Demian Maia talks Anderson Silva rematch, Stephen Thompson vs. Tyron Woodley ii

While top ranked welterweight Demian Maia currently boasts one of the most impressive win streaks in the UFC’s welterweight division, winning six straight fights over the course of the past two years, and most recently picking up a first round submission win over former interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit.

While many believed that Maia was poised for a welterweight title shot, the Brazilian fighter will have to wait until Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson and Tyron Woodley have their highly anticipated rematch following their five round UFC 205 scrap, which was scored as a majority draw, with Woodley retaining the belt.

While UFC President Dana White has stated that a rematch between Woodley & Thompson is the logical next step, there has been no official word yet on when the UFC will look to book the rematch. With that being said, Thompson recently revealed that the UFC is targeting the rematch to take place in the beginning of 2017.

With that in mind, Maia spoke to MMAJunkie to discuss the rematch between Woodley & Thompson, as well as a potential rematch for him against Anderson Silva, who defeated the elite level grappler back in 2010.

“First, they need to do the rematch,” Maia said. “Let’s see if they will do the rematch or not. If they really want to do the rematch, then we can think about another fight. But if I did fight again, it would be great to fight in the same card as ‘Wonderboy’ (Thompson) and Woodley. Because maybe if somebody gets hurt I can jump in, or even if nobody gets hurt, we are in the same cycle.

“I didn’t lose my confidence that I can be the next. I’m a fighter, and I never give up. Let’s see if they really will do the rematch, and when they book the rematch, then we’ll think about the next step.“

In regards to a rematch with Silva in the meantime, Maia stated:

“Anderson in a catchweight would be interesting because I think it’s a fight people would like to see,” Maia said. “That was the fight I remember the most in my life. It was very important for me. After that fight, I changed as a fighter. And a catchweight would be good because even if I lose I don’t think it will interfere too much with my welterweight division.

“Cerrone asked to fight me, and if he thinks he can beat me, let’s do it. Let’s do it (but) not now. Let’s do it if they don’t book my fight for the title.”