Demian Maia expressed his pleasure after Paul Craig named his daughter after him.
'Bearjew' recently faced Nikita Krylov at UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall and defeated him in the first round. He locked in a slick triangle choke, forcing Krylov to submit in the opening round of their light heavyweight contest. The Scottish fighter has made a career of pulling rabbits out of his hat when it seems like he’s in serious peril with his immaculate Jiu-Jitsu skills.
Demian Maia, one of the greatest grapplers in MMA, was also known for his immaculate jiu-jitsu skills. He has had an influence over many fighters in the sport. Jose Youngs, staff writer and social media producer at Vox confirmed on his Twitter handle that Craig told them that he had named his daughter, Maia, after the legendary Maia.
Maia, on his Twitter account, was overwhelmed by the tribute.
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Craig earned the 'Performance of the night' for his victory over Krylov. This was also his fourth straight victory.
Anthony Smith responds to Paul Craig's call-out after UFC London
Following his stunning victory over Nikita Krylov on Saturday, Paul Craig called his shot, naming Anthony Smith as his desired opponent. He hopes the match will happen in Glasgow in June.
Smith did not take long to respond to Craig's call-out. He responded on Twitter saying:
"[Magomed] Ankalaev, Craig... whoever. The answer is yes. Always yes. It’s not me that you have to convince.”
Smith is currently on a three-fight win streak, most recently defeating Ryan Spann by first-round submission at UFC Fight Night 192. He is a one-time UFC light heavyweight title challenger.
One of the reasons why Craig called for the bout with Smith is that he’s extended his own unbeaten streak to six. He also already holds wins over a pair of contenders who have recently generated plenty of buzz, Jamahal Hill and Magomed Ankalaev.
Specifically, Craig would love to test the grappling of Smith, the owner of 14 career submission victories. He claimed that everyone in the top 10 has an outstanding jiu-jitsu game and wrestling game. The Scot, though, suggested that it was ok for him to have one thing to gain an edge over everyone else, that's 'Bearjew-jitsu.'