Early in the fight Joe Rogan stated that Santiago had good enough jiu jitsu to defend himself against the superior submissions of Maia, but not enough to threaten. And that is exactly how things played out. On the ground, Maia maintained control, but could not finish the experienced Santiago. On the feet, Santiago had more success, as Maia looked to have regressed a bit in his stand-up since showing improvements in his last few fights. This was the 6th straight decision on the card, and the fans grew restless, booing heavily as the fight progressed.
What was the high spot of this fight?
Honestly, not much to say here. The crowd's booing was understandable - these guys just did not mesh well and ended up mostly shutting each other down.
Where do these guys go from here?
Maia comes away the winner, but without a finish, this won't move him into title contention. Next up for him should be another Middleweight just outside the title scene - Tim Boetsch or Rousimar Palhares would both make sense, as would Brian Stann.
With back to back losses since his return, Santiago could be on the chopping block. He hasn't looked fantastic in either fight, but the relative lack of depth at Middleweight could earn him one more shot. If he gets that, it will be must win for sure. Perhaps Dan Miller?
Watch it now, later, or never?
Never. Two very skilled fighters here who have some great fights in their careers, but this didn't work.
More BE coverage of UFC 136 in the full entry.
UFC 136 Results: Post-Hangover Thoughts and Reactions - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 136 Results: Frankie Edgar Embodies Rocky's Message in Win Over Gray Maynard - Leland Roling
UFC 136 Results: Aldo vs. Florian, Phan vs. Garcia FightMetric Reports - Mike Fagan
UFC 136 Results: Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva II Will Produce Massive Interest Despite Skepticism - Leland Roling
UFC 136 Results: Dana White Says Frankie Edgar Is Top 2 Pound-for-Pound, Wants Him to Face Jose Aldo - Anton Tabuena
UFC 136 Results: Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard Post-Fight Recap and Analysis - Mike Fagan
UFC 136 Results: Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian Fight Video Highlights
UFC 136 Results: Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 3 Fight Video Highlights
Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - Episode 88: UFC 136 Results Review
UFC 136 Results: Frankie Edgar Stops Gray Maynard In Four - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III - Live Results and Play-by-Play for PPV Fights - Brent Brrokhouse
UFC 136 Results: Jose Aldo Decisions Kenny Florian - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 136 Results: Chael Sonnen Challenges Anderson Silva After Dominating Brian Stann - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 136 Results: Nam Phan Wins Decision Over Leonard Garcia - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 136 Results: Joe Lauzon Makes Quick Work of Melvin Guillard - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III - Live Results and Play-by-Play For Spike TV Fights - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 136 Results: Demian Maia Decisions Jorge Santiago - Leland Roling
UFC 136 Results: Anthony Pettis Narrowly Edges Jeremy Stephens - Leland Roling
UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III - Live Results and Play-by-Play for Facebook Fights - Brent Brookhouse
UFC 136 Results: Stipe Miocic Makes Successful Debut, Edges Joey Beltran - Leland Roling
UFC 136 Results: Darren Elkins Out Grapples Tiequan Zhang, Wins Decision - Leland Roling
UFC 136 Results: Aaron Simpson Dominates Eric Schafer - Leland Roling
UFC 136 Results: Mike Massenzio Batters Steve Cantwell, Takes Unanimous Decision - Leland Roling
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