Nick Maximov took a big step up in his sophomore Octagon appearance, occupying the co-main event slot opposite Punahele Soriano at UFC Fight Night 200 this past Saturday.
The Dana White’s Contender Series alum seemed to handle the pressure quite well, tying a UFC middleweight record with 11 takedowns landed en route to a unanimous decision triumph at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It’s well documented that Maximov trains with Nate Diaz and Nick Diaz, two men that know a little something about big fights. At Saturday’s post-fight press conference, Maximov credited the Diaz brothers with helping get him mentally ready for the moment.