Carli Judice makes her long awaited UFC debut this weekend at UFC Vegas 93. After getting a contract this past summer on Contender Series, she’s been working hard in camp, waiting for the phone to ring. That time away from the cage has allowed her to work on getting her striking even more ‘crispy’ as she readies for the step up in competition.
And being crispy is something that Judice focuses on. When the moniker was bestowed upon her, it was a reference to her fighting style, but it also touched upon another important trait in her life.
“I love sweets and doughnuts are my go-to. It’s kind of a pun on Krispy Kreme, and I want my fighting style to be crispy and smooth,” Judice said. “It goes both ways.”
That love for sweets comes from a very early age for Judice. Born in Lafayette, Lousiana, she grew up just behind her grandmother’s place of business, which was a formative part of her youth and fight name.
“I grew up in a cake shop. I have seven siblings, so all seven of us lived right behind my grandparents’ cake shop. Any time of the day our Granny, she’d suck up to us,” she said. “She’d give us sweets – anything we wanted. I remember having cookies for breakfast as a little kid because my grandma would give them to me – didn’t matter. If mom wasn’t around, I was eating cookies.”
Although she’s had to be careful with her diet during this long training camp, she’s got plans to spoil that as soon as possible.
“Right to Krispy Kreme [after the fight],” Judice said. “I have the address in my phone in Vegas to head there right after.”
Judice’s UFC debut will take place this Saturday at UFC Vegas 93. She fights Gabi Fernandes as part of the ESPN+ prelims. That fight card will begin at 7pm EST.
You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 2:13.
