Jennifer Maia

Jennifer Apreciada Gonçalves de Maia (born October 6, 1988) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division of Invicta FC, where she is the current Invicta FC Bantamweight Champion. She has also competed in the Women's Flyweight division. Maia trains at Chute Boxe Academy in Brazil. A professional since 2009, Maia is most notable for her 12 bout stint in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and for being the former Invicta FC Flyweight World Champion.

Background Maia was born in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, on October 6, 1988. Playing soccer since childhood, Maia transitioned to Muay Thai, at the age of 15.

Mixed martial arts career Early 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 a 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 Maia made her Invicta Fighting Championships debut at Invicta FC 5: Penne vs. Waterson 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 Invicta FC 6: Coenen vs. Cyborg 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 Invicta FC 10: Waterson vs. Tiburcio. 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 Invicta FC 16: Hamasaki vs. Brown 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 Invicta FC 19: Maia vs. Modafferi. 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 Invicta FC 26: Maia vs. Niedzwiedz. 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 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 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. Maia 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. Maia lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Maia was scheduled to meet Viviane Araújo on June 27, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker. However, the bout was rescheduled in mid-June to take place on August 1, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan, 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 she was replaced by Joanne Calderwood. Maia won the fight via armbar submission in round one. This win earned her the Performance of the Night award.

UFC Flyweight title shot Maia faced Valentina Shevchenko for the UFC Women's Flyweight Championship on November 21, 2020, at UFC 255. She lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Maia faced Jessica Eye on July 10, 2021, at UFC 264. She won the fight via unanimous decision.

Maia faced Katlyn Chookagian in a rematch on January 15, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 32. She lost the fight via unanimous decision.

As the first bout of her new four-fight contract, Maia faced Manon Fiorot on March 26, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 33. She lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Maia faced Maryna Moroz on November 19, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 214. Maia won the fight via unanimous decision.

Maia faced Casey O'Neill on March 18, 2023, at UFC 286. She won the fight via unanimous decision.

Maia faced Viviane Araújo on October 14, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 230. She lost the fight via unanimous decision.

On October 18, 2023, it was announced that the promotion had decided to not resign her at the conclusion of her contract.

Return to Invicta FC In her return to Invicta FC, Maia faced Mayra Cantuária on August 9, 2024 in the main event of Invicta FC 56: Maia vs. Cantuária. She won the fight via unanimous decision.

Maia faced Talita Bernardo for the Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship at Invicta FC 59 on December 13, 2024. She won the title by unanimous decision.

Professional grappling career Maia faced Beatriz Mesquita in the main event of ADXC 3 on March 2, 2024. She lost the match by submission.

Championships and accomplishments Mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship Performance of the Night (One times) Fourth most total fight time in UFC Women's Flyweight division history (2:59:29) One successful title defense

Mixed martial arts record Win

Talita Bernardo Decision (unanimous) Invicta FC 59

Atlanta, Georgia, United States Win

Mayra Cantuária Decision (unanimous) Invicta FC 56

Denver, Colorado, United States Loss

Viviane Araújo Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Yusuff vs. Barboza

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Casey O'Neill Decision (unanimous) UFC 286

London, England Win

Maryna Moroz Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs. Cuțelaba

|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Manon Fiorot Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Daukaus

Columbus, Ohio, United States Loss

Katlyn Chookagian Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Chikadze

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Jessica Eye Decision (unanimous) UFC 264

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Valentina Shevchenko Decision (unanimous) UFC 255

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Joanne Calderwood Submission (armbar) UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Katlyn Chookagian Decision (unanimous) UFC 244

New York City, New York, United States Win

Roxanne Modafferi Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Edwards

San Antonio, Texas, United States Win

Alexis Davis Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Pettis

Nashville, Tennessee, United States Loss

Liz Carmouche Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Ivanov

Boise, Idaho, United States Win

Agnieszka Niedźwiedź Decision (unanimous) Invicta FC 26

Kansas City, Missouri, United States Win

Roxanne Modafferi Decision (split) Invicta FC 19

Kansas City, Missouri, United States Win

Vanessa Porto Decision (unanimous) Invicta FC 16

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Dayana Silva Decision (majority) Imortal FC 2

São José dos Pinhais, Brazil Win

Marta Souza TKO (punches) Samurai FC 12

Curitiba, Brazil Win

Stephanie Bragayrac KO (knee) Imortal FC 1

São José dos Pinhais, Brazil Loss

DeAnna Bennett Decision (unanimous) Invicta FC 10

Houston, Texas, United States Win

Elaine Albuquerque Decision (unanimous) Circuito Talent de MMA 11

São José dos Pinhais, Brazil Win

Mariana Morais Submission (rear-naked choke) Talent MMA Circuit 9

São José dos Pinhais, Brazil Loss

Leslie Smith Decision (unanimous) Invicta FC 6

Kansas City, Missouri, United States Win

Zoila Frausto Decision (unanimous) Invicta FC 5

Kansas City, Missouri, United States Win

Jéssica Andrade Decision (unanimous) Samurai FC 9

Curitiba, Brazil Loss

Sheila Gaff KO (punches) Cage Warriors Fight Night 4

Dubai, United Arab Emirates Win

Tatiane Porfirio Aguiar Submission (armbar) Pink Fight 1

Porto Seguro, Brazil Loss

Vanessa Porto Technical Submission (armbar) Kumite MMA Combate

Porto Alegre, Brazil Draw

Kalindra Faria Draw Power Fight Extreme 4

Curitiba, Brazil Win

Alessandra Silva Submission (armbar) Gladiators FC 2

Curitiba, Brazil Win

Jenifer Haas Submission (punches) Challenge Mixed Martial Arts

Curitiba, Brazil Win

Alessandra Silva Submission (rear-naked choke) Power Fight Extreme 2

Curitiba, Brazil Win

Suelen Pinheiro Ribeiro TKO (punches) Brave FC 4: Explosion

Curitiba, Brazil Muay Thai and Kickboxing record

Professional boxing record