Sara McMann Says She’s Not Making a Move Up to Featherweight

Speaking to reporters in a pre-fight media scrum ahead of UFC Fight Night 105 (via MMAjunkie), UFC women’s bantamweight fighter Sara McMann discussed her upcoming fight with Gina Mazany. According to McMann, she plans on remaining at bantamweight and isn’t planning a move up to featherweight to go for that title.

McMann on not getting heavy between fights: “I’m (not) like other fighters where I rebound up and get really heavy in between fights. I walk around at 147 (pounds). I would be small for that weight class. People thought I would be OK to go up, but they think I walk around heavier than I am. 135 is the perfect weight for me. I cut a lot of things out of my diet and I eat super clean, and I make the weight precisely. Every bit of my weight is functional weight. That’s the perfect weight class for me. I can perform the best but be the leanest possible. At 145 I would just be walking in like a regular day, and I don’t think that would be good when they can rebound up to close to 160.”

McMann on still wanting the title at 135 pounds: “I want the title at 135 and after that, if they wanted to do some super-matchup at 140, I would consider that if it was a good move for my career. My eyes are locked on that bantamweight title.”

McMann on her fight with Mazany: “I have had to shift my mindset to make sure the same tenacious fighter comes to the cage that would have come if I had fought Liz. I’ve had to work on the fly with wresting and other fights and stuff so I can adapt to it. … I know my job, I know what I need to do, and that’s exactly what I need to do. It doesn’t matter who they put in front of me. I have to have dominant performances if I want to win the title. A win here, it will still project me to the same spot simply because of my ranking.”

On her personality in fighting: “I’ve been doing it almost eight years, and I really like a 10,000-hour kind of athlete. I don’t come out of the gates just doing brilliant stuff. It usually takes a lot of work, dedication, drills, and persistence. Making mistakes and working through them. That’s who I am as a person. My particular personality when it comes to fighting is I like to ware on people and use every opportunity I can to break them. That’s exactly the game plan I have no matter who they put in front of me. If you put someone who is less experienced I’m really going to amp it up and put a pace on her she’s never felt. I’m going to give her a proper introduction into the UFC and the level difference.”