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Maia clash holds key to Silva super fights

Anderson Silva's stand-up ability is unrivalled © UFC

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UFC 112 comes to Abu Dhabi on April 10 and it's live on ESPNUK. To guarantee your ringside seat for the event, click here to sign up for ESPN. Below, ESPN.co.uk previews the main card.

Anderson Silva v Demian Maia
Rarely in the UFC has a title bout attracted more attention for what will come after the fight than what potentially could happen during it. But that is the measure of hysteria caused by the future of Anderson Silva, who has revealed this week his next fight could be at welterweight, middleweight, light-heavyweight or even heavyweight.

The reigning middleweight king is a phenom in Mixed Martial Arts, currently riding a 10-fight win streak in the UFC that has seen him beat a former UFC middleweight champion in Rich Franklin, a former Pride middleweight champion in Dan Henderson, and a former UFC light-heavyweight champion in Forrest Griffin. As far as striking and all-round class goes, Silva is number one.

His revelations that he could fight at welterweight or heavyweight will have fans salivating over the prospect of future clashes with Georges St-Pierre or Brock Lesnar, but there is one forgotten factor in all of this. Demian Maia.

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist is lethal when the fight hits the mat, taking four Submission of the Night honours in his seven UFC bouts to date. Nate Marquardt has gone on record in the past claiming Maia's Jiu-Jitsu is twice the standard of Silva's.

"It is no secret that I will try to use my Jiu-Jitsu to win the fight," admits Maia himself. "I always try and use my Jiu-Jitsu to win fights. That's my favorite method of securing victory. This fight with Anderson is no different."

Maia's boxing also enabled him to get through a decision victory over Dan Miller in his last bout, but there isn't one person in the world who would expect him to last 60 seconds on his feet against Silva. Somehow Maia needs to get the fight horizontal, which is hugely unlikely to happen, and even if it does it is a ridiculous slur on Silva's game to suggest he will be a beaten man. Another spectacular Silva knockout beckons, unless Maia takes the Thales Leites route by refusing to engage for 25 minutes.

Diego Sanchez was destroyed by BJ Penn in "The Prodigy's" last outing © UFC

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BJ Penn v Frankie Edgar
If the Diego Sanchez fight is anything to go by, Frankie Edgar is in for one very long night when he contests BJ Penn's UFC lightweight crown in the co-main event. Penn owns the 155lb division and, like Silva, he could be about to venture elsewhere is search of greater challenges.

Edgar deserves his shot, after all, he has beaten Sean Sherk and Tyson Griffin - two of the division's top contenders - to get to the No. 1 spot. The problem is, he seemingly offers nothing that Sanchez has already failed with.

Sanchez arrived at UFC 107 promising to "bring it" to Penn. Foaming at the mouth, he raced into the centre of Octagon and promptly got flattened. Sanchez hoped to use his powerful wrestling base and rapid hands to hurt Penn. It did not even begin to work in one of the most one-sided decisions in UFC history.

Edgar brings a similar game, littered with plenty of endurance, even greater heart, and a developing boxing game built on a solid wrestling base. His hands don't even begin to match Penn's, and his wrestling will likely just land him in a Penn submission. It's difficult to see how Edgar wins, but stranger things have happened. That is the beauty of Mixed Martials Arts.

Matt Hughes successfully avoided Matt Serra's Jiu-Jitsu © UFC

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Matt Hughes v Renzo Gracie
Quite simply, the meeting of legends. Matt Hughes is the reason a large chunk of MMA fans grew to love the sport. Twice the UFC welterweight champion, he dominated the division with two six-fight win streaks, including famous finishes against Carlos Newton, Frank Trigg and BJ Penn.

Renzo Gracie's surname says it all and, while he is not as revered as Royce, the sixth degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt holds wins over Pat Miletich, Carlos Newton and Frank Shamrock. He counts Georges St-Pierre among his students, and he enters the UFC riding a three-fight tear.

Stylistically, Gracie's hands are powerpuff. Like Maia against Silva, Gracie can only win this one way - via submission. Contrastingly, Hughes is a human meat grinder, capable of sitting any opponent on his back for 15 minutes of brutal ground-and-pound.

The question is: Does Gracie have the necessary Jiu-Jitsu off his back to counter Hughes once the UFC veteran secures the inevitable takedown? Gracie wants to prove Jiu-Jitsu still overcomes wrestling, but Hughes is experienced enough to maintain top position - as he did against Matt Serra, and Gracie does not possess the hands of Serra to threaten the flash KO.

Terry Etim has the ability to knock out just about anybody in the lightweight division © Getty Images

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Terry Etim v Rafael Dos Anjos
Terry Etim summed this bout up perfectly in his recent blog for ESPN.co.uk, insisting Rafael Dos Anjos is in for "a very very long night" if the Brazilian fails to take the fight to the mat.

Blessed with long limbs and top drawer Muay Thai skills, Etim is arguably the most dangerous fighter at range in the lightweight division. His leg kicks literally take the feet from under his opponents, all the while setting up the opportunity for a head kick finish.

However, the biggest mistake opponents make is to think Etim, who is on a four-fight tear, is a one-dimensional fighter. With 11 submission victories to his name, including two in his last two fights, Etim derives great joy from "slipping on a nice little sub" - meaning this is not a cut-and-dried striker vs grappler contest.

Dos Anjos undoubtedly holds the better credentials as a black belt Jiu-Jitsu artist under Roberto Correa de Lima, and he has previously taken Tyson Griffin to a decision - so nearly finishing Griffin in the process with a vicious leg contortion.

Etim would be expected to struggle if he finds his back against the mat, but the Briton has never been stopped and is full of confidence. Marshall Zelaznik has admitted Etim is a couple of fights away from a title shot, and Saturday should see him register the biggest win of his career.

Kendall Grove could struggle to stay in the UFC in defeat © UFC

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Kendall Grove v Mark Munoz
Kendall Grove always promises a good fight but, with three defeats in his last six, he may be fighting for his UFC future in Abu Dhabi. His opponent, Mark Munoz, is no easy foe either.

Grove brings a typical skill set for a man of his 6ft 6in frame, dangerous Muay Thai skills - particularly in the clinch, with an ever-present threat of a flash armbar or triangle when working off his back.

Munoz brings tremendous wrestling capabilities and solid hands, and he should be able to find his way inside Grove's reach to get him to the mat - much like Ricardo Almeida did at UFC 101. From there the result depends on whether Munoz leaves a stray arm hanging around for Grove to snap on a submission, which "Da Spyder" is more than capable of doing.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.