Abu Dhabi — Virna Jandiroba had dreams of becoming a UFC champion before she ever entered the promotion. The former Invicta Strawweight champion enters this fight on an impressive five-fight win streak and is the clear #1 contender, but it wasn’t always this way. Jandiroba has battled adversity to get to this point, including dropping her UFC debut and a 3-3 start in the promotion.
“To dream of something is great, but to finally get to do it is even better. We’ve been on this journey for a long, long time. On Saturday, we’re gonna be able to finally do it. It was a long road, but now I’m finally here, and I’m here to take the belt on Saturday.”
When asked about what her expectations were once she did get a title fight, and if she thought she could potentially face Dern again, Jandiroba shook off any idea of a set opponent in mind.
“After the (last) fight, I was really expecting to get a title fight… I always imagined that if it wasn’t Weili, it would be Tatiana or Mackenzie. But Tatiana was coming off a loss, so it was most likely gonna be Mackenzie,” Jandiroba said.
“Honestly, it doesn’t really change much for me because since I stepped into the UFC, I was chasing the belt. It’s not about a particular person, it’s all about the belt, not the opponent.”
With this fight being Jandiroba’s massive title shot and chance to avenge a past loss, a lot of pressure could come with the opportunity. Instead, it seems Jandiroba is focused and not thinking about making a statement, but rather showing her improvements since.
“I think that the loss was very important, and more important than the fight itself is what I learned from it. I believe now that I’m a completely different person and a completely different fighter than I was back then. That is water under the bridge, and it doesn’t reflect much of what you’re gonna see on Saturday.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Virna Jandiroba above. She faces Mackenzie Dern at UFC 321 on Saturday night.
