UFC On Fox 2 Update: Demian Maia To Fight Chris Weidman

According to our partners at Bloody Elbow, Demian Maia won't have to cancel his flight to Chicago after all. Joe Silva's scramble for an opponent was short-lived, as Maia will now taking on the surging Chris Weidman. Weidman is taking the bout on short notice after defeating Tom Lawlor with a D'arce choke in November.

The bout should provide some intriguing exchanges on both ground and feet, as both men have excellent grappling background. Both are ADCC Submission Grappling veterans. Maia took second in his weight class in 2005, only to come back in the biannual grappling tournament to claim first in 2007. Coupled with his BJJ black belt and steadily-improving boxing, Maia has gone 9-3 in his stint with the UFC. He most recently handed Jorge Santiago his pink slip with a unanimous decision victory at UFC 136.

Weidman has risen to the level of purple belt in BJJ under Matt Serra's tutelage, although his base is in wrestling. He was a two-time All-American in junior college. He then went to Hofstra, where he earned sixth in the nation in 2006 and third in 2007. He was also a two-time All-American during his tenure at Hofstra. Weidman competed in the 2009 ADCC tournament with only a year of BJJ under his belt. Blending his styles, Weidman lost a close bout to renowned BJJ wizard Andre Galvao in the second round. Weidman is undefeated in his career thus far, with only two of his seven victories coming by decision.

UFC on Fox 2 goes down next Saturday with your prelims airing on Fuel TV and the main card airing on Fox.