A high level clash in the welterweight division!

Fighting Words pits two of our Generation Iron MMA writers against each other in a heated debate on big fight predictions Jonathan Salmon: So another week another opportunity to see pugilism at it’s finest. The bout between Carlos Condit and Demian Maia is one that could determine both men’s futures in the welterweight division. As it stands, a win for either man could see them thrust into a UFC title shot sooner rather than later. A loss could mean that either man could be looking at retirement. This is pretty much a striker versus grappler match that I see being more difficult for the ground specialist to handle than the man who wants to throw hands. Make no mistake, Carlos Condit is walking away with the win. Lionel Harris-Spence: While your logical train of thought could lead someone into overlooking your last statement, me being who I am cannot let that slide. It certainly would not be a mistake in thinking Demian Maia could come out with a victory as he’s been on a tear and beating good people to boot. Probably his most impressive wins were against dangerous strikers Gunnar Nelson and Matt Brown. In both situations once he got his opponent to the ground it was all but over as they best they could muster was defense. While Condit is a striking phenom, he has been known to be taken to the ground by the likes of GSP and Johnny Hendricks. Maia is bigger than both of those guys as a former middleweight fighter and his take down skills are world class. JS: Pretty good points to be honest, but you’re leaving out some key factors. Carlos Condit isn’t the man he once was. Ever since employing a movement coach we’ve seen “The Natural Born Killer” make a ton of strides. No longer does he stand directly in front of his opponents to be taken. His lateral movement makes it conceivable that Maia will have a far harder time grounding Condit than he has to previous opponents. Condit is going to use his long weapons on the outside coupled with consistent movements in order to pick Maia apart and keep him at distance. If Maia hopes to get inside for a take down he’s going to take a number of blows to do so. LHS: I totally agree. Maia will definitely have to eat a number of blows to get to Condit, but one would have to think that’s his game plan. Like facing any dangerous striker I believe Maia is prepared to lose a couple battles in order to win the war. While Condit’s movement is slightly improved, he throws a lot of kicks and still tends to find himself up against the cage all lot more than he ought to which are ideal opportunities for a grappler of Maia’s caliber. While I did see notable differences in his last fight with Robbie Lawler, he still has a few bad habits that could lead to his downfall (literally in this case). I think when Maia gets him against the fence they’ll be a few elbows and knees but when the storm is weathered Condit will be on the canvas trying to climb to his feet to no avail. JS: The problem with Maia having a gameplan of that nature means that he may bite off more than he can chew. Maia is getting up there in age and though he may be as tough as they come, there’s only so much punishment he’ll be able to take before he breaks. Look for Condit to use fast strikes to the body to slow down Maia and finishing things with a fight ending knee when Maia decides to shoot in.

LHS: Honestly if I was a betting man that wouldn’t be a bad call. But with Maia looking solid in all of his fights and finishing classically dangerous strikers, along with the size advantage, I’m going to have to give it to the Jiu Jitsu Yoda that is Demian Maia. Ultimately it’s a classic battle between striker and grappler. In this case the grappler will impose his will.

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