Demian applying his favorite finish in MMA. Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Imagess

Deemed today one of the greatest representatives of BJJ in mixed martial arts, Demian Maia has been around the block. On October 20, 2007, he was stepping inside the Octagon for the first time.

After shining with his superb jiu-jitsu in Brazil, the U.S. and Abu Dhabi, Demian successfully made the move to MMA, racking up six consecutive wins with three submissions. Then came his UFC debut at event No. 77 in Cincinatti. It was a bout in the middleweight division, where he would go on to climb and take a shot at Anderson Silva’s belt two years later.

His first opponent in the UFC was Ryan Jensen, who had 11 wins and two losses at that point. Demian started out aggressive and got a takedown. Jensen didn’t accept his fate, and kept reacting competently to Demian’s attempts. But then the Brazilian passed an arm under his opponent’s chin and squeezed, ending the fight in the first round and getting the Submission of the Night bonus.

You can check out Demian Maia’s debut in this video, and don’t forget to catch him in the co-main even of UFC Sao Paulo on Oct. 28!

Nessa reflexão, Demian fala sobre os medos e inseguranças de um lutador de MMA, e já menciona Anderson Silva, com quem batalharia em Abu Dhabi três anos depois.

Demian vinha de um título na divisão até 88kg no ADCC 2007, o que só aumentava sua responsabilidade. Confira a seguir. E para não perder os melhores textos sobre MMA e Jiu-Jitsu, garanta sua GRACIEMAG todo mês em casa, clicando aqui.

Demian escuta John McCarthy antes da luta contra Ryan Jensen. Foto: Acervo Pessoal.

“Por que tudo isso? Todo esse estresse, toda essa tensão? É o que me perguntava no vestiário do UFC 77, poucas horas antes de entrar para lutar. É assim que me sinto toda vez que estou num campeonato, seja de Jiu-Jitsu ou vale-tudo. Quando eu era faixa-azul achava que um dia essa sensação iria acabar… Doce ilusão. Quanto mais profissional você fica, maior é a responsabilidade e, consequentemente, maior é a pressão.

“Agora, na maior organização de vale-tudo do mundo, a tensão foi grande, mas não superior à minha felicidade de estar lá. Me preparei a vida inteira, não resolvi fazer vale-tudo por dinheiro ou para satisfazer meu ego. Desde criança sonhava em ser o melhor lutador do mundo, com uns 9 anos de idade já queria ser lutador. Comprava livros de karatê e ficava imitando as defesas pessoais com alguns amigos. Tinha feito um ano de judô, mas era muito pequeno, nem me lembro bem. Aos 12 anos comecei a treinar kung-fu, depois um pouco de karatê – influenciado pelos filmes da época.

“Sonhava com um evento como o que havia visto no filme ‘O Grande Dragão Branco’, com Jean Claude Van Damme. Mas tudo isso era coisa de filme, algo distante, que talvez só existisse clandestinamente… Era assim que eu pensava até uma fatídica noite de 1992. Nessa data eu estava no local certo: o ginásio Mauro Pinheiro, em São Paulo. Três atletas desconhecidos do Jiu-Jitsu – pelo menos para mim – se preparavam para lutar contra um pessoal do full-contact e do kung-fu. Uma lavada! Os lutadores de Jiu-Jitsu não tomaram conhecimento dos adversários e ganharam as lutas rapidamente. Foi meu primeiro contato com a arte suave e foi quando comecei a pensar em treinar. E antes que me esqueça, aqueles ‘desconhecidos’ eram Marcelo Behring, Ralph Gracie e Renzo Gracie.

“Na noite do Ultimate toda essa história veio na minha cabeça. Sei que nasci para lutar e que, principalmente, trabalhei duro treinando minha mente e meu corpo para este momento. E posso dizer que toda a tensão vai embora quando entro por aquele corredor. Para mim, aliás, é a melhor parte. Na verdade minha vontade era de rir de felicidade. Acho até mais confortável o MMA do que o Jiu-Jitsu esportivo. Muitas pessoas se abalam quando estão diante de uma multidão como a que esteve presente em Cincinati no dia 20 de outubro, cerca de 15 mil pessoas, mas me sinto bem e também orgulhoso em representar uma arte marcial desenvolvida por brasileiros. Uma arte marcial que possibilita a vitória sem a necessidade de nocautear ou lesionar seriamente o adversário.

