"(Chris Weidman) is not so well-known like the other guys, like Chael and Mike, but he's tough," said Maia of his opponent this Saturday at UFC on FOX 2. "He's a good wrestler, and the thing is, I was preparing to fight a striker like Mike (Bisping)."
"All my life, I've been fighting against grapplers. I just came back to my roots. … I don't have too much time to make the adjustment, but he also doesn't have time to do everything properly, so we are in the same line."
Bisping originally was slated to fight Maia on Saturday, but an elbow injury to Mark Munoz elevated Bisping to the co-main event against Chael Sonnen.
Enter Weidman, an unbeaten prospect who joined UFC last year.
"I'm a wrestler," Weidman says. "I'm always going to start the fight obviously standing, (but) if the takedowns are there, I'm going to get my takedown. I'm always going to be looking to pass and I'm always going to be looking for submissions no matter who I'm fighting."
"Some people never have opportunities like this given to them. I wasn't going to let someone else jump in there and take that opportunity, so it's good stuff."
Weidman twice earned All-American honors while wrestling at Hofstra University. He finished third at the Division I national tourney in 2007 after placing sixth the previous year.