Demian Maia will be getting a clean slate in a new division when he makes his welterweight debut against Dong Yun Kim on the main card at UFC 148.
The early flow of UFC betting action on the -135 opener witnessed a brief climb to -155 before a slight buy back on Maia, dropping the UFC odds down to a more universal offering of -140.
Looking back at Kim’s last two fights, being knocked out by a flying knee from Carlos Condit may have actually been beneficial to his overall development. It’s allowed him to go back and refine a lot of subtleties in both his defense and offensive striking, which were on display in his latest bout with Sean Pierson
Kim was able to showcase improved timing and distance as he methodically maintained his preferred range with his jab and jolting straight left from the outside. Throughout the fight Pierson was left swinging at air as his punches came up just short in most of the exchanges.
One clear edge he has over Maia to take note of is the activity and length behind his rangier, more active kicking game, which could easily be the difference in a close swing round. He stays particularly busy with his outside leg kicks, and in the Pierson fight, he was throwing and landing his jumping frontkick with surprising frequency.
Produtos Demian Maia JJ Brasil: Sempre na Luta! Always in fights!
