LAS VEGAS — Irene Aldana is one of the most hyped prospects in women’s MMA. It won’t be long before the Mexican slugger finds herself in the UFC if she continues her career ascent. The promotion didn’t put her front row with teammate Alexa Grasso for UFC 188 in Mexico City for nothing.
For all those reasons, Tonya Evinger is dying to play spoiler.
“Not necessarily anything personal towards her, just more towards the UFC,” Evinger said at Invicta FC 13 media day Tuesday. “They take everybody around me, but not me. Not like I would say yes to UFC now anyway unless they’re paying me Ronda Rousey money. I’m just happy with where I’m at. I just like to disappoint UFC.”
Evinger and Aldana meet at Invicta FC 13 with the vacant bantamweight title on the line Thursday at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Ironically, the event airs live on UFC Fight Pass.
Evinger, a gritty veteran, would love to hold the belt, but she takes sheer delight in the potential to ruin the UFC’s plans. She’s been “pissed” at the promotion ever since she claims UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby called her “unimpressive.”
“I don’t finish fights, I’m unimpressive,” Evinger said. “Alright. So I told everybody I’m gonna f*ckin’ knock bitches out. I just want to knock girls out, I just want to finish girls. Do whatever I have to do. Just whatever.”
Evinger (14-6), who has been a pro MMA fighter for nine years, was on The Ultimate Fighter 18, but fell to Raquel Pennington in one of the elimination matches and never made the house. She said that she currently has no interest in fighting for the UFC.
“Unless we’re talking about some big money, but I doubt they’re gonna offer me big money,” Evinger said. “They’ll probably get me, put me on the sidelines and pay me sh*t. No, I’d like to stay here in Invicta. They like to keep me busy, so I’d rather fight.”
Also, Evinger doesn’t seem to have much love for Shelby.
“The dude is scrawny himself,” Evinger said. “If I ever ran into him at a jiu-jitsu gym, I would wad him up. But I don’t care. A lot of people have a lot of negative stuff to say. It’s whatever.”
Evinger, 34, definitely has the experience advantage over Aldana and she’s almost certainly the better wrestler, too. Evinger said she’ll come out and pressure Aldana right away and see what she does. Don’t entirely expect her to shoot for takedowns and just try to grind things out, though.
“I think everybody underestimates my hands, too,” Evinger said. “I’m a little wild, don’t get me wrong. I’m a little wild. Sometimes I look like I have hands, sometimes I look like I don’t know what I’m doing. But I think I hit hard and I think a lot of the girls underestimate that. They don’t understand how hard I hit until I hit them.”
Evinger has a no-nonsense attitude and no filter, reminiscent of UFC stars like the Diaz brothers. But she isn’t sure if the UFC or its fans are ready for someone like her given all the haters she has now.
“But then I go to the UFC and then I have that times 100,” Evinger said. “People harass me. but I give it back. I don’t know. I think I’m pretty brutally honest and upfront about everything. Some people like that, some people don’t.”
Besides, she said Reebok “ain’t want to get on this girl.” So, she’ll just have to get her jollies by picking off all the potential fighters the UFC wants to bring in.
“I want to spoil everybody’s plans,” Evinger said. “More just UFC.”