Flyweight contender Jennifer Maia may be competing in a title eliminator Saturday night.
Maia (17-5-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) takes on Katlyn Chookagian (12-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) at UFC 244 in a fight that could determine who faces champion Valentina Shevchenko next. The former Invicta FC 125-pound champ has won two straight over Alexis Davis and Roxanne Modafferi.
But Maia missed weight badly for her most recent outing vs. Modafferi, coming in at 129 pounds. That is four pounds over the flyweight limit for a title fight, and though that’s the first time she missed weight, it’s pivotal that she comes in on point Friday if she wants to emerge as the next title challenger.
Ahead of her bout with Chookagian, catch up with Maia below.
Talk about your UFC bouts so far
All my fights in the UFC were learning experiences. I lost my first bout to Liz Carmouche. I was coming in with a lot of anxiety. I felt the pressure of being the world’s biggest promotion. But I learned from that. By the time I faced Alexis Davis, I was more mentally ready. I was more comfortable within the organization. Even though I knew I was going to be facing a rock wall, I gave my best and I was able to get the win.
Next, it was Roxanne Modafferi – we had fought before. Even though I had defeated her before, it was a very close fight. I knew that she was going to show up with every intention of beating me, and that she was already familiar with my game. Regardless, I had been getting ready for a long time to face any sort of opponent. I felt that Roxanne was much improved, compared to the first time we fought. I was very happy to score yet another victory by nullifying her game, and her takedown attempts. With each fight, I can show how much I’ve improved from the work I’ve been putting in.
What can you say about Katlyn Chookagian?
I’ve been watching Katlyn Chookagian for some time now. I like her fight style. I was expecting that, as I kept winning, we’d meet, since she’s very well ranked. That time has arrived. I feel her style is going match up very well with mine. My last few fights have been mostly striking affairs, which is my forte. I watched her last bout, which was mostly on the feet. It was very cool. I expect we’ll put on a beautiful fight – a show. She’s fighting on her home turf this time. It’s been a while since I’ve fought at home. So being the away team doesn’t put on any pressure on me. I’m used to it. I always remain focused. I don’t know how the fight will end. I just know we’ll put on a show because both of us will be trying our hardest to win.
Talk about your training camp?
As before, I trained at Chute Boxe under coach Ed “Monstro” Carlos. He supervises all my training sessions. Nicolle Caliari, who’s in Invicta, was one of my sparring partners. She’s from the Thai Brasil team. We help each other out. Another training partner is UFC veteran Ericka Almeida, with whom I worked on my jiu-jitsu. Fabio Cunha is our wrestling coach. We also trained with the guys from Santa Fe Team academy, as their focus is on striking. Those are partnerships I’ve had for some time now.
Your teammate John Allan won his UFC debut, but subsequently failed a drug test. Can you talk about that?
John ended up failing due to some medication he had taken before being contracted by the UFC. The medication was for a chest problem he had – some pain. It all happened before the UFC and should have been out of his system. Unfortunately, it was still there. We’re not aware that it would enhance his performance in any way. He didn’t even know he was going to be signed up by the UFC when he was being medicated. Unfortunately, there was some vestiges. He’s working with his doctor, as far as filing an appeal. I know that he’s feeling positive because he didn’t do anything wrong. He’ll be back, even better than before. He’ll be able to continue showing his work within the organization.
