Nate Quarry vs. Demian Maia
Middleweight gatekeeper Nathan “Rock” Quarry is set to face off against Brazilian Jiu Jitsu phenom Demian Maia in an interesting clash of styles. Quarry will be looking to continue his recent run of success, while Maia will be fighting to maintain his unblemished professional record.
Demian Maia is considered by many to be the best pure Brazilian Jitsu black belt currently in competing in MMA. A quick perusal of his record supports this claim, with 6 of his 8 wins coming by way of submission and a seventh coming from an injury TKO. His ground game is above reproach, and he is more than capable of not only controlling, but finishing, nearly any opponent. His gameplan will predictably to work for a takedown and try to submit Quarry. Predictable as it may be, though, preventing a grappler of his caliber from executing it is going to be quite a tall order.
Nathan Quarry, an awkward but powerful puncher, first gained fame on the original season of The Ultimate Fighter, from which he was forced to withdraw due to an ankle injury suffered in training. Following the show, he had a successful run in UFC, winning three fights in a row and defeating quality opponents Shonie Carter and Pete Sell before having his momentum abruptly halted when he was destroyed by Rich Franklin.
Shortly after, Quarry suffered a back injury that many thought would end his career. After two years of surgery and rehabilitation, though, Quarry returned to the Octagon, besting Pete Sell for a second time and then chasing Kalib Starnes around for fifteen excruciating minutes in a lopsided unanimous decision.
While Quarry is far from inept on the ground, he is quite simply not in the same league as Maia. Accordingly, his gameplan will be to use his jab to keep Maia at distance for power punches, sprawl out of takedowns and try to make Maia pay for coming inside.
Unfortunately for Quarry, his punches are much more powerful than they are accurate, and eventually Maia should be able to close the gap and keep his unbeaten streak alive with a second round rear naked choke.
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