Issue 165

March 2018

While the likes of the UFC and Bellator are only just creating their flyweight divisions and crowning champions, the leading all-women’s promotion has been at it for almost five years. For the last two, the Invicta Fighting Championships strap has been around the waist of this tough Brazilian from Curitiba – the woman ranked as the division’s best by anyone in the know.

The Chute Boxe product made a second successful defense in December with a hard-fought decision victory against the consensus number two in the world, Agnieszka Niedz?wiedz?. The Polish challenger, who came in with a 10-0 record, pushed the champion, but Maia had her hand raised after 25 minutes and maintained her position as world number one.

“I’m happy with the win, because I knew it was going to be a war,” she said. “In these fights, you don’t know how it will go. We knew she was very good at coming in for the takedown. I tried to keep it as much on the feet as I could but she managed to get the takedown twice. As it progressed, I was able to keep it standing, impose my rhythm and work my game.

Maia says she’s ready to defend her Invicta belt, but the organization’s roster has been regularly raided for talent by the UFC in the past, and she wouldn’t be opposed to vacating for the chance to earn the new top prize in the sport. “I think it’s super cool,” she said. “Now there’s a new division in the UFC, it’s an amazing opportunity, a new horizon.

I’m just waiting for the call... If I could fight the champion, that would be amazing.”