In case of victory at UFC 244, Jennifer Maia wants to fight for the flyweight belt

J. Maia expects victory in UFC 244. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @jennimaiaufc

A Brazilian could be close to competing for the flyweight belt (up to 56,7kg). Jennifer maia, which faces Katlyn chookagian on the preliminary card of UFC 244, which takes place this Saturday (2), in New York, wants to challenge the current champion of its category, Valentina Shevchenko, if they triumph over their opponent this weekend. The statement was made in an interview with 'Combate'.

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“Every time I watch Valentina's fight, I feel like I'm getting closer to fighting her. I think it would be fair to Valentina, after this, right?”, said the Curitiba native.

The athlete, however, is aware that she will face a dangerous challenge this weekend. The fighter will face the first ranked player in the division and who has only two defeats in her career.

“Of course I think about one fight at a time. I'm focused on that now, but, if victory comes, the next step I hope will be Valentina. I visualize the victory and think about asking Valentina. I think about that”, declared the flyweight.

Maia will have in his favor the fact that he is coming off two consecutive victories. In a good phase, the combatant hopes, however, to write a different script than her last two commitments, when she emerged victorious in the judges' decision.

“Of course, it is much better to finish the fight before leaving it up to the judges to decide. All my last fights have been on points. So, I haven't been able to finish it for a long time. It would be great to finish sooner, but I'm prepared for three rounds, as always. I'll let the fight happen. I know that her last fights were on her feet, she stays on her feet, and my fights were like that too,” she said.

Jennifer's last victory that was not in the hands of the judges happened in 2015, when the Curitiba native knocked out Marta Souza, at Samurai FC 12. All of the Brazilian's commitments, including the defeat to veteran Liz Carmouche, were resolved by points.

At 31 years old, Maia, currently ranked fifth in the flyweight rankings, has 22 fights in her career, with 17 wins and five losses.

Chookagian, 30, has 14 fights, 12 triumphs and two setbacks.