The days leading up to a fight can be stressful enough on an athlete. Final preparations including travel, weight cutting, and other commitments can quickly encompass a fighter’s entire focus. Combine these issues with the kind of activity that surrounded the last days prior to UFC 223 this weekend, and it could have been disastrous for fighters on the card whom were still able to compete.
Luckily for flyweight Ashlee Evans-Smith, she was able to both avoid the direct results of Conor McGregor’s meltdown, and the surrounding fallout, as she prepared to fight Bec Rawlings on April 7.
“To be completely honest, I got lucky because I wasn’t on the bus (that McGregor attacked),” Evans-Smith told MMAWeekly.com. “I was kind of detached from the whole situation. It was going on around me. People were talking about it all the time. But I was cutting weight the majority of the time, so I was just thinking about what I was going to eat when I made weight.
“The only concern I had was that worst case scenario is the whole card got scrapped. That would have broke my heart from all the preparation, and wanting to fight for so many different reasons, and all that. That was the worst case scenario. I stayed focused and I just told myself the fight was going to happen no matter what.”
Oddly enough, McGregor’s actions ended up helping Evans-Smith, whom had her bout with Rawlings moved up the card. From there, Evans-Smith was able to make the most of her situation and pick up a unanimous decision win.
Ashlee Evans-Smith Assesses Her UFC 223 Performance
“I am happy and disappointed with myself at the same time,” said Evans-Smith. “You have a game plan going into a fight, but that doesn’t always mean that the game plan isn’t the best thing to do. Sometimes you have to adapt. When I went in there, I thought I was going to wrestle and grapple more, but I ended up striking with her for three rounds basically.
“It definitely worked out in my favor. Once I realized I was the better striker, I abandoned the game plan of grappling with her, and (stayed striking) with her. I definitely would have liked to have implemented my game plan a little bit more, but I’m definitely happy to show that I’m not just a grappler, but I’m a striker as well.”
Ashlee Evans-Smith on Her UFC Future
Even though the win over Rawlings snapped a two fight losing streak for Evans-Smith, she feels she has to continue to do better if she wants to stay in the UFC.
“You have to always perform,” Evans-Smith said. “Every fight is the most important fight – win or lose. I don’t feel like I’m in danger of being cut all the time, but if you’re a boring fighter and you win the fight still, your job isn’t secure. Not only do you have to win the fight, but you have to be exciting.
“I definitely feel slightly more comfortable with my job security right now, but I’m always trying to be the best fighter I can be, and be an exciting person inside the cage and outside it as well.”
With her first win of the year in the bag, Evans-Smith is looking forward to building a good winning streak with a couple more bouts by the end of 2018.
“I’d like to fight three times a year,” said Evans-Smith. “Barring injury, that would be ideal, financially and will keep me busy and focused, and will give me enough time to train for each fight. I’d like to fight before my birthday on July 9, so I’d like to get in one more fight before I hit that next age bracket.”
