Watch Demian Maia respond to Nelson's barb – if you can stand the tension

LAS VEGAS – UFC welterweight Demian Maia is impervious to trash-talk, the way it seems from his response to fellow submission specialist Gunnar Nelson.

The two fight Saturday on the pay-per-view main card of UFC 194, which takes place at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. But this is so not a grudge match.

Nelson (14-1-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), not exactly known for his gift of jab, threw his version of a verbal barb by calmly declaring Maia (21-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) to be old and on his way out of the fight game, providing a good opportunity to be overtaken.

Asked for a response, Maia answered as earnestly as he would if explaining gravity.

“I don’t feel I’m going to stop fighting soon,” he told MMAjunkie. “Every camp, I get in better shape and I have better technique. And with this anti-doping policy now, it’s better because the game will be more fair, and it gives me more time.”

As even-keeled as Maia’s answer is, it’s also telling, given that at least one of his former opponents – ex-middleweight champ Anderson Silva – tested positive for banned substances. Since the implementation of the UFC’s new anti-doping program in July, two fighters have been ensnared, and one has been suspended.

Behind closed doors at gyms and dojos, the impact might be even larger.

But Maia, who’s ranked No. 9 in the NOS Energy Drink MMA welterweight rankings, is forging ahead, doing his best to get back into the title picture after a failed middleweight attempt against Silva and a stall at 170 pounds. He’s won his past three bouts, and while the division is packed to the gills, a win over Nelson, an honorable mention in the rankings, is a good notch on his belt.

With greater anti-doping efforts, Maia estimates he has three years left in the fight game. Just don’t expect him to cut any promo reels on his way up.

For more on UFC 194, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.