Maia to replace Belfort

Demain Maia will replace Vitor Belfort for the fight with Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight title at UFC 112.

Belfort had to pull out of the fight this week due to a should injury.

“It’s always tough when a top fighter like Vitor Belfort has to pull out of a big title fight, but we have found a high quality replacement. Top contender Chael Sonnen was not available due to injuries sustained in his fight with Nate Marquardt, so top-six middleweight Demian Maia will step in to fight for the title,” commented UFC president Dana White in a press release.

“Maia is an Abu Dhabi grappling champion, a five-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, and he is 12-1 in MMA and coming off a win over Dan Miller at UFC 109. Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia will be a matchup between MMA’s best striker and MMA’s best grappler.”