

"Everything," Maia said of what the title would mean to him. "It's something I've been dreaming about since I saw the first UFC."

To this point, he has submitted all five opponents the organization has put in front of him. He admits it has been frustrating to not have a title shot.

"Sometimes, a little bit, yes," he said. "But what can I do? I can't force them. I can't do anything. I can just wait."

Maia, 31, knows a sixth straight UFC win, which would make him 11-0 as a professional, probably would mean he next would challenge for the belt held by Anderson Silva.

"I think if I win this fight and me and Nate put on a good fight, they'll give me a (shot)," he said.

Maia, who has spent the past month training in Las Vegas, is one of the most decorated jiujitsu practitioners in the sport. He has earned countless titles in the discipline around the world.

He doesn't think that his propensity to finish fights on the ground instead of with his fists has slowed his progress in the UFC, however.

"I have a lot of fans. People like my style," he said. "There's a lot of jiujitsu people out there. People like different styles. I think just because it's getting more competitive.

"It's very hard to get a title shot."

In the end, Maia understands other factors often play a role in who gets title shots.

"I'm not inside the head of the guys (who run the UFC). They know what they are doing," he said. "It's a business, and maybe they need to build up my name more. They want to sell more pay per views. They want to do the best business they can."

One way for a fighter to build his name is to talk trash, but it's a part of the sport in which Maia doesn't get caught up.

That doesn't mean he is completely against it. It's just not his personality.

"It's not my style, and I think if you do something that's not you, it sounds fake. If you like to be more aggressive, it's good for the show, but you can't be fake," he said. "I'm not that kind of guy. I try to give my impressions of the fight, but I don't like to talk too much (expletive)."

This fight is no different. Maia said he respects Marquardt very much. Maia even said he does not see it as unfair that he must fight Marquardt, who already had an unsuccessful title shot, to get his chance at the belt.

Mutual respect also has been shown by the main event combatants, Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, as neither fighter publicly has uttered a cross word about the other.

Both are heavyweight legends trying to rebound from losses in their last fights.

Thiago Silva and Keith Jardine, who will square off in a light heavyweight bout, also are looking to bounce back from losses.

Silva suffered the first defeat of his career when Lyoto Machida knocked him out in January. Jardine has lost three of his past five fights, including a decision to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in March.

He will need a win over Silva to get back on track.

Also, Brandon Vera will meet Krzysztof Soszynski in a light heavyweight bout, and Chris Leben makes his return from a steroid suspension against three-time NCAA wrestling champion Jake Rosholt at middleweight.

The pay-per-view broadcast (Cable 501) will air live at 7 p.m.

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