UFC 214 Countdown: Tyron Woodley vs Demian Maia

>> Narrator: UFC's 214 co-main event will see champion,
Tyron Woodley put his welterweight belt on
the line against the UFC veteran of 25 fights,
who prepares for his 26th in the Brazilian city he has
always called home.
>> Demian Maia: I grew up in Sao Paulo.
I always liked martial arts since I was a kid.
And when I found jiu-jitsu, I just fell in love right away.
I knew in the first day that it was going to be something
that I was going to do for the rest of my life.
>> Narrator: Demian Maia's love for martial arts
and Brazilian jiu-jitsu would naturally draw him towards MMA.
With just six fights to his budding professional career,
he entered the UFC where it became immediately clear that
Maia was a special talent.
>> Mike: Demian Maia, a very high level black belt
in jiu-jitsu.
>> Joe: We are talking about a three time World Cup
Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion.
Two-time world champion.
Pan-American champion.
>> Kenny Florian: He's out!
>> Mike: Demian Maia wins!
>> Joe: This is terrible for Nate Quarry.
This is bad.
>> Mike: This is big trouble. >> Joe: He's got it.
That's a wrap. Beautiful takedown.
If he gets his right leg underneath Chael Sonnen,
he's in a triangle. Look at that.
He's pulling the head. That's it, he taps.
>> Mike: It is all over!
>> Joe: That's how good Demian Maia is.
>> Narrator: With five submission wins
in five UFC fights,
Maia would eventually earn a title shot against
Anderson Silva in his prime.
>> Joe: Oh, look at this.
Demian gets ahold of him, loses it.
Well if there is ever a time to attack,
it's now for Demian
>> Mike: He caught him!
And the crowd reacts.
How about Demian Maia?
>> Joe: Look at this.
>> Mike: Swinging from his knees!
>> Joe: He's swinging from his knees, this is crazy.
>> Narrator: While the marquee bout in Abu Dhabi
didn't go his way, he parlayed newfound notoriety
into his own academy at home.
>> Maia: Everything that you do in life,
if you really love what you are doing,
you really enjoy-- you are going to be good.
That's why I became good in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
and I specialized that for MMA.
I love to train, I love to learn.
I love to go to that academy every day and spend
all my day there sweating and learning.
I'm training to be the best jiu-jitsu specialist
in MMA history.
>> Narrator: It didn't take long after his fight with
Anderson Silva for the 4th degree black belt
to recognize that another run at the title would require
a drastic change.
>> Maia: I spoke to all my team and we decided that it
was very important to re-invent myself.
Everyday that I go to academy,
I go to fight for the title to be a champion.
So when I drop to the welterweight,
it was no different.
>> Mike: Demian Maia.
>> Joe: At 170 pounds.
>> Mike: Yep.
>> Joe: Demian's got him up in the air and down.
He's going to take his back, Mike.
Softening him up with punches.
>> Mike: This is just how good this guy is.
>> Joe: It's so brilliant.
Got him on the face.
Oh, you see the blood pour out of his mouth.
>> Mike: It is all over!
>> Joe: This guy just sent a huge message to that division.
The level of Brazilian jiu-jitsu that Demian Maia
possess is just off the chart.
>> Mike: Looking for the finish!
>> Brian Stann: He got it!
Maia has a ground game that is so unforgiving.
>> Joe Truly dominate performance on the ground by
Demian Maia.
>> Narrator: The reinvigorated Maia parlayed
a six fight win steak into a main card
matchup against surging contender,
Jorge Masvidal and aimed to prove
he was ready to fight for the title once again.
Immediately shoots, but when Maia has ahold of you,
you are in danger.
This is what's going on right now.
Maia has got ahold of him.
>> Cormier: Once he gets a hook in,
then you are in trouble.
>> Joe: He doesn't even need to go under your chin.
He'll choke you unconscious with your eyeballs.
This is like watching a snake try to swallow its prey.
>> Cormier: This is where you don't want to be though.
>> Joe: Yeah, this ain't good for Masvidal.
>> Buffer: Demian Maia!
>> I want to fight for the title and he said,
"You got it." Thank you, Dana.
>> Narrator: Maia's title shot against
the hard-hitting champion, Tyron Woodley
