Demian Maia Replaces Vitor Belfort at UFC 112 vs Anderson Silva: Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White has announced that Demian Maia [+325 ML] will indeed replace Vitor Belfort in the middleweight championship bout against Anderson Silva [-525 ML] at UFC 112 later this year. On Thursday, Belfort announced that he had undergone shoulder surgery and that he would not be capable of fighting for the UFC middleweight belt on April 10th in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Maia, who would have to recover from a cut in his (left) eyelid, was praised in a statement released by Dana White. “It’s always tough when a top fighter like Vitor Belfort has to pull out of a big title fight, but we have found a high quality replacement,” said the UFC president. “Top contender Chael Sonnen was not available due to injuries sustained in his fight with Nate Marquardt, so top six middleweight Demian Maia will step in to fight for the title.
“Maia is an Abu Dhabi grappling champion, a five-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, and he is 12-1 in MMA and coming off a win over Dan Miller at UFC 109. Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia will be a matchup between MMA’s best striker and MMA’s best grappler.”
On Saturday February 27th, the UFC celebrates its 110th event with a terrific fight card. Here are some of the most intriguing matchups that night, along with the UFC 110 Betting Odds:
Joe "Daddy" Stevenson [-280 ML] vs George Sotiropoulos [+220 ML]
Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira [-140 ML] vs Cain Velasquez [+110 ML]
Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva [-160 ML] vs Michael "The Count" Bisping [+130 ML]
Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine [+130 ML] vs Ryan "Darth" Bader [-160 ML]
