Amanda Cooper says the time between fights has allowed her to recover.
At UFC 218, Amanda Cooper has been scheduled to fight Angela Magana in her home state at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. In an interview with Fightful MMA’s James Lynch, Cooper said she did not expect to have such a layoff between fights, but the time has given her time to prepare.
“I haven’t fought since March, I’ve been training non-stop. I knew that I was going to fight in Detroit. After I lost my fight in march, I was thinking maybe I would fight in September or August or something. I was training for that, hoping to pick up a last minute fight. Because I want to stay working. But once he told me I was fighting in Detroit, I was like ‘alright,’” said Cooper.
At UFC 209, Amanda Cooper was submitted by Cynthia Calvillo. That bout was on short notice and Cooper said she needed time after her loss to recover physically and mentally. She also told Lynch that the mileage on Magana would be a detriment to the fighter.
“I don’t mind a lay-off. Obviously, I want to keep fighting to get paid and do that. But, Layoffs are good especially after a loss. I fought back-to-back before after a loss and it kind of messes with you. You haven’t mentally recovered from your loss. You still feel down. You still feel sad. You still feel upset. Now, I’ve had enough time to train and feel better, I don’t even feel like I lost. I feel good,” said Cooper.
After her loss at UFC 209, Cooper went back to see what mistakes she made during the fight and also in her preparation for the bout. She said her focus was an issue and she claimed one of her coaches has taught her a way to focus “in the first minute” of a sparring session.
In the full interview, Amanda Bobby Cooper (3-3) discusses her upcoming fight against Angela Magana (11-8) at UFC 218 on Dec. 2. Amanda also talks about her loss to Cynthia Calvillo at UFC 209, fighting her hometown for this matchup and who she's brought in for her training camp..
