Jennifer Maia – Page 8 – Syndication Server

UFC on ESPN+ 31 predictions: Who’s picking Derek Brunson to halt Edmen Shahbazyan’s charge?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC on ESPN+ 31 main card in Las Vegas.

	Brunson vs. Shahbazyan	Calderwood vs. Maia	Brown vs. Luque	Green vs. Vannata	Giles vs. Holland
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2020: 71-46	Shahbazyan (76%)	Calderwood (72%)	Luque (90%)	Vannata (53%)	Holland (86%)
Nolan King @mma_kings 2020: 84-33	Shahbazyan	Calderwood	Luque	Vannata	Holland
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2020: 83-34	Shahbazyan	Calderwood	Luque	Green	Holland
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2020: 82-35	Shahbazyan	Calderwood	Luque	Vannata	Holland
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2020: 80-37 2014 Champion	Shahbazyan	Calderwood	Luque	Vannata	Giles
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2020: 79-38	Shahbazyan	Calderwood	Luque	Vannata	Holland
Simon Head @simonhead 2020: 78-39 2019 Champion*	Shahbazyan	Calderwood	Luque	Green	Holland
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2020: 78-39 2017 Champion	Shahbazyan	Calderwood	Luque	Green	Holland
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2020: 77-40 2018 Champion	Shahbazyan	Calderwood	Luque	Green	Holland
Dave Doyle @davedoylemma 2020: 76-41	Shahbazyan	Maia	Luque	Vannata	Holland
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2020: 75-42	Shahbazyan	Calderwood	Luque	Green	Holland
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2020: 73-44	Brunson	Calderwood	Luque	Green	Holland
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2020: 72-45	Shahbazyan	Calderwood	Luque	Vannata	Holland
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2020: 72-45	Shahbazyan	Calderwood	Luque	Vannata	Holland
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2020: 49-68	Brunson	Maia	Brown	Green	Giles

The UFC returns home to Las Vegas with a pair of ranked middleweight contenders at the top of the bill, looking to catapult themselves toward the top of the division with a statement victory.

UFC on ESPN+ 31 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is the clear favorite to defeat [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] (20-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC), with 12 of our 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts selecting the undefeated prospect to continue his surge up the middleweight division. He’s also the favorite with our readers, too, with 76 percent backing him to get the win.

In the co-main event, Scotland’s [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag] (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) received similar backing from our panel, with 12 of the MMA Junkie team picking “JoJo” to get the victory over [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] (17-6-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC).

Brazilian welterweight [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] (18-7-1 MMA, 11-3 UFC) is the most popular fighter on the card with our voting readers, with a whopping 90 percent picking him to prevail in his main card clash against [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC). Thirteen of our 14 panelists also sided with Luque in their staff picks.

A fascinating striking battle is in prospect as lightweights [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] (25-10-1 MMA, 6-5 UFC) and [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag] (10-4-2 MMA, 3-4-2 UFC) face off, and the vote is suitably split, with Vannata edging the fan poll with 53 percent of the vote. The pair also split our staff picks panel, too, with each man receiving seven votes each.

The middleweight main card opener offers an interesting clash, too, but the panel and the fans seem much more unified in their assessment, with 86 percent of readers, and 12 of our panelists, picking [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) to take the victory over [autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC).

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Shahbazyan (76 percent), Calderwood (72 percent), Luque (90 percent), Vannata (53 percent), and Holland (86 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

UFC on ESPN+ 31: Make your predictions for Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 31 event in Las Vegas.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN+ 31 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN+ 31 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams live on ESPN+.

Make your picks for all five main card fights inside:

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Joanne Calderwood to fill in as late replacement vs. Jennifer Maia at UFC on ESPN+ 31

So much for Joanne Calderwood’s shot at a UFC title.

So much for [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag]’s shot at a UFC title.

Calderwood, who was next in line to challenge women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko, has agreed to fight [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] on late notice after Viviane Araujo tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to withdraw from the Aug. 1 UFC on ESPN+ 31 event.

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed Calderwood’s signing Monday night but requested anonymity since the UFC has yet to make an announcement. Earlier Monday, Maia told MMA Junkie that she’d been offered Calderwood and accepted following an initial report from Combate.

