The welterweight division was home to a fight between Dong Hyun Kim and Demian Maia at UFC 148. Maia was 15-4 in his career, but was making his welterweight debut after dropping 3-of-6 fights, including losses to Anderson Silva, Mark Munoz and Chris Weidman. Kim was 15-1-1 in his career and was most recently seen beating Sean Pierson at UFC 141. It was a great bounce-back fight for Kim after losing to Carlos Condit by TKO.
First Round
The much-smaller Maia came straight forward and went for a takedown, but was blocked by Kim. He transitioned into a back position on Kim and eventually got the takedown and appeared to injure the midsection of Kim. Maia immediately transitioned into the full mount and landed two punches before getting off the Kim before the referee even stepped in to stop the fight.
Official Decision: TKO (0:47) for Demian Maia
Despite the circumstances, it was a great victory for Maia. His aggressiveness was something we hadn't seen out of him in his most recent fights, but was something we saw when he first came into the UFC. It was his aggressiveness that made him one of the most dangerous middleweights in the world at one time and it could make him one of the best welterweights in the world if he can keep it up.
For a look at the best fights for some of the most popular fighters in the UFC and 2011 division recaps, go here.
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Hobson Lopes has been a fan of mixed martial arts since the days of Tank Abbott and can be followed on Twitter @HobsonLopes.
