Demian Maia Baptista
ADCC world champion, a UFC title challenger, no submission losses. Since 2009, fighters bound for title fights have come to him for the ground game.
Biography
Sources for this profile
Sherdog, "Demian Maia MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography", retrieved 20 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
Sherdog's fighter record lists him as Brazilian, born 6 November 1977, 6 ft 0 in and 170 lb, competing at welterweight and affiliated with Demian Maia Jiu-Jitsu.
Where in the source: Fighter header fields: "AGE 48 / Nov 6, 1977", "ASSOCIATION Demian Maia Jiu-Jitsu", "CLASS Welterweight"
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His association is recorded as Demian Maia Jiu-Jitsu, the school that carries his own name.
Where in the source: Fighter header field "ASSOCIATION Demian Maia Jiu-Jitsu"
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He was unbeaten through eleven professional fights until Nate Marquardt knocked him out 21 seconds into their bout at UFC 102 on 29 August 2009.
Where in the source: Pro fight history, the Nate Marquardt row dated "Aug / 29 / 2009", method column "KO (Punch)", time column "0:21"
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He submitted Ben Askren with a rear-naked choke in the third round on 26 October 2019, and his last fight was a unanimous-decision loss to Belal Muhammad at UFC 263 on 12 June 2021.
Where in the source: Pro fight history, the Ben Askren row dated "Oct / 26 / 2019" and the Belal Muhammad row dated "Jun / 12 / 2021"
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Across a professional record of 28 wins and 11 losses, 14 of the wins came by submission and 3 by knockout, while none of the 11 losses came by submission and 2 by knockout.
Where in the source: Statistics panel, the Wins block and the Losses block, including the line "SUBMISSIONS 0 0%"
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At Super Challenge 1 on 7 October 2006 he won three fights in a single night, submitting Vitelmo Kubis Bandeira with a rear-naked choke, taking a decision over Gustavo Machado, and finishing Fabio Nascimento with a guillotine in 35 seconds.
Where in the source: Pro fight history, the three rows dated "Oct / 07 / 2006" for the event "SC1 - Super Challenge 1"
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Wikipedia, "Demian Maia", English Wikipedia, section "Background", retrieved 20 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
He trained judo as a child, took up kung fu and karate as a teenager, and was introduced to Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the age of nineteen by his cousin.
Where in the source: Section "Background", the sentence "Maia trained in judo as a child", the teenage kung fu and karate line, and "By age nineteen"
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- Conflicting accounts
Wikipedia's list of his IBJJF World Championship results records second place at brown belt in 2001, first place at purple belt in 2000, and second place at blue belt in 1999.
Where in the source: Section "Grappling credentials", the three IBJJF World Championships lines for 2001, 2000 and 1999
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He won the 77-87 kg division at the 2007 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship and finished second in the same division in 2005.
Where in the source: Medal record rows "2007 Newark -88kg" and "2005 Los Angeles -88kg"; section "Professional grappling career", opening sentence
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On the way to the 2007 ADCC title he beat Yushin Okami, Rafael Lovato and Tarsis Humphreys, then submitted Flavio Almeida with an armbar in the final. He competed for Team Brasa, and Wikipedia also lists Alliance and Masters Academy among his teams.
Where in the source: Section "Professional grappling career", the opponent list ending "with an armbar in the finals"; section "Background", the clause "with Team Brasa"; infobox "Team" field, the entries "Masters Academy" and "Alliance Jiu Jitsu"
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His professional record opened on 21 September 2001 in Caracas with a first-round TKO of Raul Sosa at Tormenta en el Ring, after which he did not fight again for more than four years, returning on 3 December 2005 to submit Lukasz Chlewicki with an armbar.
Where in the source: Section "Early career", the opening sentences on the Raul Sosa bout at "Tormenta en el Ring in Caracas, Venezuela" and the return "After a four-year layoff"; section "Mixed martial arts record", the two oldest rows, dated "3 December 2005" and "21 September 2001"
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He signed with the UFC in August 2007 and won his first five fights in the promotion by submission. Four of those five brought him a Submission of the Night award, and no one in the UFC had taken that award three times running until he did so with the third, against Jason MacDonald.
