With one fight left on his contract, Demian Maia has set his sights on Diego Sanchez for his final fight. Maia has expressed interest in fighting Sanchez, since his win over Ben Askren at UFC Fight Night 162 on October 26, 2019. Sanchez has responded to Maia call out and wants the UFC to make the fight happen.
Maia is coming off of a TKO loss against Gilbert Burns at UFC Fight Night 170 on March 14. Before his fight against Askren, Maia had signed a new deal for two fights(not including the Askren fight). A potential fight with Sanchez would be his last fight on his contract and Maia seems ready to retire afterward. At 42 years old, Maia has had an incredible career and seems destined to be a UFC Hall of Famer. He has been with the UFC for over 12 years and has wins over the likes of Carlos Condit, Jorge Masvidal, and Chael Sonnen.
Sanchez has had a difficult time in recent years in the UFC. He has won three of his last six fights but has taken a significant amount of damage. His last win was against Michel Pereira at UFC Fight Night 167 on February 15, but it was by Disqualification due to illegal knees by Pereira. Sanchez was losing the fight and Pereira was dominating the fight. Despite having rough performances in the UFC in recent years, Sanchez has shown no intention to retire anytime soon.
The UFC has yet to announce whether the fight will happen. Both fighters seem interested in making the fight happen, making it easier for the UFC to make it official.
