After dealing with a viral infection, concussions, and lingering injuries, Cory McKenna finally makes her return to action at UFC Vegas 88 this weekend.
McKenna (8-2), a Welsh strawweight who trains with Team Alpha Male, has been out of action over a year, but managed to keep busy in part by working commentary for Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat.
“It was a long layoff, it was a lot longer than I anticipated but we had to make sure we were right and we were ready,” McKenna told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview. “We got there, and now we’re ready.”
McKenna is paired up with Jaqueline Amorim at UFC Vegas 88, and she knows it won’t be an easy night at the office. Not that she’s looking for easy fights anyway.
“She’s a solid opponent. There’s no easy fights now, we’re at that level where everyone’s a solid opponent. She’s world class, jiu-jitsu black belt, LFA champ. It’s going to be fun,” suggested Mckenna. “It’s a test, it’s someone that I know is going to come out there, someone that is probably going to be the betting favorite again.”
“There’s no easy fights in the UFC, but at the same time, I don’t want the easy fights. Ever since I started fighting I was fighting world class girls. I think it’s just another on the journey. I’m not counting her out. I know she’s going to be a solid girl and I’m excited to test myself against her. Hopefully we’ll both get to show some high-level skill sets and put on an exciting fight for the crowd.”
The fight, in the eyes of the odds-makers, is actually a bit of a pick ’em. “Oh cool,” McKenna said to that news. “Didn’t see that coming.”
As far as how it plays out between two UFC talents known for their grappling, “styles make fights,” noted McKenna. “I feel like she’s fought a lot of girls that haven’t necessarily wanted to engage in grappling with her. But I grapple. I’m not against that. I do get excited when sparring and fighting girls that are a little more grappling heavy, because I get to test that side of things. There’s different openings with someone that’s willing to play that game, but at the same time I do feel like I’ve slowly started to showcase my striking.”
McKenna acknowledges that two grapplers sometimes subconsciously “make that decision to box with each other,” but on the flip side, “maybe we both go ‘alright, let’s see who’s better at this game’ and we both play to our strengths.”
“I’m excited for wherever it ends up. I feel like I’ve been working really hard on my striking, really hard on my grappling, and I don’t really mind either way. I just know that I personally want the finish, and I’m going to do whatever I can to get it.”
Watch our full interview with UFC Vegas 88’s Cory McKenna above.
