Demian Maia shares wild story about fake kidnapping of his wife that saw him lose his Rolex Daytona gifted by Saudi Sheik

Demian Maia is a bonafide combat sports legend, having showcased what the essence of true martial arts is all about. The UFC veteran recently shared a stunning story about how criminals in Brazil faked the kidnapping of his wife to extort him and his family.

Maia, who hails from Sao Paulo, Brazil, is not only a legend in MMA but also in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, having grown up training BJJ. He holds numerous world titles, having won the prestigious Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) World Championships in 2007 and securing a silver medal at ADCC in 2005.

ADCC was founded by Sheik Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the current National Security Advisor of the United Arab Emirates.

During Maia's recent appearance on the JAXXON Podcast, he recounted how the fake kidnapping saw a Rolex Daytona watch gifted to him by Sheik Tahnoun lost forever. He said this:

"You know what they do in Brazil? The fake kidnapping... They call and pretend they kidnapped your kid or something. But it's not true."

He continued:

"They [call] from jail or somewhere, but they make you believe... They called my father-in-law in the middle of the night. They said, 'I'm with your daughter here, if you don't put some money in this garbage can, $10,000 or something, we're gonna kill her.'"

He added:

"They're smart, so they start to throw stuff [out there], 'We know you have jewellery... and I know you have a Rolex.' He thinks that they are with [his daughter] and she is telling them [what to demand]... Then they called us in the middle of the night and he said, 'Are you okay?!' And she said, 'Yeah, I'm sleeping.' I ended up losing the watch."

Catch Demian Maia's comments below (1:19:55):

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Israel Adesanya pays tribute to Demian Maia for surprise visit at City Kickboxing

City Kickboxing has become one of the most well-known gyms in the MMA world, with elite fighters such as Israel Adesanya and Dan Hooker part of the team. The CKB squad trains in New Zealand, a location that is not easily accessible for most who may wish to train there.

Ahead of Adesanya's UFC 305 clash with Dricus du Plessis, Demain Maia paid a surprise visit to the CKB facility, much to the delight of 'The Last Stylebender'. He took to Instagram and penned the following:

"To feel honored truly for me, being in the presence of greatness that bigger than just sports...it's about a man's character. We were blessed with a surprise guest in Demian Maia who casually strolled into the gym with his son and took time to bestow us with his knowledge."

Check out Adesanya's post below: