Jorge Santiago is set to face fellow countryman, Demian Maia at UFC 136 and going into the bout with no lack of confidence according to tatame.com.

"He has an excellent ground game. I've watched his fights for a long time, he has a good ground game, but mine ain't any worst. I still haven't had the chance to show it in MMA, but I can fight him on the floor. My ground game is focused in MMA, I don't only work on the guard, use it to sweep... If you are not careful, I'll get you and you'll tap out...If he makes a mistake, I'll submit him" Santiago said.

Santiago (23-9) will be looking to rebound after a TKO loss to Brian Stann at UFC 130. Santiago is Sengoku's two time defending middleweight champion, a member of American Top Team and is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt himself. He has 12 submission wins to his credit.

On paper, Maia would appear to be superior in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Aside from his fourth degree black belt rank in the art, Maia also competed in numerous grappling tournaments and has placed highly in those events.

In the UFC, Maia won four "Submission of the Night" awards which includes a triangle choke submission win over Chael Sonnen. Additionally Maia has also been working on his striking to complement his already world class grappling to further balance out his skill set.

"For what I could tell about his last fight, he really likes striking, but he's strongest point is his Jiu-Jitsu. If we must strike, let's do it." Santiago said.

Santiago has been training with a varied group to help him prepare for Maia. Among the men aiding him are Sergio Babu and Luiz Cane.

"I'll do some visits to other gyms, including Pablo's, which has many good Jiu-Jitsu guys. I'll live for Jiu-Jitsu for a while, but, of course, focusing in Jiu-Jitsu with punches...I'm still not playing his game, I'm just doing a strong basic preparation. I hope to do a great fight with him." Santiago added.

Santiago and Maia are slated for UFC 136 on October 8, 2011 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. UFC 136's main event is planned to be a third match between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard for the UFC's lightweight championship. Featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, is also planned to defend his title against Kenny Florian.