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It’s a surprise turn of events for Calderwood, who was booked to fight Shevchenko for the title at the original UFC 251 scheduled for June 6 in Perth, Australia. That fight, however, was called off in late March after it was revealed that Shevchenko suffered a leg injury. Eventually the June 6 event in Perth was canceled because of the global coronavirus pandemic.

Calderwood (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) earned her title shot on the heels of winning three out of four, including her most recent fight by split decision against Andrea Lee last September at UFC 242.

Instead, Calderwood will meet Maia (17-6-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC), who has missed weight in her previous two fights. She’s 2-2 in her last four fights, which includes a loss to Katlyn Chookagian, who also owns a win over Calderwood.

With the change, the latest UFC on ESPN+ 31 lineup now includes:

Holly Holm vs. Irene Aldana
Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
Markus Perez vs. Eric Spicely
Trevin Giles vs. Jun Yong Park
Ed Herman vs. Da Un Jung
Joanne Calderwood vs. Jennifer Maia
Randy Brown vs. Vicente Luque
Jonathan Martinez vs. Frankie Saenz
Ray Borg vs. Nathan Maness
Chris Gutierrez vs. Luke Sanders

Viviane Araujo stunned by positive COVID-19 test: ‘Despite all precautions, I caught it’

Viviane Araujo is out of her upcoming UFC on ESPN+ 31 fight with Jennifer Maia after contracting the coronavirus in Brazil.

[autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] is the latest UFC fighter to catch COVID-19.

Araujo is out of her women’s flyweight bout against [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag], which was set for UFC on ESPN+ 31, after testing positive for coronavirus in the pre-fight screenings leading up to the Aug. 1 event in Las Vegas. The news was first reported by MMA Fighting and subsequently confirmed by MMA Junkie, who received an update from Araujo on her condition.

“Unfortunately this week I tested positive for COVID-19. I don’t know how I caught it,” Araujo told MMA Junkie on Monday. “I was taking all precautions and training with only two fighters. They tested negative. Only I tested positive. That’s it. I was very sad that the fight was canceled and also worried for my health. Here in Brazil, the contamination rate is very high. Despite all precautions, I caught it. I am feeling mostly OK with only mild cold symptoms. My doctors are keeping an eye on me. The goal is to recover so I can book my next fight.”

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Araujo (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is coming off a decision loss to former UFC title challenger Jessica Eye in December at UFC 245. Prior to that, the Brazilian had picked up wins over veterans Talita Bernardo and Alexis Davis to kick off her UFC tenure.

Meanwhile, Maia (17-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) also looked to bounce back from defeat after dropping a decision loss to Katlyn Chookagian in November. Combate reports that Joanne Calderwood is expected to fill in for Araujo. Maia told MMA Junkie on Monday that she was offered Calderwood and accepted, but she couldn’t say the same for Calderwood, who previously had been tabbed to challenge Valentina Shevchenko until injury forced the 125-pound champion out of their matchup.

UFC on ESPN+ 31 is headlined by a women’s bantamweight bout between Holly Holm and Irene Aldana.

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Jennifer Maia vows weight-cutting ‘errors have been corrected’ ahead of Viviane Araujo fight

Ahead of her fight with Viviane Araujo, Jennifer Maia is certain that her weight-cutting issues are a thing of the past.

[autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] is sure that her weight-cutting issues are behind her.

Maia (17-6-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) faces [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] on Aug. 1, where she will look to climb back up to flyweight contention. Maia missed weight in her last two outings, and the former Invicta FC champion chalks up her mishaps to being ill-prepared.

“I’ve been fighting for a long time,” Maia told MMA Junkie. “I had always made weight. But, for my last two bouts, there were strategic errors during my preparation. They caused me problems at the weigh-ins. Those errors have been corrected. It won’t happen again. The problem was in trying to maximize my physical strength before the final stages of the weight cut.”

After notching wins over Alexis Davis and Roxanne Modafferi in her first two UFC fights, Maia suffered a unanimous decision loss to Katlyn Chookagian last November, who went on to challenge champion Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight title.

While Maia is focused on Araujo, she has her sights set on one day getting a shot at the title.

