Demian Maia looks to break out of a mini-slump in a short-notice main event assignment opposite budding contender Kamaru Usman at UFC Chile

Two years ago, Demian Maia served as an emissary for the UFC on a public relations trip to Santiago, venturing to the Chilean capital to help introduce journalists in the area to the sport of mixed martial arts.

So when the opportunity to return as one half of the main event for the first UFC event in the city presented itself, the Brazilian wasted no time accepting the assignment.

“When we came here last time, I was trying to explain and teach the journalists and the media here (about MMA) because they had no clue what MMA was,” said Maia, who fills in for Santiago Ponzinibbio opposite Kamaru Usman in a crucial welterweight contest on Saturday evening at Movistar Arena. “To come and do the first event in Chile and the first event in South America besides Brazil and open this new market is one of the main reasons I accept this fight.”

The other reason was the familiar challenge presented by Usman.

Boasting a perfect 7-0 mark in the UFC and riding an 11-fight winning streak overall, the Nigerian-born, South Florida-based competitor has become a boogeyman of sorts – a suffocating former All-American and National Champion wrestler with developing striking and a bottomless gas tank.

In less than three years on the roster, Usman has gone from emerging victorious on the awkward 21st season of The Ultimate Fighter to sitting at No. 7 in the welterweight rankings, just a couple wins away from challenging for championship gold.

While many have steered clear of the surging 31-year-old, Maia is attacking the challenge head-on, looking to halt a two-fight skid against talented wrestlers by handing Usman his first loss inside the Octagon.

“I keep training wrestling, I keep making adjustments since I lost to Woodley,” said Maia, who failed in his bid to claim the welterweight title last summer at UFC 214 before dropping a unanimous decision to Colby Covington three months later in his hometown of Sao Paulo. “I know that he’s a good wrestler and he defends takedowns well, but I know that I’m improving all the time and I’m wondering how my training will work because I didn’t prove it in the last match and I hope it will show on Saturday.”

Even though this contest came together only after Ponzinibbio was forced to the sidelines, it’s a bout Usman started angling for 18 months.

Seated on the dais following his win over Warlley Alves, the ever-confident welterweight upstart declared he was the best grappler in the division and lobbied for a chance to face Maia. At the time, Usman was four fights into his UFC career and Maia was just a couple of months removed from running through Carlos Condit in the main event of a UFC on FOX show, a victory that pushed his winning streak to six.

It was a bold proclamation and brassy call-out by Usman, one that Maia remembers and appreciated, having been seated in the press gallery backstage following the show.

“I remember it was in Sao Paulo when he won that fight,” recalled Maia. “Of course I’ve been following him and I know he’s pretty tough, pretty good fighter, pretty good opponent and he’s been developing, but it’s the first time he will face a guy with my level of jiu jitsu.”

Now 40, the two-time title challenger is one of the longest-tenured, most accomplished fighters on the UFC roster, sitting alongside six others with the fourth-most Octagon appearances of all-time.

“To come and do the first event in Chile and the first event in South America besides Brazil and open this new market is one of the main reasons I accept this fight.”

Should he emerge victorious this weekend, the talented Brazilian will join Georges St-Pierre, Michael Bisping and Donald Cerrone as the fourth competitor to earn 20 victories under the UFC banner.

Despite his extensive, impressive resume, Maia enters this weekend’s contest as a considerable underdog and although he acknowledges the odds have zero impact on his preparation and performance, he understands why he’s the underdog and relishes being in the role.

“I think that’s normal because I lost the title fight and then I lost another one and he’s never lost, so it’s normal that they put him as a favorite,” said Maia. “But that really doesn’t mean nothing for me. I’ve been in this position before and won fights, so it kind of doesn’t matter.

“This will mean a lot, for sure,” he added regarding potentially tying the record for most career UFC victories. “This will be something really special if it happens on Saturday, but it’s not something I can really think about right now because it’s enough to just concentrate on the fight.”

Even though this contest came together just a handful of weeks ago, the diligent, dutiful submission specialist has worked with his team to give himself the best opportunity to emerge victorious the weekend.

And win or loss, Maia promises to leave it all in the cage once again.

“Even though I had a short camp, we did our 100 percent effort, my team and I, to put the best inside the cage,” he said. “Every time I come to the Octagon, I try to be in a better fight; I come back better than last time.

“Even when I lose, I go there and you can make sure that I did a perfect training camp and I’m always doing everything that I can to do my best.”