10 UFC Fighters Who Had Perfect Performances Inside The Octagon

Demian Maia might not have won a UFC title during his time fighting for the UFC, but he did manage to provide fans of the sport with some brilliant moments of grappling greatness. The early days of his career inside the Octagon were full of amazing submission victories, but none more so than his win over Chael Sonnen.

If you're new to the sport, then you might only know Chael Sonnen as a relatively funny, somewhat controversial MMA pundit. However, back in 2009, Sonnen was a solid challenger at middleweight using his wrestling and ground and pound skills to batter opponents. While his skillset was proven to be a successful one, Maia quickly turned his penchant for taking the fight to the floor completely against him.

Most of Sonnen's opponents all tried desperately to keep the fight on the feet, but Maia was the exact opposite. He engaged Sonnen in the clinch early, pulling guard and using his world class jiu-jitsu skills to stifle Sonnen's usual tactics. It was quite clear that Sonnen was perplexed with the problems that Maia brought to the table.

To put the icing on the cake, Maia launched Sonnen through the air with a lateral press that shocked everyone watching. The Brazilian wasted very little time in locking up a triangle choke straight afterward, proving that when it comes to grappling, there really are levels to this game.