“Lá dentro, já no octógono, outra alegria. O árbitro da minha luta seria Big John McCarthy. Os primeiros Ultimates a que assisti – com Royce lutando e Big John de juiz – decidiram meu futuro. O UFC é o meu palco agora, e aquele mesmo octógono da época do Royce, que me fez querer ser um lutador, ainda verá muitas apresentações minhas.

Epílogo

“Ganhei a luta e fui para o vestiário. Fiquei num corredorzinho tentando ver as outras lutas. Estava ansioso para ver a luta do Anderson (contra Rich Franklin), pois gosto muito dele e estava torcendo por ele. Foi um show de técnica. Para mim o Anderson é o melhor lutador do mundo atualmente. Só tem um problema, ele é o campeão do meu peso. Naquele corredor, escondido, eu pensava que um dia, se quiser ser campeão do peso médio, vou ter de enfrentá-lo. Acho que ainda vai demorar, posso ganhar ou perder, mas nesse dia terei um sorriso estampado no rosto.”

In this reflection, Demian addresses the fears and insecurities of an MMA fighter and already mentions Anderson Silva, with whom he would later do battle three years later in Abu Dhabi.

Demian was just coming off winning a title in the ADCC 2007 under-88 kg division, which just added to the pressure on him. See what he had to say in the text that follows. And stop missing all the best scribblings on MMA and Jiu-Jitsu, secure your copy of GRACIEMAG at home every month by clicking here.

Demian listens to John McCarthy before fighting Ryan Jensen. Photo: personal archive.

“Why go through all this? All this stress, all this tension? That’s what I asked myself when in the dressing room at UFC 77, a few hours before going in to fight. And that’s how I feel every time I’m at a championship, whether Jiu-Jitsu or MMA. When I was a blue belt I though that feeling would end… Sweet illusion. The more the professional you become, the greater the responsibility and, consequently, the greater the pressure.

“Now, in the greatest organization in the world, the tension is huge, but it’s not any greater than my joy for being here. I prepared my whole life for this, I didn’t decide to do MMA for money or to satisfy my ego. Ever since I was a kid I dreamed of being the best fighter in the world – I already wanted to be a fighter at nine years of age. I’d buy karate books and would imitate self-defense techniques with some of my friends. I had done a year of judo, but I was really small, I don’t even remember it that well. At twelve I started practicing kung-fu and karate a bit later on – influenced by the movies of the times.

“I dreamed of being in an event like the one I’d seen in the movie “Bloodsport” with Jean-Claude Van Damme. But that was all movie stuff, distant, which perhaps only existed underground… That was how I thought until one fateful night in 1992. On that date I was in the right place: Mauro Pinheiro gymnasium in São Paulo. Three unknown Jiu-Jitsu athletes – at least unknown to me – were getting ready to fight guys from full-contact fighting and from kung-fu. It was a drubbing! The Jiu-Jitsu fighters didn’t bat an eye in quickly beating their opponents. It was my first contact with the gentle art and that was when I started considering training. And before I forget, those ‘unknowns’ were Marcelo Behring, Ralph Gracie and Renzo Gracie.

“On the evening of the UFC that whole story entered my head: I know I was born to fight and, most importantly, I worked hard training my mind and body for this moment. And what I can say is that all the tension goes away when I walk down that corridor. In fact, to me it’s the best part. The truth is I feel like laughing with joy. I even feel more comfortable in MMA than I do in sport Jiu-Jitsu. A lot of people get shaken when faced with as many people as there were in the arena in Cincinnati on October 20 – nearly 15 thousand people –, but I feel good and proud to represent a martial art developed by Brazilians. A martial art that lets you win without having to knock out or injure the adversary.

“In there, in the octagon, there’s another joy. The referee for my fight would be Big John McCarthy. The first UFCs that I watched – with Royce fighting and Big John as referee – determined my future. The UFC is now my stage, and that same octagon from the days of Royce Gracie, who made me want to become a fighter, would host many of my fights.

Epilogue

“I won the fight and headed back to the dressing room. I hung around a corridor trying to see the other fights. I was anxious to see Anderson (against Rich Franklin), since I like him a lot and was rooting for him. It was a show of technique. To me Anderson is the best fighter in the world right now. There’s just one problem, he’s the champion of my weight class. In that corridor, hidden away, I thought of how one day, if I wished to be middleweight champion, I’ll have to face him. I feel it will still be a while, I may win or lose, but on that day I’ll wear a smile on my face.”