UFC Fight Night 162: Demian Maia vs Ben Askren - Preview

After thrilling the crowd last weekend at the TD Garden in Boston where Dominick Reyes ruled over the main event by finishing former middleweight champion Chris Weidman with a first-round KO, UFC is back in the Lion City with Fight Night 162 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The card is headlined by a mouth-watering welterweight clash between Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert Demian Maia and former Olympic wrestler Ben Askren. Both fighters are known for their world class grappling skills and it promises to be a thoroughly engaging and enthralling contest.

The card also features a massive co-main event bout featuring lightweights Michael Johnson and Stevie Ray as the pair look to work towards the top of the heavily stacked lightweight division.

Welterweight Bout (Main Event)- Demian Maia and Ben Askren

The main event will see two welterweight stalwarts go head to head in Ben Askren and Demian Maia. For Ben 'Funky' Askren, this fight is one of the most important ones in his career. After managing to submit Robbie Lawler on his UFC debut, he got knocked out cold within five seconds of the first round by Jorge Masvidal, who handed Askren the first loss in his unblemished career. He will be looking to put all doubts regarding his ability to thrive at the premier level to rest with a win against Maia.

With his skill set, Funky is more than capable of picking up a win against the Jiu-Jitsu master Maia. With world class wrestling combined with great striking ability and abundance of endurance, Askren is undoubtedly one of the best talents in the world.

Askren's counterpart Demian Maia is an MMA veteran and over the past decade, he has only improved. Maia comes into this fight with a two-fight win streak and will definitely be looking to build on the momentum. With experience on his side, Maia will look to stop Askren and work his way back to the pinnacle of the welterweight division with a title fight in the near future.

The match-up is intriguing to say the least. Although Maia is being regarded as the better grappler of the pair, Askren is undoubtedly the more gifted wrestler. To find out whether Askren's wrestling will come out on top or Maia will make 'Funky' submit, make sure you don't miss out on the high octane action this Saturday.

Lightweight Bout (Co- Main Event)- Michael Johnson and Stevie Ray

The co-main event features an enticing encounter in the lightweight division between Michael Johnson and Stevie Ray as they face each other looking to move ahead in the division. Michael ‘The Menace’ Johnson is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the game, and he possesses amazing agility.

Stevie ‘Braveheart’ Ray, Johson's opponent on Saturday is one of the most experienced campaigners in the game. He might not be the best stand-up fighter, nor is he the quickest on the feet but he has got a tough chin and can hit his opponents with deadly combinations at any stage of the fight, which make him one of the most lethal fighters around.

It is a match-up of experience versus skill and it is bound to be a compelling one as Johnson's movement and superior striking skills will challenge Ray's strength and knockout power in the race to the top of the lightweight division.

Other bouts on the card include:

Lightweight - Frank Camacho Vs. Beneil Dariush.

Heavyweight - Ciryl Gane Vs. Don'Tale Mayes.

Welterweight - Muslim Salikhov Vs. Laureano Staropoli.

When and Where to catch all the action?

Don't miss out on the action that will unfold on Saturday as UFC Fight Night featuring Demian Maia versus Ben Askren gets underway on 26th October 2019, 05:30 pm (IST) onwards only on SONY SIX & SONY SIX HD.

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