Demain Maia vs. Nate Marquardt set for UFC 102 in Portland on Aug. 29

[jakkups]

Demain Maia vs. Nate Marquardt set for UFC 102 in Portland on Aug. 29

While UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has committed to a light-heavyweight contest on Aug. 8, two of the 185-pound division's top contenders will meet later in the month.

Demain Maia (10-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) and Nate Marquardt (28-8-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) will meet at UFC 102 according to a report on Maia's official website.

The undefeated Maia has won five-straight contests in the UFC since debuting for the organization in October 2007. All five victories have come by submission, including four "Submission of the Night" bonuses.

Maia was last in action in a submission in over Chael Sonnen at UFC 95 in February.

Marquardt is currently riding a two-fight win streak since dropping a controversial split-decision to Thales Leites in June 2008.

The former King of Pancrase had one previous shot at Silva's belt in 2007. Silva earned a first-round TKO over Marquardt in the UFC 73 main event.

The winner of the Maia vs. Marquardt fight would certainly have a rightful claim to No. 1 contender's status in the UFC's middleweight division, though the victor of the UFC 100 contest between Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson will also be near the front of the line.

While the event has not yet been officially announced by the UFC, Maia's post confirms previously reported details that UFC 102 is expected to take place Aug. 29 in Portland.

The event is expected to be headlined by a main event of Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

[F l i c k e r]

I dont know how Maia will fair. Marquardt has been over-aggressive lately. His last fight wow. And before that he was DQed. He has a fire under his ass.

[Drunken Cat]

f.uck yeah, i might go watch this one.

[Move BRICKS™]

R.I.P. Maia.

[pugilistfan]

Very good fight. Big step in Maia.

[Left2theliver]

And again Okami is just completely looked over...

[JabSandwich]

R.I.P. Maia.

+1, finally some1 who's gonna expose Maia

And again Okami is just completely looked over...

its cos he's not exciting, its hard to market a guy who makes Grandma look like the Flash

[Left2theliver]

+1, finally some1 who's gonna expose Maia



its cos he's not exciting, its hard to market a guy who makes Grandma look like the Flash

yeah but exciting or not the guy's been on a tear, a champ at the belt shouldn't be determined by excitement. This ain't the WWE ya know

[Mozza]

Great matchmaking. I trust that Bisping will get a title shot in the UK if he overcomes Hendo but the next in line after that must be the winner of this fight.

[Dice]

R.I.P. Maia.

I dont think so fam, Demian Maia is for real. Nate has been on a roll recently and trains with a sick camp but his recent KO's overshadow the fact that he's actually a submission fighter with 15 wins comming by way of taps and only 6 wins by ko, he blew it against Leities, and has been choked out by Ricardo Almieda.

Maia's been on a serious roll and has a top notch ground game and trains in strikes with Wanderlei Silva.

His UFC wins of Jensen, Herman, Macdonald, Quarry, and Sonnen, isnt a murders row but its still a nice set of fighters made even more imressive that he submitted them all without being in any serious trouble. Also in grappling competition he's got wins over Fabio Negao and Yushin Okami.

Its a serious fight that I cant wait to see, Marquart has really developed as a fighter but I think Maia is on fire and I think will beat Nate