The name Ryan LaFlare won’t register with most MMA fans, but the undefeated welterweight looks to change that stigma Saturday night when the 31-year-old faces off with jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Rio de Janeiro. It’s an opportunity for LaFlare to showcase his skill set against a savvy UFC veteran.
Call it bad luck or circumstance, but this wasn’t the main event fight fans had anticipated. Initially the promotion scheduled fan favorite Urijah Faber against Raphael Assuncao in a bantamweight bout for the night’s headliner. However, an ankle injury to the Brazilian spoiled those plans and this Maia-LaFlare matchup was elevated to the main event slot.
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Hardcore MMA fans scoffed at the matchup, but this fight could end up being a blessing in disguise. One area where the UFC has failed in the last year is building new stars. Other than The Ultimate Fighter, it has been challenging to showcase up and coming talent in the UFC. With LaFlare being an undefeated prospect, a win over a former title challenger in Maia could be the showcase fight that puts his stamp on the division.
Growing up in Long Island, N.Y., LaFlare cut his teeth in the New Jersey-based Ring of Combat promotion winning seven straight fights all by stoppage. He got the call-up to the UFC in April of 2013 where he defeated Ben Alloway in his promotional debut. He followed that up with wins over Santiago Ponzinibbio, Court McGee and John Howard to push his perfect record to 11-0. LaFlare was slated to meet fellow prospect Gunnar Nelson at UFC Fight Night 46, but had to withdraw due to injury.
Maia (19-6) isn’t a household name with casual fans but most will remember his impressive wins over Rick Story and Jon Fitch, along with his 2010 championship showdown with Anderson Silva at UFC 112. After dropping to welterweight in 2012 and going undefeated through his first three fights, the Brazilian suffered back-to-back defeats to Jake Shields and Rory MacDonald. He is however coming off a unanimous decision victory over Alexander Yakovlev last May at the TUF Brazil 3 finale.
Stylistically Maia has the advantage on the mat being a fourth degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and if he can get this to the ground early he could secure a patented fight-ending submission. Along with being the younger competitor, LaFlare has the edge on the feet and will likely want to keep this fight standing. While he hasn’t finished any of his opponents during his UFC tenure, LaFlare has been working on his striking at the Blackzillians camp with renowned striking coach Henri Hooft. If he really wants to make a statement Saturday, knocking out Maia – who has only been KO’d once in the his career – would undoubtedly propel him up the welterweight rankings.
For LaFlare it’s an opportunity to make some noise in an already crowed welterweight division. Should he emerge victorious, LaFlare would be the only fighter in the Top 15 welterweight rankings to boast an unblemished record. As we’ve seen with another New York native in Chris Weidman, undefeated records usually earn you top-flight opponents, so the stakes are high. At age 37 Maia needs this fight just as much as his American foe. If he ever wants to make another run at a UFC championship, earning the nod over an undefeated fighter would certainly be a step in the right direction. Regardless, this is exact the type of fight that may not deliver on paper but could prove pivotal to the welterweight division.