Where in the source: Section "Ultimate Fighting Championship", the contract report dated 7 August 2007, and the sentence after the MacDonald bout beginning "With this award"
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He fought for the UFC middleweight title against Anderson Silva at UFC 112 on 10 April 2010, taking the bout after Vitor Belfort withdrew with a shoulder injury, at the promotion's first open-air event, in Abu Dhabi. He lost a unanimous decision over five rounds, in a fight where the referee warned the champion for inaction and the crowd turned towards the challenger.
Where in the source: Section "Middleweight Championship fight", the clause on the first open-air event in Abu Dhabi, and the fifth-round sentence naming referee Dan Miragliotta
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He moved down to welterweight in 2012, and after building a seven-fight winning run in the division he fought Tyron Woodley for the welterweight title at UFC 214 on 29 July 2017, losing a unanimous decision.
Where in the source: Section "Welterweight title fight and beyond", opening clause "After amassing a seven-fight win streak"; record note "Welterweight debut"
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Wikipedia's list of his accomplishments credits him with nine rear-naked-choke finishes in the UFC, more than any other fighter in the promotion's history; with eleven submission wins there, a tally it ranks third and shared; and with a run of five straight submission victories, which it ranks second-longest and also shared.
Where in the source: Section "Mixed martial arts", the three honours lines giving the figures 9, 11 and 5
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His method was built on getting the fight to the ground: takedowns and trips to reach a dominant position, a preference for taking the back and hunting the rear-naked choke, and, from underneath, sweeping almost exclusively with single legs.
Where in the source: Section "Fighting style and legacy", the sentences on taking the back mount and on sweeping with single legs
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Frank Mir, a former UFC heavyweight champion and himself a jiu-jitsu black belt, took him on as a jiu-jitsu coach before the UFC 100 title fight against Brock Lesnar. Mir said he had believed he was good at jiu-jitsu himself "until I started rolling with him".
Where in the source: Section "Fighting style and legacy", the paragraph on Mir and UFC 100, ending in the quoted "until I started rolling with him"
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He has said that a three-hour private lesson with Rickson Gracie was one of the moments that most changed his approach to jiu-jitsu. He has named Royce Gracie as the reason he took up mixed martial arts and Rickson as his principal hero.
Where in the source: Section "Background", the sentence on the "three-hour private lesson" with Rickson Gracie; section "Personal life", the sentence naming Royce and Rickson
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After leaving the UFC he returned to grappling competition. On 25 June 2022 he headlined Polaris 20 and beat Benson Henderson on points, and on 12 February 2023 he scored 16 points against Sangwook Kim before finishing him with an arm-triangle choke in the Spyder BJJ "Road to Black" final.
Where in the source: Section "Professional grappling career", the Polaris 20 paragraph and the following Spyder final paragraph naming the arm-triangle choke
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His full name is Demian Augusto Maia Baptista, and he was born on 6 November 1977 in São Paulo, Brazil. Under Portuguese naming practice Maia is the maternal family name and Baptista the paternal one.
Where in the source: Infobox and lead, the full name with the birth date "born 6 November 1977", and the Portuguese-name note above the infobox
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He is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt whose lineage runs Mitsuyo Maeda to Carlos Gracie Sr. to Hélio Gracie to Rolls Gracie to Romero Cavalcanti to Fábio Gurgel to Maia, and he holds his black belt under Fábio Gurgel.
Where in the source: Section "Brazilian jiu-jitsu lineage", the chain ending "Fabio Gurgel"; infobox rank footnote "under Fabio Gurgel"
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Demian Maia, "ABOUT", demianmaia.com, official biography, retrieved 20 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
By his own account he practised Wing Chun kung fu from the age of twelve and kept it up for seven years alongside Shotokan karate, and turned to Brazilian jiu-jitsu in his late teens because he already had an MMA career in mind.
Where in the source: Section "BIOGRAPHY", the sentence beginning "By twelve, he was practicing Wing Chun Kung-Fu", and the clause "with a vision of an MMA career"
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He trained as often as three times a day and earned his black belt in four years and seven months.
