UFC 118 Betting Picks – Demian Maia Vying For Respect Against Mario Miranda

Demian Maia has a lot to answer for as a UFC 118 betting pick since getting embarrassed by reigning middleweight champion Anderson Silva. It’s one thing to blame Silva for all the chicanery he pulled at UFC 112: Invincible, but Maia looked like a terrified little brother who had just enraged his gargantuan, older sibling. With a tilt against Mario Miranda, Maia has just as much chance of being humiliated as he does to be vindicated.

One thing we learned definitively about Maia in his fight with Silva is that he’s not a striker. In fact, if he tries to stand-up then he’s probably going to get pummeled. What Maia excels at is being a ground wrestler and submission specialist. We all know this and we all pay homage to his skills on the mat.

[Off topic: by the way, do you want to get a 60% bonus on your first deposit here at BetOnline? Find out more exciting details HERE.]

With his reputation hanging in the balance, this is no time for Maia to prove he’s some sort of striker extraordinaire. He’s not a great striker, and we couldn’t care less. Sure, there are those of us that want to see a pure stand-up battle, but Maia is a rare treat as a grappler who can’t afford any chances against Miranda.

Mario Miranda is a deadly Muay Thai striker who has the type of gangly length at 6-foot-4 to take advantage of long punches and kicks that keep range his advantage. He’s won six of his fights by knock out, and would love nothing more than to catapult to the forefront of the middleweight class with a steadfast knock-out as a UFC 118 betting underdog.

Unfortunately for Miranda, his skills on the ground are terrible and despite the knowledge that Maia will stroll in to the TD Garden with a full commitment to takedowns and submission wrestling, there may be nothing that Miranda can do about it.

Sharp elbow shots from his back may be Miranda’s only saving grace on the ground, but there’s probably nobody as motivated at UFC 118 betting than B.J. Penn. Maia’s staggering loss to Silva has made a lot of us forget about what makes Maia so special.

On Saturday night, in front of thousands of fans, Maia will make us all remember while he’s a worthy UFC 118 betting pick.

Furious UFC 118 Free Pick – Demian Maia via Submission