Credit: MMANews.com

UFC President Dana White gives his thoughts on the unforunate injury that forced Vitor Belfort out of UFC 112 and Demian Maia stepping up to face champion Anderson Silva in his place when the UFC heads to Abu Dhabi on April 10th:

"It’s always tough when a top fighter like Vitor Belfort has to pull out of a big title fight, but we have found a high quality replacement. Top contender Chael Sonnen was not available due to injuries sustained in his fight with Nate Marquardt, so top six middleweight Demian Maia will step in to fight for the title. Maia is an Abu Dhabi grappling champion, a five-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, and he is 12-1 in MMA and coming off a win over Dan Miller at UFC 109. Anderson Silva vs Demian Maia will be a matchup between MMA’s best striker and MMA’s best grappler."