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Demian Maia’s Manager Thinks He Should Be Next For A Title Shot

October 3, 2016 | Posted by Joseph Lee

In an interview with MMA Fighting, Demian Maia’s manager Eduardo Alonso said that he thinks Maia should be next in line for a welterweight title shot. He added that Maia would step up if something were to happen to Stephen Thompson to force him to back out of the fight. Here are highlights:

On a title shot: “A title shot is a unique opportunity you don’t turn down. But if any injury happens to ‘Wonderboy’ and we get a call, unless Demian is injured, we will take the opportunity because you never know what tomorrow will bring. We see what happened to ‘Jacare’ [Souza], for an example, who unfortunately got injured and couldn’t get his chance. [Michael] Bisping got the chance and became champion, and ‘Jacare’ is still going after his opportunity. You never know what will happen tomorrow. An opportunity like this, you say yes and do your best.”

On being next in line: “The idea now is to face the winner of this fight. Demian deserved a title shot already, and it’s pretty obvious after this fight that he’s the next in line. I don’t see anyone deserving it more than him. We know that deserving is something relative in the sport today, but we have to find a balance between spectacle and sport. You have to aim for long term credibility as any other sports league, and you need to use meritocracy as one of your criteria. You don’t change the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals or the Champions League final simply because one team is more popular or less popular. You set objective criteria. After ‘Wonderboy’ vs. Tyron Woodley, Demian is the next in line no matter what happens in future fights. I believe he will have this opportunity. He deserves it.”

On why Maia deserves it: “We also think Demian deserves it, especially because ‘Wonderboy’s’ seven-fight winning streak was impressive because of his last two wins. In Demian’s winning streak, he beat five top 15 opponents in impressive fashion. Maybe he didn’t have someone as popular as Hendricks and Rory aside from Condit, but he has a pretty consistent run against high-level opponents.”

article topics :

Demian Maia, UFC, Joseph Lee