Whenever Angela Hill looks back at her MMA record — 15-12 — she smiles. And his 9-12 record outside of the UFC makes him grin even longer.
“It makes me look like a 50/50 fighter,” Hill said, “and i know I'm not one.” m 15-12. It's like, ‘This doesn't represent who I am as a fighter, but this is what they will announce to me before the fight.'
She will take on Mackenzie Dern in the main event of UFC Vegas 73 on Saturday at the Apex in Las Vegas, a key bout for positioning in the strawweight division. Dern's 12-3 record is great, but he also believes it could be better.
So each woman enters the bout putting aside close decisions down the road and embarking on a streak that will put her in a position to fight for the belt as soon as possible.
There are other considerations, too, when a fighter loses through questionable decisions. Most MMA fighters, though not all, receive half their salary for showing up and only earn half if they win. Hill goes through the fights she lost that she believes she won and expresses shock.
“He Very For the money,” she said. “I didn't get into this sport for the money and when I started fighting, I never thought it would be my main job, so money was never in my head. It's about knowing how good I am. My coaches and my teammates see how hard I work and what I do, and I think what bothers me about a lot of them is more than just embarrassment. [of losing] That's harsher than a loss in a paycheck.
“It hurts to think about it from a financial perspective because it's a lot of money, but it's also money I never had. I just wish that record was different and I know it should be, and a lot Everyone, not just me, feels the same way.”
Dern last lost to Yan Xiaonan in a fight she could have won. She said that she learned from it, though after moving away from it.
His understanding of what he should be doing in the octagon improved. She is one of the best Jiu-Jitsu fighters in the UFC and has said that she often finds herself only winning by submission. He eventually began to realize that there were other ways to win a fight besides using Jiu-Jitsu.
The Battle of Xiaonan made clear to her the issue she was facing.
“When I was in that fight, I thought I had done everything I could,” she said. “During this fight camp for Angela, though, I got a completely different vision. One of my teammates, Antonio Troccoli … helped me understand what my team had been telling me. … I Just need to win the goal.” From round
“Before, I was just going, ‘I need to submit. I need to submit,' and if I didn't, you could see the frustration in me. I would close the distance and get the takedown.” I'll try to force it.” Antonio helped me understand that I was fighting the best of the best, and they know I have great jiu-jitsu and have been spending my entire camp training on defense. But I also have other tools that I can use because while they're worried about me submitting, I can do something else.”
They are on the same page in terms of attitude. Dern said that with a win, she would like to fight former champion Rose Namajunas, but added that a rematch with Xiaonan is also in the cards.
Hill just wants to avoid frustration and said all the close defeats have made her more determined than ever to reach the top.
“It's disappointing, and there's that word again, but that's the best way to describe it,” Hill said. “If I had won those bouts, I would have been in a very different place. But my motivation never wavered and that's what keeps me hungry. I have money in the bank and I have a house and I don't lack for anything.” ” , The only thing I want, the only thing I want is respect. This is what wakes me up early in the morning. That's why I do three or four sessions a day outside of Fight Camp. I am hungry for that respect. ,