The dream of regaining the strawweight belt (up to 52,2kg) remains alive for Jessica Stacker. In an exclusive interview with SUPER FIGHTS, the former champion of the category spoke about her plans to resume her reign, talked about her fight against Cynthia calvillo No. UFC 266 and stated that he is also eyeing a possible rematch against Valentina Shevchenko. Check out this and other chat topics.
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“Look, I always like to take risks on things. When the fight (against Calvillo) ended, I said up there that I wanted to face Rose (Namajunas) or Weili Zhang. For me, it would be great to be able to fight for the belt in the under-52kg category. Because it would be cool to have a trilogy with Rose or a rematch with Zhang. Against Weili, I couldn't even fight properly, so I think one of those two fights would be cool for me. I know you have the Carla esparza waiting, I don't want to take anyone's place. But, if the UFC wants, I can fight Carla and the winner fights for the belt with the current champion. I intend to mix the two categories.”
Was the fight against Cynthia Calvillo what you expected?
“I came in very concentrated, because I knew that Cynthia could take her down, because she has very good wrestling and you can't joke with that. But, I imagined that she would want to exchange with me in boxing and muay thai, but I didn't imagine that it would be during the entire first round. I thought that the moment she felt a punch, she would want to put it down. I came in very focused on keeping my guard up to block the shots she was training, to get out of the shots.”
“I trained a lot in the boxing part and the 'fencing' defense part, but, in my opinion, I would knock out in the first round, I would finish the fight. In all my interviews, I said that I wouldn't let this fight go to the judges and that I would knock him out in the first or second round. And that's what happened. In the first hand I placed, I saw it 'blink' and I thought it would be the path to victory and then everything worked out. I think my kicks also stopped her from wanting to take down and I think this was sapping the energy in her leg and her gas and then everything worked out”
Permanent move to Las Vegas
“Yes, now I'm living here (in Las Vegas). I got a visa that allows me to work and live. I already managed to rent my house a few months ago, I already bought my car. The UFC (Performance Institute) structure is close to home, I can get there in five minutes by car. My master has also come, he has already brought his family. Little by little we are establishing ourselves, but the goal is to stay and grow PRVT (Paraná Vale Tudo) here in Vegas.”
Notion of the built legacy?
“Look, you can imagine a little. Sometimes I remember that I'm 30 years old and in my head, I'm already old. But everyone says that I'm still very new to the profession. I still have no idea about my career, how I managed to do all this. Sometimes people ask, 'Do you realize who you are?' and I respond that I'm a normal person, just like everyone else. I don't focus much on these things, so it passes by. But when other interviewers come to talk to me, then I stop and think: 'Wow, I really have a huge story within this business'. I hope to continue to grow more and more.”
Do you think the public underestimates you?
“Today, it’s getting calmer. Before, if I won too quickly, they would complain. When I won a top-10, they said I beat a 'dead fly'. So, really, today I feel a big difference from the public and fans. They realized that our sport is growing more and more and there is no room for you to fight 'anyone'. In my last fight (against Cynthia Calvill0), I didn't hear any criticism and I don't even know if I was capable of it. I've been evolving a lot and managed to show that inside the Octagon. I think this is an evolution, you can see that Brazilian fans are changing the way they see things, but at one time or another someone always appears to say something. I’m used to it, it’s never good for everyone.”
Do you dream of a rematch with Valentina Shevchenko?
“This woman is unbeatable. I think she has a bit of 'Wonder Woman', 'Super-Marvel' or something like that. If the UFC doesn't give me the chance to fight for the strawweight belt, it could be that by the end of the year I'll fight with the Jennifer maia and whoever wins between the two of us may have the opportunity to fight again for the belt with Valentina. I believe the secret is not to let her (Valentina) shorten the fight. When she fought me, I realized she used a different strategy. Shevchenko didn't want to exchange with me, she wanted to use grappling, grab and put the fight down. In my camp, I focused a lot on the striking part.”
Main mistake in the fight against 'Bullet'
“I had been training in takedown defense for many years, so, in my mind, she would never put me down. So when she knocked me down, everything I trained for went down the drain. I wasn't able to defend myself, I wasn't remembering what I had to do. It was horrible, but I think it was a great learning experience for me. In MMA, we can't just focus on one thing. You have to keep all the 'items' on track, because at some point you will use something. That's what I have to do in the next fight with Valentina, don't stop training 'fencing', don't stop training the getting up from the ground and the striking part. I have to keep everything up to date, otherwise no one will take Shevchenko out of there.”
Opinion about the trilogy between Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko
“I think it's fair, given Valentina's history within the organization as the champion who has been beating everyone, being practically unbeatable. Because her second fight with Amanda left a 'mystery' in the air. But, even though I'm in the under-57kg category, I don't see a problem with the division getting stuck. Because she's already fought with everyone. Let us 'get tangled up' in the middle to see who will challenge her.”
How do you imagine the outcome of this fight?
“Look, both of them have evolved a lot. Both are unbeatable in their categories, but I think the frequency of fights has a big influence. Valentina is a girl who fights at least three times a year and we don't see Amanda fight much. She has one, at most two fights a year, because she is the champion of two categories. So, I think Valentina may have an advantage in terms of experience, fighting time, inside the octagon she is very fast and very fast. And now with these new falls she's doing, along with this strength and power, I think this can have a big influence and make Valentina become champion of two categories.
About Jéssica Bate-Estaca:
Former strawweight champion and current number 1 in the flyweight rankings (up to 56,7kg), Jéssica can claim a title shot in both divisions. The Brazilian athlete is coming off a knockout victory in the first round over Cynthia calvillo No. UFC 266 last Saturday (25). The fighter has an MMA record of 22 triumphs and nine setbacks.
