Jennifer Maia (19-7-1) is getting ready to start the New Year with a bang as she prepares for her fight against Katlyn Chookagian (16-4) on January 15. OTH had a chance to talk with Maia ahead of the upcoming bout.
Training for Her Opponent
Maia said she sees the fight ending with “My arm raised with a beautiful victory.” In order to reach her goal, the Brazilian explained she is “Training everything to feel comfortable playing the game I want,” along with planning the strategy according to her opponent. Maia stated she believes the “Blonde Fighter” is “A very tough fighter, but there’s not a lot of diversity in her game.”
The 32-year-old Maia, fighting out of Chute Boxe Monstro, is currently ranked at #4 in the women’s UFC flyweight rankings. With recent wins against Jessica Eye (15-10) at UFC 264 and Joanne Calderwood at UFC Vegas 5, Maia was unsuccessful in her flyweight title challenge against Valentina Shevchenko (22-3).
The Loss to Shevchenko
In the co-main event at UFC 255 in November 2020, Shevchenko defended the UFC’s 125-pound championship in her fourth title defense defeating Maia by unanimous decision. All three judges scored it 49-46 for the champ however, Maia was able to get the best of Shevchenko in the second round. Definitely a rare occurrence, “The Bullet” lost the round with Maia pinning her up against the fence and taking advantage of a failed takedown by her opponent. With Maia winding up in top position it was the most time Shevchenko has spent under an opponent in the UFC.
Chookagian’s Two Back-to-Back Wins
Chookagian is coming into the fight with two back-to-back unanimous decision wins over Cynthia Calvillo (9-3) at UFC 255 and Viviane Araujo (10-3) at UFC 262 in June. Prior to that, she suffered a loss to Jéssica Andrade (22-9) succumbing to a vicious hook to the body in Round 1 at UFC Fight Island 6 in October 2020.
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