LAS VEGAS — Irene Aldana could be in the UFC soon. But almost certainly not for her next fight and likely not for the UFC’s next card in Mexico, either.
Aldana, a top women’s bantamweight prospect, said there’s still a lot to work out between the UFC, Invicta FC president Shannon Knapp and her team. Aldana has a contract with Invicta, but there is precedent for the UFC acquiring Invicta fighters.
“I still don’t know,” Aldana said Tuesday at Invicta FC 13 media day. “We need to talk to Shannon. I don’t know what the plan is. Maybe in the near future in the UFC, but I still don’t know.”
Aldana (5-1) will vie for the vacant Invicta 135-pound title against veteran Tonya Evinger at Invicta FC 13 on Thursday night at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. She and teammate Alexa Grasso were seated front and center at UFC 188 last month in Mexico City. It is no secret that the UFC covets both Mexican prospects and UFC president Dana White has been outward about his desire to sign Grasso.
Mexico and Latin America are huge priorities for the UFC, which will hold the The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 2 Finale in Monterrey in November. Aldana said she likely will not be on that card and Grasso probably won’t, either. That’s OK with her — she’s not necessarily in a rush. Aldana knows that it will all come eventually if she continues to excel.
“I think it’s a goal for every fighter,” Aldana said of being in the UFC. “It’s the biggest promotion, UFC. But I love Invicta. I first want to win the belt and maybe defend it two or three times, I don’t know. Then the UFC. The next goal will be the UFC belt.”
Will Aldana be in the UFC next year? “Maybe,” she said. But it seems like she’s keeping that decision out of her hands for now, which is understandable since she’s heading into the biggest fight of her career against the very tough Evinger.
Aldana, 27, has looked like a world-beater in her last two fights, finishing Colleen Schneider and Peggy Morgan both in under three minutes. Evinger will be an even tougher test and it’s worth noting that Aldana fell to Larissa Pacheco via first-round TKO in 2013 and Pacheco is 0-2 with two bad losses. A win over Evinger would erase that and up Aldana’s stock higher than it already is.
“I’m happy and it’s moving quickly,” she said. “More quickly than I thought it would be. It’s been an amazing experience and I’m really happy.”
Win or lose, belt or no belt, Aldana knows she has the Mexican fans behind her. She and Grasso have developed quite the grassroots following in their home country.
“The Mexican fans have been amazing to us, with Alexa and I,” Aldana said. “We’ve been receiving a lot of love from them. I hope this lasts a really, really long time.
“We would love to bring more Mexican girls into the sport, to Invicta and the UFC. That’s going to happen.”
Van Duin: Cyborg wins because foes are ‘scared before they even get in the ring’
Cris Cyborg has become an unstoppable foe partly through the power of persuasion — at least, according to Faith Van Duin.
Van Duin, who will challenge Cyborg for the Invicta women’s featherweight title in the main event of Invicta FC 13 on Thursday night at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, believes the champion has won many of her fights before they even start.
“I think she makes all her opponents scared before they even get in the ring because of how dominant she is and how scary she looks,” the New Zealander said. “She’s fierce and doesn’t stand down or lock down.”
Van Duin (5-1) said at first that she was also affected psychologically, but has gotten over it.
“It doesn’t phase me, really,” she said. “When I thought about it, I was like, ‘Oh shit.’ But then watching her fight and getting to feel that I’m gonna fight her just made me more confident. It’s not going to really bother me how she looks and how scary she is and how dominant she is.”
Van Duin, 29, who submitted Amanda Bell in April to earn the title shot, said she sees holes in Cyborg’s game that she wants to expose. She isn’t bothered by the fact that most people are already looking past her and talking about a potential blockbuster between Cyborg and Ronda Rousey in the UFC.
“I just know that once I do win then that’s going to spoil everyone’s Rousey-Cyborg fight,” Van Duin said.
Atomweight champ Herica Tiburcio has some big shoes to fill
Jessica Penne became the first Invicta atomweight champion and actually the first-ever Incicta champ in any weight class in 2013. Michelle Waterson beat Penne for the 105-pound title in 2013.
Both of those women were marquee stars for Invicta and are now in the UFC. Herica Tiburcio, who stunned Waterson in December to win the belt, will now carry the mantle for the atomweight division. She makes her first title defense against Ayaka Hamasaki on Thursday night.
“I’m not jealous of it,” Tiburcio said through an interpreter of Waterson going into the UFC off a loss. “I congratulate her. I think she did a good job, but I’m with Invicta. This is where I want to be.”
Tiburcio (9-2) has won four straight with her last loss coming against the much, much bigger Claudia Gadelha. The 22-year-old Brazilian has a chance to become a star in Invicta like her 105-pound predecessors and that path starts this week.
“I still feel a lot of weight on my shoulders, but I’m still confident I can do it,” Tiburcio said. “I still have the same kind of training. Nothing changed.”