Demian Maia is considered one of the most humble and respectful people in the MMA industry. But he has a few thoughts for the people who call him a “human backpack” or consider his fighting style “boring.”

Maia (24-6 MMA, 18-6 UFC), who picked up his sixth consecutive UFC welterweight victory with a first-round submission of Carlos Condit (30-10 MMA, 7-6 UFC) in this past weekend’s UFC on FOX 21 main event at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, is on the short-list of the most successful ground fighters to ever compete in MMA.

The majority of Maia’s 18 octagon victories (tied for third most in company history) have come on the ground, and he’s finished half of those wins by submission (tied for second most in company history). And although he became the first since 2006 to tap Condit in a fight, the Brazilian is sometimes still criticized for not being appealing enough.

Maia said he’s aware of that segment of the audience, and in response, questioned their level of intelligence when it comes to what they are watching.

“They need to read what sport they’re going too,” Maia told MMAjunkie Radio. “I hope they know how to read. If they know how to read, they should read they are going to watch MMA and not something else. Not boxing, not kickboxing. Also, if they like the show, they can always go to WWE and watch those fights. If they’re a little bit smarter than that they can learn and become real fans.”

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There’s no denying that to the layman, the striking aspect of MMA is much easier to comprehend from the surface. Two fighters standing toe-to-toe and slugging it out is understandable to even the most uneducated of spectators. Grappling can be much more complicated, but it can be just as, if not even more exciting than a striking match, Maia said.

Moreover, there are plenty of fights that turn out dull without hitting the ground a single time. That’s just the nature of the sport, Maia said, but he promised that each time he enters the octagon it’s with the intention to produce the most captivating contests possible.

“There are some fights that are boring on the ground or in the stand-up they are boring,” Maia said. “When the fight is there they are boring in the stand-up, but it can be a little more exciting. When it’s boring on the ground it’s just boring, I understand. I try to do my best, but people have to understand I am fighting at a really high level and sometimes it’s hard to jump on the back and get people out. … It’s the same in all sports. It’s not always crazy exciting.”

There was a stage of Maia’s career where he admits the pressure of fighting a certain way got to him. The results weren’t what he wanted, though, so he reverted back toward using his biggest strength, and his success is undeniable. He’s finished three of his past four opponents by submission and has only absorbed a total of 13 significant strikes in those four bouts combined.

Maia is aware that he will always have detractors but said he hopes to eventually see that change. He said that if MMA and the UFC want to reach a level in the sports world alongside the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB, there needs to be an understanding that winning and being exciting don’t always go hand-in-hand.

“To become a real sport, (MMA) needs to be more seen and held as a sport, not as a show,” Maia said. “We want to see MMA grow and to keep growing for the next 100 years and be a big sport like basketball, football, soccer, we need to hold it as a sport. The goal of a sport is one goal, it is to win. You watch a tennis match because you want to see who is going to win, who is the winner, not who plays this style or this style. If you watch NFL (the team in the finals is not) the guy who plays a more interesting game or the game you like most. You’re going to put the winners. And that’s why those are sports and they are growing sports. If you like the sport, you like the sport.”

Maia’s victory over Condit was the very definition of what a dominant grappling performance looks like. Maia scored an early takedown, hurt Condit with a strike from half guard that forced him to give up mount, then his back, and before long a rear-naked choke was sunk in and “The Natural Born Killer” was forced to submit.

After the fight, Maia said he hoped his performance was enough to earn the next shot at welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. He’s not sure if that will come next or if he would have to wait until fellow contender Stephen Thompson gets his crack at the belt, but regardless of which order it comes in, Maia is confident he will soon be fighting for UFC gold.

“I think I did a great fight,” Maia said. “I submitted in less than two minutes the former (interim) champion Carlos Condit. I think I made a statement in my last fight. I have nine wins in the welterweight division.”

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