After fighting in the UFC for nearly 15 years, Demian Maia returns to grappling competition at BJJ Stars 8 on April 30 where he will face current UFC welterweight Alex 'Cowboy' Oliveira in a no-gi match as the main event of the evening.  

Though he likely needs little introduction for grappling fans, Demian Maia is one of the most accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitors to ever grace the mats.  Along with his impressive mixed martial arts career, Maia has conquered many of the most important competitions in jiu-jitsu history - including ADCC, the CBJJO World Cup, and IBJJF Worlds as a blue and purple belt.

Maia's style could be categorized as striving to be perfectly efficient -  a methodology that stands in sharp contrast to Cowboy's flair for the unpredictable.  

When asked how was feeling ahead of the event, Demian Maia told us that

"After 15 years without competing in sport BJJ I’m back. It feels amazing.  I always knew I would comeback one day and the day has come!" -Demian Maia

WATCH: Demian Maia & Johnatha Alves Share A Friendly Roll In Korea

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Cowboy Olveira is a showman and has an open, scramble-based approach that has served him well in the course of his professional MMA career.  Although Oliveira is presently just a blue belt in jiu-jitsu, he's been fighting in the UFC since 2015 and has racked up 5 submission wins in his 22-12 career with the promotion.

Maia's last pure grappling performance took place at the ADCC 2007 World Championships - an event where he captured gold in the 88kg division after defeating Yushin Okami, Rafael Lovato Jr., Tarsis Humphreys, and Flavio Almeida.   Two months after his ADCC win Demian Maia signed a contract with the UFC and became one of the best-known grapplers worldwide as he amassed a 28-11 record with 14 submissions over the course of his 14-year career with the promotion.