Homecoming for Demian Maia as UFC Fight Night 29 headliner

(This story first appeared in today’s edition of USA TODAY.)

BARUERI, Brazil – The first time Demian Maia set foot inside Jose Correa Arena here, life was very different.

“I was totally the underdog,” Maia told USA TODAY Sports. “I was just a guy from jiu-jitsu. A friend of mine was doing this event called the Super Challenge, and he said, ‘Do you want to do this event?’ I said, ‘No! Look, there are guys with 15 fights, 20 fights. I have like two fights. How can I win this?’”

That was seven years ago, nearly to the day. Maia, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, was the upset winner of the event’s single-night, eight-man middleweight tournament, downing Fabio Nascimento, Gustavo Machado and Vitelmo Kubis Bandeira. Maia spent more time in the cage on that one night in 2006 than in his entire MMA career to that point. It was then he realized his dream of competing in the sport could become a reality.

“That was my dream since I was a kid, since I first saw a vale tudo event in my hometown of Sao Paulo,” Maia said. “I wanted to compete. After that night, I realized, ‘Oh, I can do this well. Maybe I’m born to do this.’”

One year after that career-boosting tournament win, Maia was invited to join the sport’s biggest promotion, the UFC. For the first time in his life, competing in the cage, and not teaching classes in a jiu-jitsu academy, would pay his bills.

“When I got into UFC, it was an unbelievable feeling,” Maia said. “When I got inside the cage, ‘Big’ John McCarthy – a guy who I was watching back when Royce Gracie was fighting – was the referee. I was able to earn a quick submission win. It was perfect.”

On Wednesday, life comes full circle for Maia (18-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC), who returns to Jose Correa Arena to headline UFC Fight Night 29 (Fox Sports 1, 7 p.m. ET) against fellow grappling ace Jake Shields (28-6-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC). Maia, who generally faces opponents unwilling to engage him in the grappling department, is excited for the potential to match jiu-jitsu skills with Shields.

“Jake is the toughest jiu-jitsu guy I’ve ever fought, so I’m curious to see how we’re going to do,” Maia said. “Everybody that I fight always avoids jiu-jitsu. I don’t think Jake will do that, so it’s interesting for me.”

But more than anything, Maia is excited to return home. Just like he did before his first contest in Barueri, Maia said he recently visited the arena grounds simply to stand outside its walls and consider his place in life.

“I just looked at the arena and tried to think about the day of the fight,” Maia said. “I think half of the people that will be there are my friends and I know them personally, so it will be nice.

“The pressure is much bigger now, but at the same time I’m more comfortable. I don’t need to work as a jiu-jitsu teacher. I can just focus on my career and my family.

“That was my dream.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 29, stayed tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.