CURITIBA, Brazil – Demian Maia’s first shot at a UFC title did not go smoothly. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert lost a wide decision to then-middleweight champ Anderson Silva at UFC 112.

The fight with Silva was criticized heavily by fans, though through no fault of Maia. Silva danced and taunted more than he fought, but still took the fight by scores of 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46.

Six years later, Maia is one of the hottest fighters in the welterweight division. He scored a third-round submission of Matt Brown at UFC 198 to run his winning streak to five fights. He’s currently ranked No. 8 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings, though that ranking will likely improve after his victory.

The bout between Maia and Brown closed out the preliminary card of the UFC 198 event at Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of a main card on pay-per-view.

Older, wiser and lighter, Maia believes it’s time for him to once again fight with a UFC title on the line. He also said he should jump the line and move ahead of No. 3 ranked Tyron Woodley(15-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC).

“I think in this division, I have the longest sequence of victories, more than Woodley,” Maia said at the UFC 198 post-fight press conference. “So, mathematically, I think I’m the one that deserves to fight for the title. But it doesn’t depend on me. It depends on the fans to ask. I think I need that help from the media and everyone. I think it’s the time. I’m not 20 years old anymore to wait around. I did my best. I went down a division 10 fights ago, I’ve got eight victories. I lost two fights against very tough opponents, one by split decision. I’ve proved what I had to prove in this division. I want this chance. I want the chance to fight for the title.”

It may well be wishful thinking for Maia, however, because a bout between Woodley and champ Robbie Lawler is targetted for UFC 201, according to UFC President Dana White.

Should he continue to win, though, opportunity could come knocking for the 38-year-old. And this time, maybe fans will be left with a better memory of him as a title challenger.

For complete coverage of UFC 198, check out the UFC Events section of the site.