Amanda Cooper after UFC 218 win: 'I don't think the sport needs' Angela Magana

DETROIT – Amanda Cooper bludgeoned Angela Magana inside the octagon at UFC 218, then picked up where she left off during her post-fight interview.

Magana (11-9 MMA, 1-3 UFC) is among the most polarizing figures in the sport, and Cooper (3-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) battered her to a second-round TKO in their strawweight bout on Saturday at UFC 218, which took place at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

With the loss, Magana’s winless skid is nearly seven years long. Afterward, Cooper said she doesn’t belong in the UFC, and perhaps the sport overall.

“I don’t think the sport needs her,” Cooper told reporters in her UFC 218 post-fight scrum, which MMAjunkie attended. “I don’t think the UFC needs her. Maybe she needs it. As soon as I called her out she was on Twitter freaking out. I think she gets something out of it. I don’t mean to be mean, but I think she probably needed that a little bit. I don’t think the sport needs her, but I think she needs it.”

Cooper elaborated her thoughts on Magana, and questioned why she continues in the sport after so many unsuccessful years.

“She convinces herself of false,” Cooper said. “I can’t imagine losing as many times as she has in a row or not fighting after two years. I can’t imagine going through all the things she went through. Hurricane, no electricity, not training. I can’t imagine going through all that and being confident. I don’t think she says the thing she says on Twitter and social media to amp herself up. I don’t think she’s faking it. I think she truly believes she’s great.

“Every time I’ve lost I’m like, ‘Man, I suck.’ I have to think about it and go home and build myself up. She’s lost and lost and lost and hasn’t fought in a few years and still thinks she’s the toughest (expletive) in the world. Maybe she’s just mentally stronger than most. I don’t know what she’s going to think after this. I feel bad for saying that, but good for her.”

Thoughts on her opponent aside, Cooper said UFC 218 marks the most memorable moment of her career thus far. The Michigan native got to put in work in front of a local audience, and she said she will never forget the win.

“I definitely think it’s got to be one of my favorite memories out of anything I’ve ever done,” Cooper said. “I’ve done a lot of stuff in my life. I have a lot of fight experience, 14 years. That’s going to rank the highest right now.”

With only six pro fights to her name and a .500 record in the UFC and overall, Cooper said she’s prepared to move on to the next challenge. She said she’s not interested in fighting anyone off “The Ultimate Fighter,” and would prefer a fresher face in the organization going forward.

“I want someone new, I want someone different,” Cooper said. “I know there’s a ton of fighters in this weight class right now. I want to be able to watch someone for the first few times and learn them and not see them on TV every single week and put them on a pedestal.”

For complete coverage of UFC 218, check out the UFC Events section of the site.