Where in the source: Section "BIOGRAPHY", the sentence containing "In just four years and seven months, he earned his black belt"
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- Conflicting accounts
By his own account, at the 2001 IBJJF World Championship he reached the brown-belt final, where an accidental clash of heads left both finalists unable to continue and the IBJJF president awarded gold to both men.
Where in the source: Section "BIOGRAPHY", the 2001 paragraph beginning "A unique moment in his career", through "award them both gold medals"
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His titles list records CBJJO World Cup black-belt wins at middle-heavyweight in 2002 and 2005 and in the absolute division in 2003, an IBJJF Pan-American black-belt title at middle-heavyweight in 2006, and two North American black-belt titles in 2005, at middle-heavyweight and in the absolute division.
Where in the source: Section "BJJ TITLES", the blocks headed "CBJJO Copa Do Mundo", "IBJJF Panamericano Championships" and "North American Championships"
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His own fight list records an earlier bout that his professional record does not: a vale-tudo fight in 1996 at Campeonato Contato Total Portugues, won by TKO against an opponent his own list leaves unnamed, at a time when he was still training kung fu.
Where in the source: Section "BIOGRAPHY", the sentence "His first bout was in Vale-Tudo (NHB) in 1996"; record list, the final row "Campeonato Contato Total Portugues (1996)"
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By his own account he had only four weeks to prepare for that title fight.
Where in the source: Section "BIOGRAPHY", the clause "with only four weeks to prepare"
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He began teaching jiu-jitsu in 2001 and founded his own school, Demian Maia Jiu-Jitsu Brasileiro, which he now works to extend internationally through affiliation, seminars and multi-day training camps; he also works as a commentator and presenter for UFC Brazil and gives keynote talks to companies.
Where in the source: Section "BIOGRAPHY", the clause "founding Demian Maia Jiu-Jitsu Brasileiro (DMJJB)", and the clause "commentator and host for UFC Brazil"
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- Conflicting accounts
His mother was born in Brazil to Ukrainian and Polish parents who emigrated after the wars in Europe, and his father is Brazilian of Portuguese and indigenous descent.
Where in the source: Section "BIOGRAPHY", the two sentences describing his mother and his father ancestry
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He calls the choke he used against Askren the "Maia-Leão", his own variation on the traditional mata-leão, or rear-naked choke.
Where in the source: Section "BIOGRAPHY", the clause naming his signature "Maia-Leão" technique
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Wikipedia, "Demian Maia", Portuguese Wikipedia, section "Iniciacao as artes marciais", retrieved 20 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
He pursued jiu-jitsu intensively while studying for a journalism degree at Faculdade Casper Libero, training two to three times a day, graduating in journalism in 2001 and receiving his jiu-jitsu black belt in December of the same year.
Where in the source: Section "Iniciação às artes marciais", the sentence beginning "Formou-se em jornalismo em 2001", and the preceding clause "duas a três vezes ao dia"
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The Portuguese account explains the four-year gap: despite winning his debut, he did not take to the sport and set MMA aside.
Where in the source: Section "Carreira no MMA", the clause "deixou o MMA de lado por 4 anos"
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With his win at UFC 198 on 14 May 2016, his seventeenth in the promotion, he became the Brazilian with the most wins in UFC history.
Where in the source: Lead sentence beginning "No dia 14 de maio de 2016", containing "o maior número de triunfos na organização"
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He is a sixth-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a rank awarded by his master Fábio Gurgel in November 2025.
Where in the source: Infobox field "Graduação": "Faixa preta 6º grau"; body sentence beginning "Ele é atualmente faixa preta em sexto grau"
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UFC, "Demian Maia | UFC", ufc.com athlete page, Fighter Facts, retrieved 20 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
The UFC's own record counts fourteen submission wins across his career, nine of them rear-naked chokes, and separately counts eleven of his twenty-two UFC victories as submissions.
Where in the source: Fighter Facts line beginning "Fourteen overall wins by submission", giving "9 RNC" and "11 of 22 wins in the UFC by submission"
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The UFC's own athlete record gives his place of birth as São Paulo, Brazil, his fighting style as jiu-jitsu, his gym as Vila da Luta / Demian Maia Jiu-Jitsu in São Paulo, and his Octagon debut as 20 October 2007.
