UFC 246’s Sabina Mazo on facing Maycee Barber: “It’s only a matter of time”
Fresh off her first UFC victory back in August, highly touted flyweight Sabina Mazo (7-1) will attempt to repeat her winning ways on January 18 when she competes on the UFC 246 preliminary card.
Fighting at an event of this significance will do nothing but positive things for the young Colombian’s career. In an interview with The Score’s James Lynch, Mazo spoke about her upcoming fight with JJ Aldrich as well as potentially facing fellow prospect Maycee Barber.
“It was kind of hard to find someone to fight on that card,” Mazo said, reminiscing about being pulled off the UFC Busan card in late December due to her opponent picking up an injury.
“And my manager kind of tried to get JJ Aldrich in Korea, but obviously the card in Vegas [UFC 246] is a great opportunity. It’s basically home! So we took the decision to fight over here.”
Her opponent on January 18, JJ Aldrich, has had a fairly successful stint in the UFC so far, picking up four victories. She last defeated Lauren Mueller via unanimous decision in October.
When asked how she compares against Aldrich, the Colombian couldn’t help but contain her excitement due to her belief that they could put on a fantastic outing for the fans.
“I think it’s a great match. I think it is a match that people will enjoy a lot because she likes striking as well. She’s aggressive and she has a good record.”
“I feel like it’s going to be a pretty intense first round. Both of us, we’re both going to try and dominate. She’s aggressive, I’m aggressive as well, but I want to finish her. I want to dominate and frustrate her in her own game, and kind of break her slowly until I can finish the fight.”
Mazo has an intimidating and large frame for the flyweight division, standing at 5-foot-7 inches tall. Due to this, it is only a matter of time until she stops draining her body in order to make the 126-pound limit and moves up to the bantamweight division which will undoubtedly be more tailored to her body.
After being questioned if a move to bantamweight is inevitable, the 22-year-old was quick to agree.
“Yeah, definitely. I’m a big flyweight for sure,” Mazo said. “It is hard [making weight] but I have good people around me. I have a nutritionist that is working with me — I try to do it the healthiest way possible.”
“I feel pretty good at flyweight right now, I feel like I recover pretty good, so I will just listen to my body, you know. But I think probably two or three, maybe four more years [until I move up].”
Another hot prospect being labelled a future champion in the women’s flyweight division is Maycee Barber, who happens to be the youngest fighter on the roster at just 21 years old. Barber has blasted through all competition in her UFC career thus far, picking up three knockout victories. She will also be competing at UFC 246.
Both athletes made a name for themselves fighting for regional promotion LFA, with a winning ratio of 100% between the two. Currently, it is Barber garnering the majority of headlines when it comes to the flyweight division due to her trash-talking approach. However, this doesn’t bother Mazo in the slightest.
“I do my talking in the cage. I proved myself in LFA, and I’ve proved myself in every fight [since]. I don’t feel like I have to talk because I like the work I do in the cage.”
When asked if a potential fight between the two is a possibility, Mazo remained certain.
“It’s only a matter of time, I see it happening. If she wants to stay in the division then for sure, she’s on my list.”