Maia: I train in the gi once a week, or less

Once thought to be the flag-bearer for the gi training community, UFC veteran and welterweight contender Demian Maia has revealed that he has mostly gone away from that portion of the sport. With no-gi becoming more and more popular, largely due to the rise of submission-only grappling events such as the Eddie Bravo Invitational and Metamoris, others have come to find the less traditional form of Brazilian jiu-jitsu much more relevant to their training. Maia, among those who have turned to no-gi as a primary focus, revealed to the Top Turtle MMA Podcast what led to this change.

I train much more no-gi nowadays Maia admitted freely. I needed to be more specific in my training.

As Maia discusses the benefits of no-gi, he also delves into the increase in wrestling in his game. As the hosts spoke to him about his wrestling, the fighter noted that he now does more wrestling-specific training over additional gi work.

I just realized that if I had good wrestling skills, it would be easier [to win in MMA],” Maia noted while also adding that he was down to one day a week of training gi – which often becomes zero days towards the end of training camps. “Plus, I love to go and train wrestling

While it is certainly no surprise to see a modern fighter looking for what works for them, it is notable that a fighter with his gi background no longer sees it as a focus within his training.

Demian Maia is currently in New York, New York for 205 to challenge the winner of current welterweight champion Tyron Woodley vs. challenger Stephen Thompson. Follow him on Twitter!

Author Daniel Vreeland is a co-founder of the Top Turtle Podcast, and a purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu at New England Submission Fighting in Amherst, Massachusetts.