Despite having a two-fight winning streak, a new UFC contract and the number five spot in the flyweight division heading into her UFC 244 bout with number one contender Katlyn Chookagian, the Brazilian veteran is as hungry as she’s ever been.

That doesn’t mean she isn’t smiling about where she is and where she’s come from.

“I’m very happy with my performances and my growth inside the UFC, and step by step I’m building my history and showing my work to the world,” said the Curitiba native, who came to the promotion in 2018 as a former Invicta FC champ expected to challenge for 125-pound gold in the Octagon almost immediately.

Then she lost her debut to Liz Carmouche and everything ground to a halt. Well, the expectations for a quick title shot did. As for Maia and her team, suffering their first loss since 2014 was a spark to step everything up.

“I used that fight against Carmouche as a big motivation for me to train even harder and evolve as a fighter and reach to the top and I’m getting there,” she said.