Jennifer Maia


Jennifer Maia is a Brazilian female mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division. Maia trains at Chute Boxe Academy in Brazil. She is currently signed with The Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of June 23, 2020, she is #6 in the UFC women's flyweight rankings.

Boxing career

On March 29, 2008, Maia made her professional Boxing debut at Centri de Boxe in Curitiba, Brazil. She faced Michelle Bonassoli in an eight-round bout that went the distance and saw her victorious via unanimous decision.
Her second bout was against Juliana de Aguiar, another eight round bout in which she won via points.
The last boxing match Maia competed in before transitioning into MMA was on August 5, 2009. She defeated Lorena Nancy Lopez via TKO in the fourth round.

Mixed martial arts career

Maia made her professional MMA debut on December 5, 2009. She won her first four fights, finishing each of them in the first round with three submissions and one TKO.
On October 28, 2011, Maia suffered her first loss to fellow Brazilian Vanessa Porto at Kumite MMA Combate. She was defeated by second-round armbar.
Maia rebounded with a second-round submission victory over Tatiane Porfirio Aguiar at Pink Fight 1 on January 29, 2012.
Maia was scheduled to face Vanessa Porto in a rematch at Pink Fight 2, but she withdrew from the fight in order to compete in the Cage Warriors women's flyweight title tournament.
At Cage Warriors Fight Night 4 on March 16, 2012, Maia suffered a somewhat controversial knockout loss to future UFC fighter Sheila Gaff. At the start of the fight, when both fighters met in the center of the cage to touch gloves, Gaff unloaded a flurry of punches that knocked Maia out in just 10 seconds.
Maia next faced future UFC Women's Strawweight Championship Jéssica Andrade on December 15, 2012 at Samurai FC 9: Water vs. Fire. She won the fight via unanimous decision.

Invicta Fighting Championships

Debut

Maia made her Invicta Fighting Championships debut at on April 5, 2013 against former Bellator Women's Strawweight Champion Zoila Frausto Gurgel. She won the fight via unanimous decision.
Maia then faced off against Leslie Smith in a #1 contender's fight for a shot at the Flyweight Championship held by Barb Honchak at on July 13, 2013. She lost the fight via unanimous decision.
After returning from the regional scene in Brazil, in which she went 2–0, Maia next faced DeAnna Bennett on December 5, 2014 at. She lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Invicta FC Flyweight Champion

Following the loss, Maia once again returned to the regional scene in Brazil, going 3–0 before returning to Invicta. She next faced Vanessa Porto on March 11, 2016 at for the interim Invicta FC Flyweight Championship in a rematch of their 2011 bout. She won the fight via unanimous decision to capture the title.
Due to long-time Invicta FC Flyweight Champion Barb Honchak still unable to compete in a title unification bout, Maia was scheduled to face Roxanne Modafferi in a defense of her interim title on September 23, 2016 at. However, during the official weigh-in, it was announced that Barb Honchak was stripped of her title and that Maia would now be defending her undisputed championship at the event. Maia successfully defended her title, winning the fight via split decision.
Maia's next title defense came against undefeated Agnieszka Niedźwiedź on December 8, 2017 at. She won the fight via unanimous decision, successfully defending her title for the second time.
On July 7, 2018, Maia vacated her Invicta FC Flyweight Championship.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Maia was signed with The Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2018.
Maia made her UFC debut against Liz Carmouche at UFC Fight Night 133 on July 14, 2018. Maia lost the fight by unanimous decision.
It was announced by USADA on January 15, 2019, that Maia had tested positive during an out-of-competition drug test for multiple banned substances, which they determined were ingested through tainted supplements. As a result, she was suspended six months retroactive to August 16, 2018.
Maia faced Alexis Davis on March 23, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 148. She won the fight via a unanimous decision.
Maia faced Roxanne Modafferi on July 20, 2019 at UFC on ESPN 4 in a rematch of their 2016 Invicta FC Flyweight Championship bout, which Maia won via split decision. At the weigh-ins, Maia weighed in at 129 pounds, 3 pounds over the women's flyweight non-title fight limit of 126. As a result she was fined 30 percent of her purse, and the bout proceeded a catchweight fight. She won the fight via unanimous decision.
As the first fight of her new six-fight contract with the UFC, Maia faced Katlyn Chookagian on November 2, 2019 at UFC 244. At the weigh-ins, Maia weighed in at 127.2 pounds, 1.2 pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit of 126. The bout went ahead at catchweight and Maia was fined 25% of her purse and went to her opponent. she lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Maia was scheduled to meet Viviane Araújo on June 27, 2020 at. However, the bout was rescheduled in mid-June to take place on August 1, 2020 at after both participants faced travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequently, Araújo was removed from the card in mid-July after testing positive for COVID-19 and replaced by Joanne Calderwood.

Championships and achievements

[Mixed martial arts]