Sara McMann wants Nunes-Rousey winner, would settle for Julianna Pena

LAS VEGAS – Sara McMann’s UFC run has been a turbulent one, but after a big win over Alexis Davis at The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale, she appears to finally have some momentum.

After outworking Jessica Eye via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 88 in May, McMann (10-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) picked up consecutive victories for the first time in her UFC tenure when she scored a second-round submission win over Davis (17-7 MMA, 4-2 UFC) on Saturday at The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale at The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

Not only did McMann defeat Davis in the FS1-televised bout, but she became the first to submit the grappling specialist in MMA competition when she locked in a fight-ending arm-triangle choke. It was the emphatic win McMann needed at this stage of her career, but she said afterward a submission finish wasn’t part of the game plan.

“She’s a jiu-jitsu black belt,” McMann said. “I knew I was capable. I have submitted black belts, but I was like, ‘Ah, it’s a pretty tall order.’ You can knock out a black belt, but submitting them? You better be on point. … I got a submission against a girl who beat the current champion, so I’m pretty excited.”

Since beginning her MMA career more than five years ago after a lengthy amateur wrestling career that saw her capture a silver medal in the 2004 Summer Olympic, McMann has had the goal of becoming a world champion. She fell short in her first opportunity when she suffered a 66-second loss to then-champ Ronda Rousey at UFC 170 in February 2014, but she hopes for a second chance.

McMann said she’s taking a hard look at the upcoming 135-pound title fight between Rousey (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) and current champ Amanda Nunes (13-4 MMA, 6-1 UFC) scheduled as the UFC 207 main event later this month. McMann has lost to both already, and she said she wants a chance at revenge, regardless of the victor.

“I want to fight the winner of Ronda and Amanda,” McMann said. “Truthfully I don’t care who wins because I would love to fight either of them. I have losses to both. I would really love to avenge the loss, both of them for different reasons. Obviously I had different losses, but if I’m really going with who I think is the better fighter as far as a good finisher, I think they’re both very strong in the first round, but I think after that Ronda is better for the subsequent rounds. And for Amanda, I think that’s something that people have been able to capitalize and win third rounds. But this is a five-round fight. I suspect Ronda will rebound from the loss to Holly (Holm).”

It’s never a bad thing for a fighter to throw her name in the hat when it comes to title-fight talk, but given the current landscape of the division, McMann is unlikely to get what she wants next.

Names such as Julianna Pena (8-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC), Valentina Shevchenko (13-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and Raquel Pennington (9-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) all have stronger arguments for a title shot at this stage, and McMann will probably have to go through one or more of those fighters to get where she wants to be.

McMann is comfortable with that reality, she said. And Pena is the opponent she most wants.

“I like Julianna Pena,” McMann said. “I feel like she probably has earned the right more for a title shot, if I’m being completely honest. But if they don’t decide to give it to her, I would love to fight her. I respect her, and I think it would be a really exciting fight.”

For complete coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale, check out the UFC Events section of the site.