Roxanne Modaferri had already fought all over the world when Jennifer Maia made her professional MMA debut in December 2009. Less than seven years later, the Brazilian trained to defend her Invicta FC flyweight title against "The Happy Warrior," and it felt a bit surreal.
Maia became the interim champion in March, beating Vanessa Porto via unanimous decision. Six months later, the Brazilian looks for her 14th professional win against a 31-fight veteran, and admits that she never envisioned herself facing a fighter like Modaferri as a titleholder.
At Friday night’s Invicta FC 19 event in Kansas City, Maia will have that opportunity.