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Demian Maia is not ready to hang up his gloves for good just yet. While in conversation with Ariel Helwani on the most recent edition of The MMA Hour, the veteran of 33 UFC fights offered some insight into his future in the promotion.
He revealed that while he has already fought his last fight as per his contract, he is hoping to extend his stay in the UFC with yet another fight. In addition, he admitted that the COVID-19 pandemic also affected his decision to extend his career.
"Because of the crazy world that we live in right now, with the problem with the pandemic. I was like, 'Man, I don't want to finish my career right now, I think I have one more left.'" s
Demian Maia further went on to admit that he felt he was not at his personal best in his most recent fight against Belal Muhammad. Fighting on the same card as Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori at UFC 263, Maia faced Muhammad on the main card. However, he suffered a unanimous decision loss at the hands of the 33-year-old.
Demian Maia believes an event in Brazil could get him a spot on the card
Demian Maia went on to suggest that the location of events has proved to be a real roadblock in his attempt to bag another fight. The fact that UFC cards have mostly been limited to the United States has posed a real challenge.
"That's the problem with the world right now. We're not having events outside of the US. I mean, we have Abu Dhabi, but we don't have in Brazil. I think if we had something in Brazil then the chance would be bigger. But what I want to say is I want to do one more. I want to do one more for sure to finish my career."
Catch Demian Maia's appearance on The MMA Hour below:
Considering every other business venture that Maia has in place, his reluctance to bow out of the sport has nothing to do with the financial aspect of things. Having suffered two losses on the trot, all that Demian Maia wants to do is go out on a high. It remains to be seen if Dana White will grant him the chance to do so.
