Demian Maia's manager says he wants to welcome Jake Shields back to middleweight

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Though Jake Shields debuted in the UFC with a return to the welterweight division, he was having considerable success at middleweight prior to entering the organization, and there's at least one fighter that would like to welcome him back up to 185 lbs.

In an interview with Tatame.com, Demian Maia's manager Eduardo Alonso said the Brazilian would like to face off against the former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion.

"It's a personal desire, but I guess it'd be a good fight, an interesting challenge for Demian," said Alonso. "For his record and skills as a fighter, I'm guessing it'd be interesting."

Shields hasn't fought in the division since defeating Dan Henderson in April of 2010, though he's just 1-2 in his last three fights at 170 lbs. With Shields coming off consecutive losses, a move back up may not be a bad idea, though with Maia coming off a win over Jorge Santiago at UFC 136 it might not be a fight the UFC wants to put together. Still, a fight between one of the top Brazilian jiu jitsu submission fighters against one of the top American practitioners would be a highly intriguing matchup regardless of their recent records.

"Fighting top 10 guys is always interesting," Alonso added about the matchup. "Since he once was a champion in Strikeforce in this weight class and has great wins over top athletes like Dan Henderson, and because he likes to fight on the ground, I believe it'd be a great match-up against Demain."

Alonso expects Maia to return in early 2012, possibly at UFC 142 in Brazil, or perhaps in Japan in February.

Penick's Analysis: Even though the UFC doesn't typically pit a fighter on a two fight losing streak against another off a win, this would make for a really great fight and it's one that I would love to see. A move back to middleweight at this point for Shields - if it's something he's interested in - could give him a fresh start in the UFC. A fight with Maia makes for a very high level jiu jitsu matchup between two of the historically best submission fighters in the game, and if it's not actually put together I hope it's at least under consideration.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_11049.shtml

Joe Son