Royce Gracie praises Demian Maia following win over Carlos Condit

This past Saturday in Vancouver, Demian Maia picked up arguably the biggest win of his UFC career as he submitted Carlos Condit in the first round of their main event scrap.

The finish was a beautiful one that left many MMA fans stunned given that Condit had never been submitted in the UFC, and possess some of the most lethal standup striking in the UFC’s 170 pound division.

Following Maia’s win over Condit, MMA icon Royce Gracie spoke to MMAFighting to praise Maia:

“His fight was perfect. He showed how efficient jiu-jitsu is, and that he can win only using his jiu-jitsu. The way he’s going, he will beat that number and put the record way up [laughs]. He’s doing great.”

“You don’t need to trade punches or allow getting punched in the face to win the fight, and Demian shows that,” Gracie said. “He spent some time wanting to use muay thai, but grew a lot when he started believing in his jiu-jitsu again. You have to work on your stand-up to know what’s coming, but jiu-jitsu is enough to win the fight.”

The win made it 6 straight for Maia, who is now ranked #3 on the UFC’s official welterweight rankings, behind Robbie Lawler & Stephen Thompson.

UFC President Dana White has previously stated that Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson will get the next title shot against Tyron Woodley. However, do you think Maia’s win changes that?