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Winning ugly is still winning.
That’s why UFC strawweight striking sensation Michelle Waterson is not going to make the same mistake she made in her split-decision defeat to Carla Esparza at UFC 249 last May, a loss that left “The Karate Hottie” a little salty in the months that followed.
“I kind of left with a bit of a salty taste in my mouth after my last fight,” Waterson told MMA Junkie. “I thought that I was winning. I could hear the desperation in her corner. I could hear the commentators say, ‘Carla needs to do something.’ So I didn’t feel the need to push, especially against an opponent like Carla who is really good at strategically taking the round.”
Waterson will assume headlining duties against veteran strawweight Angela Hill for the upcoming UFC Vegas 10 event, scheduled for this Sat. night (Sept. 12, 2020) inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, after original headliner Glover Teixeira was stricken with COVID-19.
Just don’t expect any of her trademark finesse this time around.
“The ultimate goal is getting my hand raised,” Waterson continued. “I don’t care for it to be technical. I don’t care for it to be pretty. It probably will turn into a mess, but that’s what fights are sometimes, and so I’m looking forward to it being a hot mess.”
Waterson (17-8), who turned 34 back in January, is coming off back-to-back losses for just the second time in her 13-year career. “The Karate Hottie” has not seen the win column since outlasting Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC on ESPN 2 back in early 2019.
As for Hill (12-8), she’s coming off a split decision loss to Claudia Gadelha at the UFC on ESPN 8 event back in May, which snapped a three-fight win streak for “Overkill.” The former Ultimate Fighter 20 contestant, now 35, has been competing inside the Octagon for nearly six years.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 10 fight card below, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 5 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 8 p.m. ET.
To see the remainder of the UFC Vegas 10 fight card and lineup click here.