Maia is currently at number 7 and Santiago sits at 17 on the USA Today/BE Consensus Rankings. This fight is vital for both fighters to remain relevant and highly-ranked at 185 pounds. This middleweight UFC 136 fight will be on the preliminary card, which will be shown live on Spike TV. The Spike prelims show begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
How do these two stack up?
Maia: 33 years old | 6'0" | 72" reach
Santiago: 30 years old | 6'1" | 75" reach
What have these two done recently?
Maia: L - Mark Munoz (UD) | W - Kendall Grove (UD) | W - Mario Miranda (UD)
Santiago: L - Brian Stann (KO) | W - Kazuo Misaki (TKO) | W - Mamed Khalidov (UD)
How did these two get here?
Demian Maia is a highly decorated jiu jitsu player who has won many prestigious events including the ADCC's. He made his UFC debut in 2007 and racked up 5 straight wins, including a 1st round submission win over Chael Sonnen, before being KO'd in just 21 seconds by Nate Marquardt. He fought back from that loss and earned a title shot against Anderson Silva in a fight where Silva bizarrely refused to engage. He lost, but picked up another two wins after that. He most recently dropped a hard-fought decision against Mark Munoz at UFC 131.
Jorge Santiago made his UFC debut way back in 2006, picking up a win before getting finished by both Chris Leben and Alan Belcher in fights he was initially winning. After picking up an easy 4-man Strikeforce tournament win, he headed to Japan.He completely rebuilt himself over there, going 7-1 and winning the Sengoku middleweight title in the process. He had two fights with Kazuo Misaki that are both on the short list for greatest fight of all time. He made his return to the UFC at UFC 130, but Brian Stann finished him by TKO in the 2nd round and left Santiago's status in the division up in the air once again.
Why should you care?
This is a PPV fight you're getting for free folks, and it's full of intrigue. Maia's a submission fighter, yet Santiago's never been submitted. Santiago's biggest weakness is his chin, but Maia doesn't hit very hard. If Maia goes old school and grapples, this could be an epic fight. If they duke it out on the feet, it might not live up to expectations.
You can catch more UFC 136 preview content from Bloody Elbow after the jump.
UFC 136 Judo Chop: The Striking of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard - Fraser Coffeen
UFC 136 Preview - Melvin Guillard Gunning for Knockout Bonus - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 136: Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann Dissection - Dallas Winston
UFC 136 Video - Bruce Buffer: 'You Can't Announce the Way I Announce If You're Not Into It' - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III - Live Weigh-In Video and Results - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 136 Video: Frankie Edgar Says Belt Proves He Belongs at Lightweight - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III - Bloody Elbow Staff Predictions
UFC 136 Preview: Melvin Guillard Says Joe Lauzon Folds Under Pressure - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 136: Chael Sonnen Denies Gameplanning for Brian Stann - Mike Fagan
UFC 136: Frankie Edgar Talks Gray Maynard, Jose Aldo - Mike Fagan
UFC 136: Melvin Guillard vs. Joe Lauzon Dissection - Dallas Winston
Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - Episode 87: UFC 136 Preview
UFC 136: Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan Dissection - Dallas Winston
UFC 136: Time Aplenty for Chael Sonnen Despite Competition for Contention - Leland Roling
UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III Betting Lines - Tim Burke
UFC 136: Spike TV Preliminary Card Dissection - Dallas Winston
UFC 136: Did Promotion Need More Chael Sonnen and Brian Stann? - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 136: Jose Aldo's Second Chance to Destroy Foolish Assumptions - Leland Roling
UFC 136: A Running Diary of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard II - Mike Fagan
UFC 136 Pre-Fight Press Conference Video and Updates - Tim Burke
UFC State of the Union: UFC 136 and the Lightweight Division - Fraser Coffeen
Countdown to UFC 136 Video
UFC 136: Melvin Guillard's Continuing Quest for a Title Shot - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 136 Preview: Looking Back at Edgar vs. Maynard 2 Highlights and Reaction - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 136: Facebook Undercard Dissection - Dallas Winston
UFC 136: Dana White Video Blog, Day 1