“I feel very good, and I’m very happy for this win,” a clearly elated Liana Jojua told Cageside Press following her win at UFC Fight Island 1 on Wednesday. Later, she’d explain that she was overcome with emotion following her win because “I haven’t tasted victory in the past two years. So obviously, it was a very emotional moment for me.”
The Georgian fighter is a former Fight Nights Global champion. But she faltered in her UFC debut last year, ending up finished by Canadian Sarah Moras. The loss snapped a five-fight win streak.
In Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, Jojua corrected course. She snatched an arm, en route to a submission win. Opponent Diana Belbita managed to fend off the arm-bar for a while, but ultimately Jojua’s ground skills were just too much. That came as no surprise to her. In fact, the only surprise was that “the fight ended very quick.”
Like many other fighters, Jojua struggled to put together a camp during the coronavirus pandemic, something she cited when asked about when she’d like to return.
“This fight I didn’t have the proper training camp, didn’t have enough time,” she said. “So I want a full proper training camp for my next fight, and preferably in the United States.”
Watch the full UFC on ESPN 13 post-fight press scrum with Liana Jojua above.