is a MMA fan's dream matchup.
>> Joe: One of the strongest, fastest,
most explosive individuals in the UFC today.
>> Narrator: For any fighter who enters the Octagon
to face "The Chosen One"
they must be weary of his extraordinary power.
The 170 pound king blasted his way to the title.
>> Joe: That is what we were talking about.
We were talking about the speed and the power
of Tyron Woodley.
>> Narrator: And prevented Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson...
>> Joe: Woodley is just trying to see if he can
figure out how to get close enough to land a bomb.
>> Mike: Oh, my goodness!
>> Narrator: From obtaining the belt in two consecutive outings.
>> Joe: Oh, he tagged him!
>> Cruz: There it is, he got him.
>> Buffer: And still!
>> Narrator: And for his third fight as champion,
he has returned to South Florida where it all began
nearly ten years ago.
>> Woodley: I was actually training
at American Top Team satellite called ATT Missouri.
They say, "You know what, we want you to come
and experience the headquarters."
They brought me out here to help Thiago Alves,
but I had never really sparred MMA,
and at this time,
he was completely annihilating everybody.
He was viciously known for leg kicking and they said,
"Go in there."
And I had to do 5, five-minute rounds sparring with him.
Just nuts that I came out here as a training partner
and now I return back as a champion.
>> Narrator: Returning to ATT headquarters means reuniting
with friend and coach Din Thomas,
who linked up with Woodley before his professional debut.
[dramatic music]
>> Thomas: I met him in St. Louis.
It was one of his amateur fights and he asked me to corner him.
Just randomly asked me to corner him.
And I did.
From that moment on, I knew he was gonna be a star.
>> Woodley: He's great at putting everything together
and with probably the best grappling team in the world,
it would be silly for me not to make a stop here
and to take away my opponent's tools.
>> Obviously you're just trying to keep your distance.
If you can even air out some shots.
>> We don't need to go for takedowns just yet.
>> Right.
Just maintain your-- maintain your poise and composure.
>> Go!
>> Narrator: Wrestling practice at ATT runs deep
with quality training partners that can prepare
Woodley for Maia's ground arsenal.
Thomas quickly locates a lesser-known veteran
who fits the bill.
>> Thomas: I didn't even know he was here.
His name is Victor Moreno and he's got about 60 pro fights.
>> It's good to have him shoot on me though.
>> Yeah.
>> He's shooting really hard, really fast.
It's gonna be completely different than Maia.
Maia's not gonna be shooting that hard and fast.
>> Thomas: Goes slow.
Everything always kind of works out for Tyron.
You know, we needed a partner who was tall and lanky
and a southpaw.
He wasn't trying to take Tyron's head off, move himself.
He was just getting good work and also giving us the look
that we need.
>> Narrator: For Tyron Woodley,
who has faced Karate experts and dominant wrestlers in
multiple UFC outings,
another specialist won't shake his confidence.
>> Woodley: He's gonna be looking for a target
that's not gonna be there.
I'm faster.
I'm gonna be in his face.
I'm gonna throw my hands and I'm gonna do it until I hurt him.
And when I hurt him, I'm gonna get him outta there.
>> Coach: Good rotation.
That's it. Better. Good.
>> Narrator: And for Demian Maia,
he will need to continue his reinvigorated grappling
dominance if he hopes to bring the powerful champion
into deep water.
>> Maia: All my fights at welterweight,
I was able to take the guys down.
So, I don't think this fight will be different.
>> Narrator: When the world's best welterweights face off,
they will fight, not only to impose their wills,
but to define their storied careers.
[grunting]
>> Maia: It will be the perfect end for me.
[grunting]
>> Woodley: Whatever they put in front of me,
I'm gonna run through.
And by the end of the day there's gonna be nobody left,
and I'm the greatest welterweight of all time.
>> Finish! Finish! Finish!
Good!
It's another win under the belt,
you know what I'm saying?

UFC 214 Countdown: Tyron Woodley vs Demian Maia

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