“I look at things one fight at a time,” Maia said. “Of course, I very much want the UFC belt. I’m looking to get there, but my focus now is completely on the bout against Viviane. Hopefully a victory will push me even closer to the top of the division so I can eventually face the champion.”

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Similarly to Maia, Araujo impressed in her first two UFC fights but suffered a unanimous decision loss to former flyweight title challenger Jessica Eye in her last outing at UFC 245.

So Maia is expecting a very game Araujo when the meet on the Aug. 1 event, which was rescheduled from an original June 27 date.

“‘Vivi’ is truly tough,” Maia said. “She’s had excellent performances inside the UFC. I think it’s going to be a great fight. It’s going to be a challenge. We’ll both be constantly looking for a finish. I’ve been training hard for this specific fight. I’m confident I’ll be bringing this win home. I don’t know exactly how the fight will end, but I plan to make sure it happens before it goes to the judges.

“In this fight, and going forward, I want to show things that I haven’t yet been able to show in the UFC. I want to show how much sharper my game is. I want people to see that I’m a different fighter now.”

Jennifer Maia vs. Viviane Araujo added to UFC Austin on June 27

Viviane Araujo vs. Jennifer Maia has been added to a UFC event that will take place in Austin, Texas.

A women’s flyweight bout has been added to a UFC event that will take place in Austin, Texas.

[autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) will face fellow Brazilian [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) on June 27. MMA Junkie confirmed the matchup with a person with knowledge of the booking who requested anonymity because the organization has yet to make an official announcement.

Combate first reported the bout.

Araujo joined the roster last year, competing three times in 2019. She made an emphatic promotional debut with a knockout over Talita Bernardo at bantamweight, then dropped down to flyweight, picking up a win over Alexis Davis. But in her most recent outing, Araujo lost a unanimous decision to former UFC flyweight title challenger Jessica Eye at UFC 245.

Meanhwile, after dropping her UFC debut to Liz Carmouche, former Invicta FC 125-pound champion Maia then rebounded with two straight wins over Alexis Davis and Roxanne Modafferi. She was then matched up with Katyln Chookagian in a flyweight title eliminator but lost the fight via unanimous decision. Maia also failed to make weight for the matchup, making it the second straight time that she missed the flyweight mark.

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Valentina Shevchenko proud of UFC 247 domination, names three potential next challengers

“When you end the fight with the fight result you expected, it’s the best feeling that you ever can feel.”

HOUSTON – [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] is proud of her work.

The UFC women’s flyweight champion, Shevchenko (19-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) successfully defended her belt for the third time Saturday when she defeated Katlyn Chookagian by third-round TKO in the UFC 247 co-main event.

While speaking to the media at the post-fight news conference, a beaming Shevchenko expressed pride in her performance as her hard work paid off once again.

“I feel amazing,” Shevchenko said backstage at Toyota Center. “It’s not only because of the performance, the past couple months was a lot of work – a lot of hard training, mental pressure, physical pressure, and everything. When you end the fight with the fight result you expected, it’s the best feeling that you ever can feel.”

Through five fights as a flyweight, Shevchenko has been unbeatable. While, the reoccurring questions of her interest in potential superfights continue to arise, Shevchenko sees three possibilities for opponents within her 125-pound division.

“We just watched the rankings of flyweight with Laura Sanko, and it was after Katlyn (Chookagain) (and) Jessica Eye. It was [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag], [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag], and [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag],” Shevchenko said. “These three girls I think are strong fighters. They have very good skills. Each one, they have different styles of fighting. I would love to fight any one of them.”

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Calderwood has won three out of her last four fights, with her lone loss coming to Chookagian by decision. Modafferi has won two out of three with her only defeat suffered at the hands of Maia, who has won two out of three but is coming off a loss to Chookagian in November.

Additionally, Maia has missed weight for back-to-back fights. If Maia was to be placed in a title fight, however, Shevchenko thinks the Brazilian would take her cut more seriously.

“I think if it’s going to be a matter of the title fight, she’s going to take it more seriously, probably,” Shevchenko said.

As for a timeline for her return, Shevchenko is ready – like, the “right now” kind of ready.

“It doesn’t matter,” Shevchenko said. “I don’t know – tomorrow, probably. Yes, I’d love to fight soon.”

Check out Shevchenko’s full UFC 247 post-fight news conference in the video above.

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