UFC 263: Belal Muhammad pays tribute to ‘legend’ Demian Maia after grinding out biggest win of career
- ‘Remember The Name’ gets back in the win column with unanimous decision in front of restless Arizona crowd
- ‘I’ve been a fan of him since I was a kid … It’s an honour to share the cage,’ Muhammad says of Maia, who is now out of contract
Welterweight contender Belal Muhammad secured the biggest win of his career in a unanimous decision over “legend” Demian Maia at UFC 263 at the Gila River Arena Arizona on Saturday night.
The 32-year-old American (19-3, one no contest) defended some 20 takedowns and landed counter punches against No 9-ranked Brazilian jiu-jitsu veteran Maia (28-11).
“That was one of those tough fights where you always think about fighting Demian Maia, how it’s going to be, and then all of a sudden, he gets you down in the first round and you’re like, ‘Oh crap, I was not expecting that’,” Muhammad said in his post-fight interview backstage.
“Then it’s being patient, being smart. I’ve trained for this, I’ve been in bad spots like these before. It’s like one of those where you have to be overly patient, because if you get too restless, that’s when he waits for you to tap.”
It may be turn out to be a final appearance in the Octagon for 43-year-old former title challenger Maia, who is out of contract and has lost five of his last eight.
“This is like a legend that you look up to type of guy,” Muhammad added. “You can sit there and talk about it, but when you’re actually in the cage with him, you’re like, ‘Damn, I’m fighting Demian Maia’.
“It was an honour to watch him and being a fan of his since I was a kid, watching him against Anderson Silva, watching him fight for the title twice. It’s an honour to share the cage with a guy like that.”
“Remember the Name” Muhammad is back in the win column after a no contest against Leon Edwards in March, with a brutal eye poke ending the bout and halting his four-fight win streak.
Maia was unable to secure any of his single-leg takedown attempts against Muhammad, whose takedown defence was at 93 per cent going into the fight.
Muhammad’s boxing output in the second and third rounds were enough to seal the win in front of a restless Arizona crowd, who booed the fighters for a supposed lack of activity.
Maia, whose last win came against Ben Askren via third-round submission in October of 2019, is considered one of the promotion’s most accomplished grapplers and holds the second-most number of wins in its history.
