Demian Maia and Kendall Grove to faceoff at TUF 12 finale
Posted by Matthew Wheeler (Featured Staff Writer)Sep 9
December 4th marks the finale of season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter, a season consisting of two welterweight kings Josh Koscheck and Georges St. Pierre. In a season that promises to highlight the technical skills and importance of ground work / Brazilian Jiu jitsu, Joe Silva has given us another matchup that promises to hit all elements of the fight game. Kendall Grove will be taking a large step up in competition when he faces Demian Maia live at the Palms Las Vegas.
Kendall Grove (12-7 MMA) fights out of BJ Penn’s camp in Hawaii and is a Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai based fighter. Kendal won the third season of The Ultimate Fighter training under Tito Ortiz and has not left the UFC since. He is coming off a tough split decision win over Goran Reljic, their fight was a tough scrap but his Hawaiian heart prevailed. Kendall has been known to put on great fights and really get into technical wars and the fans love him when he enters the Octagon.
Demian Maia (13-2 MMA) fights out of Wand fight team and is a Jiu Jitsu black belt and world champion. Eight of his thirteen wins have come via submission and he is considered by some fans as the best Jiu Jitsu fighter in MMA. Demian is great off his back and in top control; he’s also very good at sweeps and Judo takedowns. While we have seen Demian’s striking improve greatly over his UFC career, we know the ground is his strongpoint and if it goes there it will be his fight.
The Keys to the Win:
Kendall has a 7 inch reach advantage and a 6 inch height advantage which pairs with his fast and technical Muay Thai well. Grove was a wrestler before he even began MMA so his take down defense should be troublesome if he can land strikes on a shooting Maia. Kendall dropped Munoz many times in their fight with strikes so look for the same plan in this fight. Demian is not the best striker, but will use to set up any mistakes for an immediate takedown. If Demian gets a takedown early in the fight before things get slippery a submission could come quickly and brutally. Maia needs to keep good distance until he can attack and get the takedown or throw. This is a hard fight to call which always makes it a great fight for the fans. Tune in to the season finale of The Ultimate fighter for this great addition to the fight card December 4th live on Spike TV.
Click for complete TUF 12 and TUF 12 Finale coverage
