No Stagnation for Jennifer Maia

Jennifer Maia takes notes and makes changes.

Still firmly entrenched as a Top 10 women’s flyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Maia will do battle with Viviane Araujo in the UFC Fight Night 230 co-main event on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. She enters the cage having rebounded from back-to-back defeats to Katlyn Chookagian and Manon Fiorot with back-to-back victories over Maryna Moroz and Casey O'Neill. Those setbacks proved beneficial to Maia in the long run.

“Without a doubt, we learned much from those losses and harnessed them to improve our skill level, evolve in training and pursue new knowledge,” she told Sherdog.com. “We did something like before in training but with increased intensity and frequency. There’s a greater focus on better results and winning.”

Araujo poses plenty of challenges and returns to the stage on the heels of consecutive losses to Alexa Grasso and Amanda Ribas. At 36, she can ill afford another misstep. Maia was aiming at someone higher than Araujo on the women’s flyweight ladder before the match was made.

“I didn’t expect this fight,” she said. “Since I’m coming off two wins against two opponents ranked below me, I expected someone above me this time around, but it’s my job. I was eager to fight again. They gave me Vivi, and I was happy. She’s a tough fighter who’s close to me in the rankings. A win against her should still push me forward. I do believe that getting a finish would push me up in the rankings. I trust I can get a finish, but I’m training to win after going all three rounds, if necessary.”

The 35-year-old Maia still plans to step away from competition to start a family sometime in the not-too-distant future. For now, Araujo remains her sole focus.

“I only think about things one fight at a time,” Maia said. “I’ll keep going as long as I’m improving and having good performances. Eventually, I’ll put things on hold, but right now, I’m feeling strong and confident, both physically and technically.”

No stranger to the title picture at 125 pounds, Maia fought Valentina Shevchenko for the undisputed women’s flyweight crown at UFC 255 a little less than three years ago. Though she dropped a unanimous decision to Shevchenko, she holds out hope for another shot at the crown.

“My primary dream is to capture the UFC belt,” Maia said. “It’s something I’ve dreamed about, and I hope to leave my name in the history of fighting, MMA and the UFC.”