Jessica is coming off two consecutive strawweight victories. (Photo: Getty Images)
It took five months of waiting and a lot of difficulty finding an opponent, but strawweight Jéssica ‘Bate-Estaca’ will finally return to the Octagon. With a fight scheduled for UFC Houston, this Saturday (04), in the United States, when she will face Angela Hill, the Brazilian believes that her next rival took a while to accept the challenge because she was 'running away' from the duel.
See too
“I think she was running away. The UFC had offered that same date, she said that there was someone in the family who was going to have surgery and, from one moment to the next, she agreed to the fight. Someone must have advised her or told her something to accept it”, said the athlete, in an interview with the website ‘Combate.com’.
Asked about the strategy adopted for the confrontation, Jessica assured that she will seek a knockout in the first round, but could take the fight to the ground if the initial plan doesn't work. According to her, Hill has several holes to explore in his game.
“I think it will be another knockout. I'm going to do everything I can to be in the first round. If it doesn't work out, we have the option of putting the fight down and finishing. I watched her last fight and saw flaws. She's still not very good at defending takedowns and, when striking, she lowers her hands, has some tics, things she's used to doing. There's a way I can find an opening to play swing or a low strike. It's about using aggression, she jumps a lot. I'm going to corner and go up without stopping. I had an excellent camp, good preparation. I'm sharp, with great striking. I’m going to grit my teeth and fight,” she concluded.
At 25 years old, Bate-Estaca won the two fights he had in the strawweight category, the last of which over Joanne calderwood at UFC 203, in September 2016. In total, he has 15 wins and five losses in his career (6-3 in Ultimate).
Comments