Sarah Kaufman kommer att möta Leslie Smith nu på onsdag under ”UFC: TUF Nations Finale”, men tänker redan på att hon vill gå match på hemmaplan vid UFC 174 i Vancouver. Kaufman hoppas nu på att en vinst mot Smith kommer göra att hon får en match där.
Kaufman berättar via MMAJunkie:
I would love for this win to push and propel me to fight on the Vancouver card. I want to have a strong win, get a knockout, put some money in my pocket, turn around into another fight camp and then fight in front of literally my home crowd in Vancouver.
Kaufman har haft problem att få matcher under sina relativt korta tid i UFC, då flera av hennes motståndare har dragit sig ur på grund av skador. Ibland bara ett par veckor innan matchen skulle ske.
I feel like it must be a new record. Two fights and five bout agreements seems insane. It is insane, especially over such a small time period. I’ve wanted to get my UFC career going for so long and I was the last person out of everyone to have my contract pulled over from Strikeforce, I was the last to fight. It was frustrating because I know I deserve to be in that cage and fighting these girls.
Trots mycket frustration så är Kaufman glad över att Smith har sagt ja till en match, då hon bara fått åtta dagar på sig att förbereda sig inför den. Det blir ett returmöte efter matchen de gick mot varandra tidigare i april, då Kaufman vann via ett delat domslut under ”Invicta FC 5”.
Det här säger Kaufman om det:
Having fought Leslie before alleviates some of the worry about not knowing what she’ll bring to the table. If it was a total unknown there would be more anxiety there, but because we’ve scouted her before it’s been good for me.
I feel kind of at peace with myself and confident in my abilities. I always feel that way but more so for this fight because I’ve only been thinking about Leslie for a week. It’s a good opportunity to get in there and do what I do.
Kaufman känner att hon har lika myket chans att ta titeln som vilken annan kvinnlig fighter i UFC, och om hon vinner över Smith så vill hon möta antingen Miesha Tate, Liz Carmouche eller Cat Zingano:
I’m not looking at anyone past Leslie. But I do think a fight with Miesha or Liz Carmouche, whoever wins that fight (at UFC on FOX 11), would be a great opponent. It would make sense in terms of the rankings and in terms of our standing with the UFC.
I also have been pushing for a fight with Cat Zingano for a long time. I think she’s great, I don’t think she should be the No. 1 contender, especially coming off such a long layoff, so I think she should have a fight prior to getting a title shot and I would love to be the one who kind of steps over and gets that win and that title shot.
Skrivet av Per Posch.
