Megan Anderson doesn’t care who she fights, but she’d very much like to fight at home in Australia, she told reporters back stage at UFC Lincoln over the weekend.
Lincoln, NB — Among several guest fighters stopping by back stage at UFC Lincoln over the weekend was women’s featherweight Megan Anderson. The 145lb star, and former Invicta FC champion, was out of action for over a year before she faced former UFC women’s bantamweight champ Holly Holm earlier this Summer. And while Anderson came up short in her UFC debut, she still held her own with one of the best female fighters of all time.
On that note, Anderson said that “I was happy with my performance,” but it was “obviously not the result we wanted.”
“I’m a big believer in my team, I’m a big believer that every opportunity is an opportunity to learn and develop,” she explained. “I have a lot to work on, but I’ve only been in the sport for five years. The fact that I’ve got to the point that I am within five years, I’m kind of excited for the next five.”
As she should be. If the UFC can get the 145lb division off the ground, Anderson is poised to be one of its biggest stars. Well spoken, built like an Amazonian warrior, and a solid 8-3 record with wins over some tough competition. While Cris Cyborg will remain the anchor of 145lbs for the time being, it’s easy to foresee a future where the torch is passed to Anderson.
As for any talk of Anderson’s long layoff being to blame for her loss to Holm, the Australian fighter dismissed the notion. “No, not at all. I think Holly and her team had a great game plan. That’s the way to beat me, or that was the way to beat me,” she said. “They stuck to the game plan, and it worked. She was able to execute, this is the whole name of the game: she did what she had to do to get the job done.”
Coming out of the fight, “we’ve identified the spots that we need to work on, and we’re working on that all the time,” she said. And while she’s happy with how she performed, “I’m my own worst critic. There’s obviously things that I can do better.”
One message was delivered, however: “I feel like definitely showed I belong. And that’s the real important thing.”
“I honestly will fight whenever, whoever, I really don’t care, I just want to fight.”
The question now is, what’s next. More time to develop, or another fight to quickly get back on the horse so to speak. “I did have a long time off, so I definitely don’t want to go too long without a fight,” Anderson told media members backstage. “Fighting is my passion. I love fighting. I definitely want to have a little time to develop and stuff like that.”
She has her eye on one card in particular. “I would love to fight in Adelaide,” she said. “I haven’t fought in Australia in four years, so that would be an amazing experience to go home and fight in front of my family, my friends, my people. But I honestly will fight whenever, whoever, I really don’t care, I just want to fight.”
Cris Cyborg, a TUF 28 featherweight, someone from Invicta. Anderson is willing to take on all comers.
Cyborg, of course, is booked into a super-fight against bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes. Asked for her estimation of the bout, Megan Anderson said that “I think it’s going to be a really competitive fight. Amanda hits hard, for the bantamweight division, and I think that’s going to transfer across when she comes up.” Noting that Nunes has won at 145lbs in the past, she continued, saying “she fought a long time at 145lbs before she dropped. I think stylistically, Cris and Amanda are very similar, they’re strikers, they’ve got heavy leg kicks, heavy striking. So it’s going to be interesting. I’m excited to watch that.”
