Sara McMann has previously challenged for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Title, losing to then champion Ronda Rousey at UFC 170.
McMann, who faces late replacement Gina Mazany at UFC Fight Night 105, has no plans to move up to the new UFC Women’s Featherweight Division.
“I’m (not) like other fighters where I rebound up and get really heavy in between fights,” McMann told MMA Junkie. “I walk around at 147 (pounds). I would be small for that weight class. People thought I would be OK to go up, but they think I walk around heavier than I am. 135 is the perfect weight for me. I cut a lot of things out of my diet and I eat super clean, and I make the weight precisely. Every bit of my weight is functional weight. That’s the perfect weight class for me. I can perform the best but be the leanest possible. At 145 I would just be walking in like a regular day, and I don’t think that would be good when they can rebound up to close to 160.”
The Olympic athlete, who is ranked #7 in the women’s bantamweight division, enters this fight on a two fight winning streak.
Despite the fact that she’s fighting a late replacement opponent, McMann knows she needs to make an example out of her.
“I’ve been doing it almost eight years, and I really like a 10,000-hour kind of athlete,” McMann said. “I don’t come out of the gates just doing brilliant stuff. It usually takes a lot of work, dedication, drills, and persistence. Making mistakes and working through them. That’s who I am as a person. My particular personality when it comes to fighting is I like to ware on people and use every opportunity I can to break them. That’s exactly the game plan I have no matter who they put in front of me. If you put someone who is less experienced I’m really going to amp it up and put a pace on her she’s never felt. I’m going to give her a proper introduction into the UFC and the level difference.”
UFC Fight Night 105 takes place on Sunday, January 19 from the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada with Derrick Lewis and Travis Browne headlining. Fightful will be proving live coverage of the event and a post-show podcast afterwards.
