Most pundits are giving Demian Maia little or no chance to unseat middleweight champ Anderson Silva at UFC 112. This is in spite of the fact that Demian Maia is one of the most credentialed jiu jitsu practitioners to ever fight for a UFC title. Maia has won the world jiu jitsu title three times and has also won the Abu Dhabi Combat Club submission grappling championship. Forget BJJ black belts like Thales Leites and Rousimar Palhares. Anderson Silva may have excellent jiu jitsu, but  Maia is on a different plane as a grappler. He's in that rarefied air where only the best of the best contend. His peers are Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, ...

After disappointing showings on The Ultimate Fighter 3 and at UFC 73, Colorado jiu-jitsu ace “Big” Mike Nickels has found himself on the comeback trail. Wins in his last three fights, including an impressive Fight of the Night win over fellow UFC veteran David Heath in the MFC in October has Nickels possibly on the verge of returning to his former promotion. Currently standing in the way of Nickels’ achieving such a task is Ultimate Fighter 8 alumnus Vinny “Pezao” Magalhaes, as the two are scheduled to meet on the Dec. 4 edition of Colorado’s popular Ring of Fire. “I feel good,” stated Nickels heading into Friday’s fight. “I’ve been training a lot and working on ...