Demian Maia is nearing the end of a long career, but the longtime vet isn’t quite ready to walk away.
Maia is heading into his 33rd UFC fight and at 43 years old, the Brazilian knows that his days may be numbered. Maia will be featured on the main card of the stacked UFC 263 event. He takes on Belal Muhammad in what many believe could be his last fight. If it were up to Maia he would not be hanging his gloves up just yet.
“I’m near the end, and it could be the last fight,” Maia told MMA Junkie at media day. “But, you know, I’ve been performing so well in training camp, and I’ve been feeling so well that I could do one more, couple more – most likely one more after that.”
The reason some believe that Maia could be nearing the end of his career could be more about his age than his skill. He is still very capable in the Octagon having won three of his last four. He did however lose his last outing against a top contender in Gilbert Burns. In fact, his only losses in the last seven years have been to former or current champions and title contenders.
“Of course, it depends, because you perform well in the training camp, and sometimes, you know, you cannot translate it to the Octagon, and so if I can translate well and, of course, UFC and Dana (White), they want me to do one more fight, I would do it. If not, then, you know, it would be the last one,” Maia said.
The UFC has been letting go of some of the older and more seasoned fighters to make way for a new breed rising to the top. If Maia were to lose this UFC 263 bout, he could potentially be next. A veteran of the sport deserves to go out on his own terms and if Maia is not ready to walk away yet, while he is still winning he should be able to continue on.
Do you think Demian Maia should retire following his UFC 263 bout?
