Former Invicta FC featherweight champion and top prospect, Felicia “Feenom” Spencer, has signed with the UFC.
The 28-year-old has worked her way to a perfect undefeated record after six wins at Invicta FC. In those six bouts, Spencer has tallied three rear-naked chokes and one TKO finish.
Spencer started her amateur career back in 2012, competing in the Tuff-N-Uff Future Stars of MMA tournament. She compiled a record of 5-1 before eventually signing with Invicta FC.
“This has always been the dream,” Spencer told The Body Lock.
“When I first started training there wasn’t an Invicta, there weren’t women in the UFC. Invicta became the place to go and that was my dream, so it was amazing enough to even win that Tuff-N-Uff contract to fight for Invicta and as the division built it was always on the horizon and I have been chasing that Horizon my whole career.”
Spencer admits to not expecting a call-up to the UFC, but feels like the time is right.
“It feels right but I wasn’t expecting it next. I was lucky to be in the position that I was. I owe it all to Invicta really for allowing me to build a platform.”
Status of the UFC women’s featherweight division
Spencer is committed to helping the UFC grow the division.
“I just want to build the division,” she said.
“I know it’s not the most developed but I want to help the division. I will take whatever fights are best for the division. I mean, I will fight anybody.”
“It’s small, but I know they are signing a few featherweights right now. It sounds like they are trying to develop it. I know people have changed divisions but I’m here for featherweight and I’m here to build the division. I see a big future for it. This is a big opportunity for me.”
Amanda Nunes, the newly crowned featherweight champion, recently took out Cris Cyborg, someone who has had the division built around her since joining the UFC. Spencer believes “Cyborg” deserves a rematch with the champion.
“It sounds like she [Nunes] doesn’t want the rematch,” she said.
“But if anyone deserves a rematch Cyborg should… But it sounds like Amanda doesn’t want to sit around. I think she wanted to become double champion and then leave so, so be it if that’s what she wants to do.”
For the sake of the UFC women’s featherweight division, Spencer feels like “Cyborg” needs to stick around.
“Hopefully she’s not going anywhere.”
“We’ve never seen this happen. It was almost unthinkable. It goes to show that anything can happen in any fight and I think a lot of people including myself will be extremely curious about how Cyborg bounces back, and what she looks like and how she feels.”
The UFC Featherweight Championship
After five professional bouts for Invicta, Spencer grabbed herself a featherweight title opportunity, meeting Pam Sorenson late last year.
In the fourth round, Spencer managed to sink in a strong rear-naked choke, forcing her opponent to tap, and she became the Invicta FC featherweight champion. She looks to do the same in the UFC.
“If I didn’t think that I could get the title in my hands, then I wouldn’t take the damage. That title is going to be mine because that is why I am here.”
You can listen to the full interview below to learn more about Felicia Spencer’s move to the UFC, training at Jungle MMA, and when she hopes to make her Octagon debut.