Where in the source: Bio tab fields "Place of Birth", "Trains at", "Fighting style" and "Octagon Debut Oct. 20, 2007"
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Demian Maia, "SEMINARS", demianmaia.com, retrieved 20 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
By his own account he has taught seminars since his first ones in Japan in 2003 and has since taught in more than 30 countries, calling teaching jiu-jitsu around the world one of the greatest joys of his career.
Where in the source: Section "Train with Demian Maia", the sentence containing "first seminars in Japan back in 2003" and "over 30 countries"
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Marcelo Alonso, "Demian Maia details training that helped Charles Oliveira dominate at UFC 326", Sherdog, 9 March 2026.(opens in a new tab)
Preparing Charles Oliveira for Max Holloway at UFC 326 in 2026, he studied Holloway's fights, concluded that Holloway defended leg takedowns well, and built the plan around takedowns attacking the body instead, drawing on judo and Greco-Roman wrestling. He also drilled Oliveira on staying attached on the ground so that Holloway could not work his way back to his feet, and credited the head coach Diego Lima and the wrestling coach Ali alongside his own part.
Where in the source: Article body, the quoted paragraph beginning "Analyzing his fights, I realized he defended leg takedowns very well"
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The ground principle he drilled into Oliveira was not his own: he says Marcelo Garcia gave it to him years earlier. As he put it, "you don't need to take the wrestler down" -- grapple with him, follow his escape, and you end up on his back. He had training partners try to climb on top of Oliveira and break away to get the fight standing again, and repeated the drill in a circuit until it was sharp.
Where in the source: Section "Practice Makes Perfect", the quoted passage beginning "It was something Marcelo Garcia told me many years ago"
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Sayan Nag, "Why Ian Garry moved to Brazil to train with Demian Maia ahead of UFC 330", Sherdog, 11 August 2026.(opens in a new tab)
Ian Machado Garry moved his training base to Brazil partly to work on his ground game with Maia before challenging for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 330 in August 2026, and described him as "arguably the greatest grappler in MMA history".
Where in the source: Article body, the clause "one of the key reasons he moved to Brazil", and the quoted phrase "arguably the greatest grappler in MMA history"
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BJJEE, "Demian Maia On The 3 Hour Private Session He Had with Rickson Gracie That Changed His Jiu-Jitsu", 8 April 2021.(opens in a new tab)
The session lasted about three hours and took place at Rickson Gracie's house in Rio de Janeiro; Maia has said the concepts he took from it impressed him deeply.
Where in the source: Article body, the two sentences beginning "He had the chance to spend 3 hours training with Rickson"
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Wikipedia, "UFC 100", English Wikipedia, retrieved 20 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
UFC 100 was held on 11 July 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada, and its main event was the heavyweight title bout between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir.
Where in the source: Lead sentence "UFC 100 was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on July 11, 2009"; infobox field "Date July 11, 2009"; section "Background", the sentence "The main event was a rematch between UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar"
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Sherdog, "UFC 100 - Lesnar vs. Mir 2", event record, retrieved 20 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)
Sherdog's event record for UFC 100 gives the date as 11 July 2009 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, and lists the Lesnar-Mir heavyweight bout as the main event and a title fight.
Where in the source: Event header "Jul 11, 2009 Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada"; main-event row marked "MAIN EVENT TITLE FIGHT Heavyweight"
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Marcelo Alonso, "UFC Veteran Demian Maia Opens Museum, Academy in Sao Paulo", Sherdog, 17 November 2020.(opens in a new tab)
In November 2020 he opened an academy in São Paulo built so that students could study the history of the sport as well as train in it, with a museum area and three training rooms named after Hélio and Carlos Gracie, Carlson Gracie and Fábio Gurgel. He said the school was not mainly meant to produce MMA champions but to serve people who take up jiu-jitsu for their "quality of life", and that it would run children's classes, women-only sessions and private lessons.
Where in the source: Article body, the paragraph naming the three dojos, and the quotation that follows it beginning "our main focus"
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Lineage
No teaching connections are shown on this page.
Open lineage