Demian Maia recently returned to competing in jiu jitsu. The Brazilian legend has parted ways with UFC following a loss against Belal Muhammad back in 2021. But even at age 44, Maia is ready for new competitive challenges.
Maia grappled Alex Oliveira at BJJ Stars last month – finishing the bout with a signature triangle choke.
https://youtu.be/vzhZ1-0YM24
38 year old Henderson is rumored to be on the last bout of his Bellator contract. Henderson is younger on paper but has been in MMA for over 15 years. Henderson (29-11) recently won in an upset against Khabib Nurmagomedov protege. Henderson is also no stranger to jiu jitsu challenges having previously grappled 10p’s Ben Saunders.
The two veterans are set to face off during Polaris event on June 25th in the UK. Polaris has been struggling to market the event ever since they got on Fight pass. This news was first broken by Sports Illustrated.
While Polaris has a long tenure the format has evolved. The competition initially frowned upon judges decisions until they had a card featuring all draws. Nowadays they’re trying the national angle – staging team clashes. Polaris 20 will also be featuring a clash between teams Brazil and USA.
Polaris should also fire whoever is running their social media due to utter failings to promote this card. The announcements for team members are separated into chunks that are hard to piece together. As is – the card received very little publicity despite featuring many current and former ADCC competitors.