Maia out-grapples Masvidal to take split decision, earn shot at Woodley

It's time for Demian Maia to get what's coming to him.

The 39-year-old Brazilian's jiu-jitsu mastery was on full display at UFC 211 on Saturday in Dallas, as he defeated Jorge Masvidal by split decision to earn his seventh straight win and a shot at welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.

Following the victory, Maia called out to UFC president Dana White at cageside and asked for the title shot.

White simply replied, "You got it."

The performance was vintage Maia. He shot in for takedowns early and often, using his deceiving strength and flawless technique to bring the dangerous Masvidal down to the mat. However, Masvidal refused to roll over.

After spending the majority of the first round with Maia draped all over his back, Masvidal was able to shrug Maia off and batter him with punches before the buzzer sounded.

Masvidal continued to show strong defense throughout the bout, blocking several of Maia's takedown attempts. The persistent Maia was still able to get Masvidal down at key points in the match and that allowed him to avoid Masvidal's more effective techniques. "Gamebred" had a clear advantage in the standup department, but he simply wasn't able to generate enough output to sway the judges.

The third round was dominated by Maia as he once again took Masvidal's back and rode out that position with the final five minutes ticking away.

Masvidal falls to 4-3 as a UFC welterweight, failing to capitalize on a stunning TKO victory over Donald Cerrone this past January.