Demian Maia Makes Quick Work of Lyman Good with First Round Submission

The rumors of Demian Maia’s demise have greatly exaggerated.

The former welterweight title contender stepped into his latest contest against Lyman Good off three straight losses and at 41-years of age it seemed like maybe time had passed by the legendary submission specialist.

Never mind the fact that Maia had only fallen to the current welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, former interim champion Colby Covington and current No. 1 contender Kamaru Usman, there were still doubts about how much he had left in the tank.

Maia quickly dispatched any questions about where he stands in the division by wrapping up a first round submission to get back on track in his native Brazil.

Once the fight got started, Maia wasted no time marching across the cage, walking down Good and almost immediately latching onto a single leg takedown to bring him to the canvas. Good resisted the takedowns as best he could with Maia constantly pressing forward trying to bring the action into his world.

Good eventually did manage to get back to his feet but in the process he gave up his back and Maia almost immediately latched onto him and began fishing for the submission.

As much as he tried to resist, Good couldn’t shake Maia loose and eventually the arms were wrapped around his neck and the end was near. Maia tightened his grip and Good had no choice but to tap out with the end coming at 2:38 into the opening round.

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It was a much needed win for Maia but also a statement for the Brazilian after many wondered if he was still amongst the elite welterweights in the world following those three lopsided losses in a row.

Afterwards, Maia addressed his future while confirming that his retirement could be looming in the near future once he finishes his current contract with the UFC.

"I have two more fights on the contract," Maia revealed. "I would like to fight at the next event in Brazil to keep up, then one more, and then decide my life, whether I continue or stop.”

The win also counted as Maia’s 10th career submission inside the Octagon, putting him in second place all time behind current leader Charles Oliveira.