Montreal — The one-two punch of Jasmine Jasudavicius and Mike Malott came through again at UFC 315 in Montreal, just as they did in Edmonton last year, and Vancouver in 2023.
The two Ontario-based fighters, alongside Montreal’s own Aiemann Zahabi, were among the biggest winners on the night, but it was flyweight Jasudavicius taking home a Performance of the Night bonus after stopping a former champion in Jessica Andrade. A rear-naked choke submission in the opening round, the quick finish was something Jasudavicius had anticipated.
“When I was preparing for this fight I kept on thinking about it being a quick finish. I kept on telling myself ‘no, this is 15 hard minutes, be ready for 15 hard minutes and everything,'” Jasudavicius (14-3) told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight. “I guess call me mystic Jas — just kidding!”
Once Jasudavicius got her hand behind Andrade’s shoulder, then joined her hands together, she realized the choke was in. “This is in, I’m gonna get this. This is nuts!” she thought. “And got it.”
Now, the 36-year old, who took up MMA in her late 20s and turned pro in 2019, is aiming to be at the top of the division by next year. What’s she’s looking for next is “whatever the route is to that number one spot,” she stated. “I don’t care who they put in front of me, I don’t care about who fights who. I don’t know, they’ll figure all that stuff out. I just want to see Jasmine Jasudavicius, number one champion of the world.”
To this point, while Jasudavicius has seen her popularity grow, she’s been excluded from a lot of the talk regarding the title picture. Her win over Andrade should change that, swaying those who have overlooked her.
“I would say they would have to [take me seriously]. She was a former champ. The last girl that I beat was a champion contender [Mayra Bueno Silva]. This girl was a former champ, very notable, like he said, she’s got so many accolades. I think it would be silly for people not to treat me like a contender at this point.”
During Saturday’s UFC 315 broadcast, it was noted that Jasudavicius has delayed her nuptials to focus on her pursuit of gold. She wants the belt before the ring, she confirmed back stage.
“I’m not here for a long time, I want to stay active, but I also want to have a nice wedding, and plan it and enjoy doing that,” she stated. “I understand there are sacrifices I have to make, I’m coming for that number one spot and afterwards, we’ll be able to get married and it will be a spectacular show.”
And she can carry the belt to the wedding.
Watch the full UFC 315 post-fight press conference appearance by Jasmine Jasudavicius above.
