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For FloCombat via A.G Fight



Closing in on 40, Demian Maia can be considered a unique case in the MMA world.



Despite having found success at a solid clip over the course of his 10-year UFC career, the Brazilian grappling guru has hit a new stride in recent years. Maia's success is credited to the strength of his performances, but the arrival of the US Anti Doping Agency to the sport could be a player as well.



Since being implemented in 2015, performances have dropped and athlete's bodies have undergone noticeable changes in that span. As a self-proclaimed clean fighter, Maia thinks strict testing is good, but an even stricter regimen would be even better.



"It has to be more rigorous, I support them," Maia said. "I don’t see a problem when these guys come to my house. After the fight with [Tyron] Woodley, on Wednesday [after UFC 214], they knocked on my door at 9:30 p.m. No problem, it's a part of our sport. It's annoying sometimes to tell them where you are all the time, but it's a price to pay that is worth it. I still think there are people who take things and don’t take [USADA] seriously. But I think [USADA] can avoid more doping than before."



The agency can also cause confusion when it comes to the question who stands at the very top of the game. For Maia, who thinks of Jon Jones as one of the best to ever do it, the former two-time UFC light heavyweight champion’s legacy as the greatest of all time is in doubt after failing a drug test once again following his recent knockout over Daniel Cormier.



"Jon Jones had everything to become the greatest of all time, passing [Georges] St-Pierre and Anderson [Silva], but I think these [doping] cases make it hard to defend him as the best of all time," Maia said. "He is one of the best of all time, but you can’t ignore such a thing."



After the defeat to Woodley last July, Maia is now gearing up to face Colby Covington at UFC Sao Paulo next month.



Maia, despite fighting on a smaller Fight Night event, will only take the co-main event spot once again behind Lyoto Machida’s headlining bout against Derek Brunson. The respected veteran is taking his position in stride, even though he might’ve been placed even further down the program had it not been for an injury in another bout that was planned for October 28.



"It does not make a difference [for my performance]”, Maia said. “They already planned the return of Lyoto Machida and that he would be the main event. I think I’m the co-main event because Glover Teixeira got injured. But I don’t know what [the UFC’s] thought process was."



Known as one of the best grapplers to ever step foot into the Octagon, Maia also owns an extensive list of credentials in the grappling world. But since his goal is getting another title shot in the UFC one day, Maia stated you might not see him competing in any BJJ tournaments anytime soon. That's not to say that he'll stay away from the mats alltogether, though.



"At ADCC, I was a champion and I took second place," he said. “I’m a professional fighter. To do a training camp [for a jiu-jitsu tournament] means having to spend resources, time and focus on that, and still maybe not get anything for it. I arrived at a level where I think I have the position to only accept super fights.”

