Demian Maia has just taken a huge step in his transition away from professional MMA competition, as he has started work as a commentator for UFC Fight Pass Brazil. He will no doubt be a huge addition to the commentary team, as there’s very few people on the planet who have as much Jiu-Jitsu knowledge as Maia and he remains an incredibly popular fighter in Brazil. It’s a five-person team so far and Maia isn’t the only BJJ black belt and MMA veteran who’s going to he able to give an insider’s perspective either.
Alongside him is former UFC Heavyweight interim world champion and the first winner of the PRIDE Heavyweight grand prix, Rodrigo ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira. Not only is Nogueira an incredibly experienced MMA fighter, but he’s also won several major IBJJF events during his journey through the coloured belt ranks. Carlos Barreto is also a member of the commentary team and as an MMA veteran who’s professional career dates back all the way to 1993, these three men have enough competitive experience between them to cover almost the entire history of the sport.
The final two members of the team have significantly more broadcasting experience, as Andre Azevedo and Evelyn Rodrigues are both experts in the field. Since Demian Maia retired from professional MMA, he has been keeping busy by competing in professional grappling instead. He’s still training just as hard as he ever did, but he now has enough time in his schedule to take on additional roles like his new job as a commentator for UFC Fight Pass Brazil. The UFC have put together a truly fantastic commentary team for the Brazilian arm of Fight Pass and fans in the country must be overjoyed by the effort they’ve put in to building it.
The news that Demian Maia had just been hired as a commentator for UFC Fight Pass Brazil was announced in a post to his official Instagram account: