In the co-main event of tonight's UFC Vegas 5, Jennifer Maia played the spoiler for Joanne Calderwood's title hopes, as the Brazilian submitted the latter in the opening round of their Flyweight bout.
Heading into this fight, Joanne Calderwood was the next fighter in line for a shot at Valentina Shevchenko's title, however, instead of waiting for a title fight, the Scottish fighter decided to get back into the Octagon for a clash against Jennifer Maia.
But, the Brazilian flyweight had other plans...
Jennifer Maia spoils Joanne Calderwood's title hopes
Jennifer Maia was clearly the aggressor between the two, as she started off the fight by tagging Joanne Calderwood in the early stages. Maia maintained her composure and even had a wonderful display of her brilliant 1-2s.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Having taken the fight to the ground, the Brazilian started working on Calderwood's arms and almost didn't give the latter an opportunity to breakthrough. Jennifer Maia eventually throws up the legs for an armbar attempt and gets it locked in, as well.
With Calderwood on her back, it didn't take too long for Jennifer Maia to get the win, as the former tapped out around the 4:29 mark after her arm was straightened. With the win, Jennifer Maia made it clear that she means business in the Women's Flyweight Division, and with a title shot in the near future, she also caught the attention reigning champion, Valentina Shevchenko.
'Bullet' tweeted out the following, shortly after Jennifer Maia's win:
It now looks like the UFC will move forward with a title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Jennifer Maia, however, expect Joanne Calderwood to eventually get her shot at some point down the line, as well. It also remains to be seen when the UFC books Valentina Shevchenko's return to the Octagon after she pulled-out of the UFC 251 bout against Joanne Calderwood due to a leg injury.