Shayna Baszler
Shayna Baszler has fought professionally for 11 years, long before women were a fixture in the UFC’s octagon.
She watched as female fighters went from small shows to headlining attractions, and the sport infused itself into her everyday life.
“It’s so common that everybody does it in some capacity, or, tongue in cheek, why everybody knows a guy that knows a guy that has a kid that’s a black belt in something, and can somehow relate to you,” Baszler told MMAjunkie Radio.
It wasn’t exactly the smoothest transition for Baszler (15-9 MMA, 0-1 UFC). Now, the veteran is trying to keep from getting passed by as the sport continues to grow and evolve. Losses in three of her past four fights and a failed stint on “The Ultimate Fighter 18” have endangered her career in the UFC.
On Saturday, she meets Amanda Nunes (9-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) on the FOX Sports 1-televised main card of UFC Fight Night 62, which takes place Saturday at Maracanazinho Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro.
For Baszler, the fight is an opportunity to reconnect with the feeling she had when the lights weren’t so bright.
“For me, it is the same, and that’s something my past few fights – and since the show – that I’ve really had to come to terms with,” she said. “For me, it’s started different, and that’s when I was most successful, when I was thinking of it as, it’s fun; it’s not all about the spectacle around it. It’s just about the fight, and the fight is fun.”
On the regional circuit, Baszler fared far better. Although she was far from undefeated, her record earned her spots on major fight cards, and going in to “TUF 20,” she was considered a potential favorite.
Baszler said she won’t be intimidated by Nunes, who’s an aggressive striker with two TKO wins in the UFC. When the two face off on at the event’s weigh-ins on Friday, she said she will respond in kind if her opponent tries anything.
“I’m never going to let anybody back me up or step into my space, so you’ll never see that happen on the stage,” Baszler said. “You saw it with my weigh-in with Bethe; she got up in my space and I stepped in also, and that’s what it will be if it happens Friday.”
On Saturday, however, the goal is to forget the lights and the stakes of her second pro UFC fight.
“Same reason I was fighting on the fairgrounds in the Midwest is the same reason I’m climbing in the cage on Saturday,” Baszler said.
For more on UFC Fight Night 62, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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