For ex-UFC fighter Angela Hill, Invicta FC is place to develop, let personality shine

After a stint on “The Ultimate Fighter 20” and subsequent 1-2 run in the UFC, Angela Hill was handed her pink slip. However, she’s found a place to shine in her new home.

On Friday, Hill (4-2) moved to 2-0 under the Invicta FC banner after knocking out Stephanie Eggink at Invicta FC 16. The win, which streamed on UFC Fight Pass from Trinidad Pavilion at Tropicana Las Vegas, came on short notice and followed a January TKO win over strawweight Alida Gray (watch the Invicta FC 16 highlights below).

Hill, one of the more humorous fighters on Twitter, dressed up as “Street Fighter” character Dhalsim at Thursday’s official weigh-ins. She said she enjoys having that type of freedom in her current promotion.

“Invicta is an open book,” she said after her win. “They let you do whatever you want – almost. They haven’t denied me of anything yet, but I’m working on it. But yeah, Invicta’s great. You get to like show your personality and have fun with it, and they encourage it. I like performing and putting on a show for fans, so it’s been a good medium for me.”

Hill joined “TUF 20” in 2014 as a 1-0 pro fighter, and in her opening-round matchup of the tournament, she faced No. 1 seed Carla Esparza and suffered a submission loss. After defeating Emily Kagan on the undercard of the show’s live finale, the 28-year-old again faced tough competition and suffered losses to Tecia Torres and Rose Namajunas.

It was a rough stretch for a fairly inexperienced fighter, but with big strides in her training camp and back-to-back wins in Invicta FC, she thinks she’s now ready to step up again. It’s why she said she’s ready to take on reigning 115-pound champ Livia Renata Souza.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they called me for the next title fight – and I’d take it,” she said. “So who knows?

“But I’d also take a fight against another strawweight. I’m open to whatever. I just want to stay active, really. I have the cardio to go five rounds, so even if they called me for a title shot on short notice, I’d take it. I’m not going to back down for something like that.”

Check out the full interview above.

And for more on Invicta FC 16, check out the MMA Events section of the site.