I can't help but pick Maia. He has been an absolute beast since dropping to 170. He was also the ONE fighter I wanted to see face GSP. Rory is legit, but Maia is showing the world how elite he is.
Rory is a fearless powerful kid, and it a took a very powerful guy in Lawler to override that. With Rory playing so safe against Ellenberger, then trying the same with Lawler and getting knocked about, he will want to make a statement here but Maia is the one dude he should try to jab to a decision.
If these two lock up, I think Maia has his way. Wouldn't be surprised if Rory plays really safe again, but I think he'll want to unleash his full game here and if he does, Maia is more than capable of weathering the storm and submitting him.
Rory has better striking, is probably more powerful and more unpredictable, but I think Maia finds a way to end this.
I guess I'll be the rebel, and go with Rory steamrolling Maia. Probably not a stoppage, but an easy UD. Rory will probably keep it on the feet, and Maia still has shitty striking.
seems like a lot of you should be laying down on Demian should betting be something you enjoy doing. Rory is -280 which is too high for me to bet straight up, but I do think he wins rather convincingly. He may even drop Maia and tko gnp him. Unan Dec also possible and probably more likely.
I like both fighters. Not sure who I want to win more, probably Rory as I think he has more overall tools to beat a Hendricks in the future.
Rory should regain his spot after this fight. Maia is very good, but I think that McDonald will keep it on the feet, he is definitely very good at doing that. Maia will try to strike and to take the fight to the ground in the end of the first round, but Rory should be able to defend well, keep his distance and strike till Maia has no answer for his attacks, after which Rory should secure the UD when he gets comfortable. McDonald's main mistake in the Lawler fight was that he thought he was invincible in the striking department and he wasn't moving enough, which resulted those big shots to land for Robbie. I think that if McDonald was more focused in this fight he would have won it and now he would have taken Lawler's spot against Hendriks for the title. He should be a beast in this fight against Maia to regain his title contendership.
Rory has no excuse to lose this fight imo... The guy is just too big and talented. It's just going out their and putting it all together. He can't wait the entire fight to get it going like in Lawler fight.
I wouldn't go as far to say that he has "no excuse." It's not like Maia sucks. He is a strong welterweight himself with an amazing ground game. He dropped the ball against Shields, but how often have you seen guys like Fitch and Story get rag dolled? Fitch against St. Pierre when he was the kingpin, and Story, I'm not even sure. He is a brute who's conditioning is his enemy. Maia walked right through him when he was at 100%. Maia is still a beast. Rory is talented, no doubt, and Maia will have his hands full if he brings his best, but if Maia manages to get him down, Rory could have his hands full as well. Jake worked on the ground fine against him, but I'd say that Jake is much better on the ground than Rory (and arguably better than the rest of the division grappling wise) and is often underrated because of his style.
I see this as a pretty evenly matched fight. I'm leaning toward Maia, but if Rory comes in with his takedown defense being top of the line, it could be a long night for Maia because his stand up isn't where it needs to be.
Initially I thought Rory could take this, then I remembered that Demian did beat Fitch, Story, Kim, and a sleu of others at MW. Given their history it's fairly evenly matched.
If Maia gets on the inside/clinch/takedown it'll be his world. If Rory pumps his jab and fights like he should aggressively controlling all aspects of the fight then he takes it. Kinda glad Robbie won, but we all know that was Rory's fight. GSP passed the torch to Rory. It's up to him to take it.
After reviewing the top three fights this is actually a solid card. It's just lacking the usual super star marquee fights.
I feel MacDonald is the stronger of the two and will be able to dictate more of where the fight takes places and his better striking skills will give him the edge in the rounds allowing him to win a decision.
That's what I've been thinking. Maia rag dolled Fitch and Story but I think Rory is much stronger than either of them and his defensive wrestling is superior as well. Neither Fitch nor Story have shown the ability to deal with being pressured constantly. Rory hasn't really either but his footwork is better so I don't know if Maia will be able to rush into the clinch the same way.
Rory and Maia are both solid, so I'm happy no matter who wins. I really do believe that Rory will be able to avoid getting taken down by Maia, and if that's the case, Rory wins the stand-up exchange all day long. Just my two cents, though who can really be certain of how any match will unfold.
Maia should of plenty of chances to take Rory down, Rory leans at the waist when he jabs... putting a lot of weight down on that front leg, if he slips that jab he can get on on a leg, throw in a leg kick first and with Maia's persistence on a takedown he shouldn't fail to take Rory down.
I am just really sick of seeing these retards wearing the big stupid headphones that aren't even hooked up. Bunch of sell outs. I hope the clowns that do lose.
What I'm trying to figure out is, will Rory have the performance of a lifetime or will Maia "out fitch" em to a decision.
Given the circumstance with GSP leaving and Rory losing his last fight, I'd imagine he's got redemption on his mind. So I think Rory will get the UD. I don't he can finish though because Maia is too crafty in the guard.
Yeah, I don't think Rory will want to be in Maia's guard. I see him trying to use his footwork to keep his distance. He shouldn't want Maia to get ahold of him because Maia has a pretty strong grip and could likely drag him down if given the chance.
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