Atlanta, GA — After holding her fight camp in Arizona at Fight Ready, featherweight Julia Budd entered Friday’s PFL 5 card in Atlanta in need of a win, and an early finish.
She got one of those, but not the other. Budd (17-6) was hurt in the opening round against Martina Jindrova, but recovered and pushed onward for a decision win — something she credits to that training at Fight Ready.
“I got hurt in the first round, and then I just think the grind of that camp kind of like, I came back and was able to win the second and third,” Budd told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight. “I’m proud of my performance, but obviously disappointed I wasn’t able to get a six-point finish in the first round.”
With just three points in 2023, following a loss in her first fight of the season, Budd is left on the outside, looking in. Still, the goal reamins gold for Budd, a former Bellator MMA featherweight champ. And she’s definitely ready to step up on short notice if the opportunity arises, now that she has missed the playoffs.
“I want to be the PFL champion. I don’t wish injury on anyone, but I hope that I’m that person standing in the wings that gets called up the next fight in August, or the finals. Whatever it is, I just want to be in there,” Budd stated. “Because I know my three points isn’t going to get me into it, but I’m ready.”
The Canadian noted just how big winning a title in a second major promotion would be, telling Cageside Press that “It’s a huge goal. It would be a massive accomplishment, to win the PFL belt after being the Bellator champion. It would be huge for me.”
At 39, Julia Budd’s window in the sport is closing, but that second belt is something she wants before calling it a career.
“I think, obviously it’s a goal of mine, and it would be a huge accomplishment. It would just be huge, and it’s something that’s on my list of like, I want to do that before I retire, I want to be the champ. I feel like I’m starting to really understand this format. I was with Bellator for so long, and I’m really liking PFL, and I want to be the champ. And that’s all that I can say. I’m here for it.”
Watch the full 2023 PFL 5 post-fight press conference appearance by Julia Budd above.
