Some fighters might wilt under the pressure of the spotlight, but Canada’s Jasmine Jasudavicius has thrived, especially fighting in her home country.
A five-fight win streak propels her into a match-up with recent women’s flyweight title challenger Manon Fiorot at UFC Vancouver this October. That’s the third straight big-named opponent for the Niagara Top Team fighter.
Earlier this year, Jasudavicius (14-3) beat former women’s bantamweight title challenger Mayra Bueno Silva, and ex-strawweight champ and flyweight title challenger Jessica Andrade. She’s also never lost in Canada, dating back to a 2019 fight for BTC at home in Niagara Falls.
“Pressure makes diamonds. Nothing lights the fire under your ass more than not wanting to lose in front of everyone that you love,” she told Cageside Press ahead of UFC Vancouver’s on-sale date, part of a promotional tour that signifies that the St. Catharines, Ontario-based fighter has finally hit the big time.
Vancouver will be the first return stop on Canadian soil for Jasudavicius, who first fought there in 2023, when the UFC returned to Canada in the wake of COVID-19.
“I feel like Vancouver was where it started, where this ride started. Getting the opportunity to fight Miranda Maverick. I’ll always be grateful to her, because she was the one that kind of allowed me to jump into the top 15, and then be able to make my way up.”
Jasudavicius lived in Vancouver briefly prior to her MMA career, and so when she fought there for the first time in 2023, it felt a little like coming home. It certainly didn’t hurt that the Canadian contingent went 6-0 that night. “Now coming in for the second time, I feel like that momentum is just continuing.”
This October’s Vancouver card is built different. While there’s no Canadian in the main event, three key pairings featuring Jasudavicius, teammate Mike Malott, and Montreal’s Aiemann Zahabi feature.
All are high-stakes fights, key in their division: Malott has a chance to crack the top 15 against Kevin Holland. Zahabi, coming off a win over the legendary Jose Aldo, can push into title contention against the #7-ranked Chito Vera, a former title challenger himself. And Jasudavicius, ranked #5, gets the most recent title challenger in her weight class.
“It’s unreal. I feel like we’re all up there,” observed Jasudavicius. “We’re trying our hardest to be the best that we can possibly be, and it’s like, who’s going to get the belt first? And I’m trying to win that race.”
Perhaps, with this newfound profile, Jasmine Jasudavicius will finally land in EA Sports UFC 5. She’s been a glaring omission thus far, considering she’s ranked fighter coming off multiple big wins.
“I hope so! I want to see myself in that game, and I can’t wait. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.” Her gym even did an EA Sports UFC tournament to try to get the #5-ranked flyweight in the game. “I really hope that I get in soon.”
More importantly, with the right outcome, Jasudavicius vs. Fiorot could lead to a title shot for the Canadian. It’s not set in stone, and both Weili Zhang and Natalia Silva are in the mix. The UFC has yet to pull the trigger on flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko facing strawweight champion Zhang, though it seems more likely to happen than ever. That, however, would leave a two-horse race for next in line, and Jasudavicius, while having a loss to Silva a few years back, has been the more active fighter, and is finishing fights.
Either way, the Fiorot pairing “does make sense,” noted Jasudavicius. “I don’t turn down fights, but also, this is, the next stop I believe is the title. The UFC is always adamant about active fighters, and clearly I’ve been active. I want that title opportunity, and I believe the UFC will reward me with it.”
She might be a little tempted to call for her shot in Vancouver. The UFC, after all, loves fighters who self-promote. “It wouldn’t be a bad idea. I feel like the opportunity is there. I’m going to get through this one, I’m not really thinking about what’s next but it is so close that I’m obviously thinking about it a bit. But yeah, I feel like the next move is definitely calling out the champ.”
With so much on the line, Jasudavicius does need to avoid becoming hyper-fixated on the possibilities, not to mention her opponent. Her escape? Cooking.
“I cook. I really enjoy cooking. I’ll go to the grocery store and find some weird ingredients, or I’ll see some random weird recipe, and I feel like that’s my Zen thing that I do that’s not fighting,” she revealed. “I’m getting into gardening. I know these are all boring things, but I just really enjoy cooking and learning about food and growing my own food and all that stuff. That brings the peace to the other side, the madness in my life.”
Jasudavicius refers to her cooking style as similar to the Food Network show Chopped, picking whatever ingredients are in her fridge and seeing how she can combine them to come up with something interesting and special. Building flavours with spices, combining flavours, and just the creativity of it all brings her enjoyment. Since she’s in fight camp, however, can she even eat what she cooks, or is she feeding friends and teammates at this point?
“A little bit of A, a little bit of B,” Jasudavicius admitted with a laugh. “One thing that’s really cool about fighting in a weight class sport is that it’s forced me to learn how to cook the meals that fuel your soul. Those meals that are really enjoyable to eat, and usually kind of unhealthy, but it’s forced me to find what the essence of the meal is. What makes you feel good about that meal? And I’ve had to figure out how to make it a healthy way. Some foods are impossible, but I figure out how to make a particular food healthy, and I really enjoy that challenge.”
Jasmine Jasudavicius faces Manon Fiorot as part of UFC Vancouver on October 18, 2025 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C.
