Roxanne Modafferi's Goal: Finish Jennifer Maia, Take Her Title | MMAWeekly.com

For her first win of 2016, flyweight veteran Roxanne Modafferi showed that she’s an ever-evolving fighter, showcasing strong stand-up in her split-decision win over DeAnna Bennett at Invicta FC 16 in March.

Long known for her strong ground game, Modafferi was eager to prove that she has become a complete fighter, and felt she was able to showcase that in the win against Bennett.

“It’s kind of a sign of my evolution of the three years that I’ve been at Syndicate,” Modafferi told MMAWeekly.com. “My striking is really coming together, and I felt that against DeAnna. I was pretty happy with that, but I thought it would be a unanimous decision, but a win is a win, so that’s fine.”

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Over 10 years and 30 fights into her career, Modafferi believes she’s just as eager now as she was when she first started MMA to grow as a fighter and become the best version of herself she can be.

“I’m just as hungry as I was before,” she said. “When I first started, it was for a love of fighting. It was to test my abilities and myself, but now females are actually getting paid enough to survive, so that’s a goal. I talk to people who actually recognize a female fighter, and I think it’s great.

“I’m not sure how much longer I’ll fight, but I feel like I’m going really strong. I’m feeling healthier than I have in years. I don’t see an end in sight. I just want to fight as much as possible. I’m learning new stuff every day, so I want to show up my new techniques.”

For her second bout of the year, Modafferi (19-12) challenges incumbent Jennifer Maia (13-4-1) for the Invicta 125-pound title in the main event of the promotion’s Sept. 23 show in Kansas City, Mo.

“I feel Jennifer is very tough,” said Modafferi. “She’s very well-rounded.

“I’ve trained very hard to go five rounds with her. My coach came up with a great game plan for her. I’m very excited to show all the techniques that I’ve amassed over the years of training, and I’m going to try to finish the fight – that’s my goal.”

Feeling at this point better than she ever has before, Modafferi is looking forward to claiming the Invicta title and use it as an exclamation point on a resurgence that she’s been on over the past couple years.

“In this case, the title symbolizes my evolution as a fighter,” said Modafferi. “I’m just so proud of myself to have improved at Syndicate.

“It’s good for my career to have a title, but honestly I just want to test myself against strong people. (Maia is) ranked No. 1 in the world at flyweight, so what better way to prove that I can do it, I can face No. 1.”

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