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Roxanne Modafferi is a top-five women’s flyweight in the UFC and she wants to be seen as one.
Roxanne Modafferi is climbing toward the top of her division in the UFC, but she is not convinced everyone sees her as a legitimate contender.
The one-time UFC title challenger, and an occasional contributor to this website, spoke with Bloody Elbow ahead of her fight with Jennifer Maia at UFC San Antonio. “I want everybody to see me as a contender,” she said without prompt. “Not a journeyman.”
To that end, Modafferi could see herself in the title picture very soon. She was originally scheduled to meet Liz Carmouche before the latter was pulled to fight Valentina Shevchenko for the women’s flyweight title at UFC Montevideo. “It’s a good sign for me,” she said of her originally scheduled opponent getting a title shot. “It makes me feel like I’m considered highly ranked and up there in everybody’s eyes. I think if I win in a dominant fashion I might be even more likely considered for the next shot.”
Shevchenko’s crowning as flyweight queen was expected by many fans and media members. The general perception is that Shevchenko is levels ahead of her fellow flyweights, but Modafferi doesn’t see it that way. “I see everybody as beatable. You’ve seen the major champions fall eventually, it just depends. I think anybody can win and lose at any given time,” she argued. “I don’t see her as unbeatable, but I do see her as a super tough opponent.”
The run up to UFC San Antonio has been something of a roller-coaster, but very little phases the 38 pro-fight veteran. “I was training for Liz. About a month in, I saw a rumor online that Valentina wanted to fight Liz on my card. I was like, ‘Oh, man’ because rumors tend to be true,” she recalled. “The next day my manager said there might be a possibility of that happening but they were going to keep me on the card… The day after that, my manager said ‘Nope, they’re not doing that, you’re still fighting Liz.’ Two days later they said, ‘Nope, we’re really going to have [Shevchenko vs. Carmouche].”
Modafferi is just happy to have a fight on Saturday and, along with it, a chance to avenge a 2016 split decision loss to Maia. “I believe, and my coach also tells me, I have evolved a lot. While she has gotten better as well, we think I’ve evolved more. Stylistically as well. I think it will be another brawl and I plan on coming away with the win this time,” she asserted. “I have not introduced her to my elbows yet. The two have not met yet, so I think it’s about time they met.”
She also gave a heads up to Dragon Ball Z fans: “Please pay attention to my next weigh-ins. I have leveled up, I have achieved the next power-level and my hair will reflect that.” UFC San Antonio takes place on Saturday, July 20. The event is punctuated with a key welterweight bout between Rafael dos Anjos and Leon Edwards.