Demian Maia knows it’s a cliché, but he feels extra confident going into Saturday’s UFC Minneapolis welterweight clash with Anthony Rocco Martin after having his best training camp in a while.
The 41-year-old jiu-jitsu specialist, who returned to the winning column with an impressive first-round submission over Lyman Good in February, is a veteran of the game with 20 wins in 29 Octagon appearances, but he was still able to mature and evolve mentally over the past few months.
With two bouts left in his contact with the UFC, Maia admits that coming back to the winning column after the first three-fight losing skid of his MMA career brought some relief, but pressure isn’t something he feels over his shoulders anymore.