When Angela Hill steps in the cage at UFC Lincoln, she won’t get the hype train that Alexa Grasso brings with her, but she does feel she’s facing a better fighter in Cortney Casey.
Lincoln, NB — It’s easy to forget that Angela Hill joined the UFC with virtually no experience. Just 1-0 when she appeared on The Ultimate Fighter 20, Hill basically had a crash course in high level MMA. After going 1-2 following the show, Hill moved over to Invicta, and immediately went on a four fight win streak, during which she captured and defended the Inivcta FC strawweight title. Heading into UFC Lincoln this weekend, Hill, now 8-4, has jumped to veteran status in one of the sport’s younger divisions.
Hill addressed that change at Thursday’s UFC Lincoln media scrum. “Veteran is totally relative. The guys have been doing it fifteen, twenty years,” Hill said. “I started doing MMA like four years ago. So it’s weird to be called a veteran at this stage, but women have just gotten into the UFC, so to be on that platform is such a different experience than being on a lower platform like Invicta, or my first fight which was in the middle of nowhere in North Carolina.”
The good news is, Hill is past the nerves and has no worries about missed opportunities.
“I do feel like Cortney is the better fighter. I definitely feel ready for her, I’ve been wanting to fight her for a while.”
On Saturday in Lincoln at UFC Fight Night 135 (as the event is numerically known), Hill is facing short-notice replacement Cortney Casey, who is stepping in for Alexa Grasso. While ‘Cast Iron’ may not be as high-profile as Grasso, Hill does feel she’s facing a better fighter.
“I’m super excited, mainly because she [Casey] comes forward. With the Grasso fight, I was excited about that just because she has a lot of hype behind her,” Hill explained, “and I know a lot of people recognize her boxing as a pedigree of really good boxing, Mexican boxing style.”
“Both of those styles allow me to shine,” she continued, “just because I like to come forward, I like to stalk, I like to throw, I like to be in the pocket. So with both of those girls I would have had that opportunity.”
“It sucks that I’m not getting the same hype train as Grasso,” admitted Hill, “but I do feel like Cortney is the better fighter. I definitely feel ready for her, I’ve been wanting to fight her for a while.”
As for how the bout Saturday goes down, “I hope it’s less than fifteen minutes,” Hill exclaimed, suggesting that while Casey is a tough fighter, she also has a lot of holes. “I feel like I have what it takes to defend all of her attacks, and attack her more than she can attack me.”
For more from Angela Hill check out the full UFC Lincoln media day press scrum above.
Angela Hill vs. Cortney Casey goes down as part of the main card at UFC Lincoln (UFC Fight Night 135) this Saturday, August 25 at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, NB. The event airs live on Fox Sports 1 (TSN 5 in Canada).
