Demian Maia Explains Why He Turned Down Jorge Masvidal Fight

Demian Maia posted to Facebook to offer an explanation as to why he turned down a fight with Jorge Masvidal and instead wait to face the winner of Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson. Some highlights are below:

On being given the option to wait for the winner of Woodley vs. Thompson in March: “I have the biggest respect for Dana. I trust him, and I had seen how Woodley could wait for longer than a year and get his title shot, that ultimately crowned him as a champion, so why would I believe it would be any different with me? There’s nothing I want more right now than fighting for the belt, and with the rematch just weeks away, I hope that I hadn’t (understood) wrong and that I can have my chance. All I want is an opportunity that others had, sometimes with much less done to get their chances.”

On turning down the fight with Maia: “I have fought many of the top fighters at (middleweight) and (welterweight), including maybe the best ever at his prime (Anderson Silva), and I never had any problem fighting anyone at the right time. I would fight anyone at (welterweight) for a belt right now, interim or linear, and when we got the Masvidal fight offered we explained our reasons for being frustrated and wanting to wait for a Title Shot, how the proposed card could impact us financially, but said we would discuss it and come up with a decision.”

On people who say his title shot wouldn’t be a draw: “Sometimes perception is very subjective. And when you see the rumored numbers for many (pay-per-view) cards headlined by (welterweight) championship fights over recent years, it’s tough to really believe my own title shot would be so much worst than many of the fights that were booked.”