Jennifer Maia claimed a stunning submission win over Joanne Calderwood at UFC Vegas 5. As a result, she put herself in contention for the divisional title and it seems as though her efforts have paid off as she managed to impress Dana White. 

WATCH: Jennifer Maia Stuns Joanne Calderwood With a Crazy Armbar to Set up Title Fight With Valentina Shevchenko

At the post-fight media interaction via The Mac Life, the UFC President was questioned about what the result meant in terms of the pecking order for the women’s Flyweight division. The Champion Valentina Shevchenko put out a Tweet saying, “See you soon Jennifer Maia” 

This indicated that she was eyeing a fight against the Brazilian. UFC President Dana White was on board with the idea and said, “Yea, yea, yea.”

However, he praised Joanne Calderwood who took the match at short notice in order to stay prepared for her title shot. 

UFC 251 Loses a Title Fight as Valentina Shevchenko Pulls Out Due to Injury

Earlier, ‘JoJo’ was to fight ‘Bullet’ for the Flyweight strap at the original UFC 251 before the champion pulled out due to injury. The Scot had every right to bide her time till the Champion returned but wanted to prove herself. This is because she had last competed in September 2019. 

Dana White says Jennifer Maia will fight for the title

Dana White said, “Listen, I have a lot of respect for JoJo. She’s been working hard taking her career very seriously and has been back on track since she moved to Vegas.”

White concluded, “Jennifer looked good tonight so it makes sense for Valentina and her to fight.”  

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Neither the fans nor Dana White could deny that the 6th ranked Flyweight looked in tremendous form in the co-main event. 

The Brazilian fighter was strong on her feet. Also, she managed to convert a takedown and maneuver from a position on her back to lock in a devastating armbar. In retrospect, this was the submission that punched her ticket to the biggest fight of her career. 

Shevchenko is unbeaten since returning to Flyweight following her battle with Amanda Nunes. She is yet to taste defeat at 125 lbs and will provide Maia with her stiffest challenge to date.

What do you make of Dana White’s blockbuster announcement? 

Sources: The Mac Life-YouTube, Valentina Shevchenko-Fight History, Joanne Calderwood-Fight History, Valentina Shevchenko-Twitter