Demian Maia Clears The Air, Says He Did Not Turn Down Masvidal Fight

UFC welterweight contender Demian Maia says he did not turn down a fight against Jorge Masvidal.

Maia wrote a lengthy post on his Facebook page explaining his current situation in the UFC. Maia said he is waiting to receive a shot at the UFC welterweight title and is upset her hasn’t received an opportunity yet.

“I respect Masvidal, Lawler, and each and every MMA fighter that steps inside a cage or a ring. It`s not easy at all, and it`s way more pressure than many people can imagine. Nobody that does this for a living, and even more that get to this level, doesn`t deserve a lot of respect. I have fought many of the top fighters at MW and WW, including maybe the best ever at his prime, and I never had any problem fighting anyone at the right time. I would fight anyone at WW 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. We haven`t even said “no” yet, when news starting to pop up that we had declined the fight. Fair enough I guess, as it`s not what we had in mind anyways.”

Maia is on a six-fight win streak in the UFC. His win streak includes three rear-naked choke submission wins over Neil Magny, Matt Brown, and former Interim UFC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit.

Following his TKO win over Donald Cerrone last Saturday, Masvidal has also become a top contender in the welterweight division. However, Maia’s dominant win streak, featuring wins over some of the best in his weight class, puts Maia towards the top of the contender’s list.

With UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley defending his title against Stephen Thompson next month at UFC 209 on March 4, it may be wiser for Maia to just wait to fight the winner of the next title fight instead of risking his current position.