Dissection by Dallas: Demian Maia x Mario Miranda

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu overlord Demian Maia will pit his quantum physics grappling game against well-stocked dynamo "Super" Mario Miranda in a compelling UFC 118 middleweight tilt.  Miranda replaces Alan Belcher, who underwent eye surgery for a detached retina, and has accepted a fight with the sixth ranked 185-pounder on less than three weeks notice.

For this, most feel Mario will get a pat on the back for being valiant after he's quickly tied into confusing knots by Maia.  Conversely, I think he has all the ingredients for the best underdog pick on the card.

Maia's game can be boiled down to extraterrestrial submission skills.  His wrestling is mediocre at best, but his clinch game is sneaky and bolstered by Judo techniques.  His striking has definitely shown marked improvement under the tutelage of Chute Boxe OG Wanderlei Silva, yet I would consider it no better than average.  Just as we berate James Toney about the proven hazards of singular proficiencies, Demian Maia wears a bright red target everywhere but on the floor.

Enter 10-1 Mario Miranda:  He stands a towering 6'4", trains with the prestigious clique of superheroes at Black House, he's a South American wrestling champion, a four-time Brazilian wrestling champion, the Sportfight middleweight champion, a powerful and precise Thai striker--and also a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt.

Miranda's size, strength, striking, powerhouse wrestling, and barely comparable ground game make him much more dangerous than Alan Belcher; who would suffer the vast disadvantage that everyone else does against Maia.  "Super" Mario will surely hide behind the safety of his gargantuan reach advantage and blast telephone poles through the holes in Maia's defense in the stand-up while relying on his wrestling to fend Maia off at close range.

Miranda has mean knees in the clinch and will be a bear to take down.  He also wields menacing leg kicks, which could be pivotal to hindering Maia's mobility, though he would run the risk of Maia reading his timing and snaring a leg.  Any mortal being is in danger when grounded with a shark like Maia, but Miranda should have the experience to survive and patiently await the opportunity to sweep, escape, or ride out the round.

Maia feeds on scrambles, so it's an obvious choice to avoid the ground at all costs.  If Miranda employs the strategic blueprint of sprawling and brawling that Black House counterpart Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante enforced against King Mo, I think the team will deliver yet another shocking upset.  My prediction:  Miranda by decision