Ashlee Evans-Smith Wants a Top Ten Fighter In Her Next Bout

Ashlee Evans-Smith spoke with MMAjunkie following her win over Bec Rawlings at UFC 223. Highlights are below:

On wanting to keep moving up the rankings: “Bec wasn’t ranked, so I feel like it might be kind of cocky of me to be like, ‘Give me a top-10 person,’ but I’m going to say it because I believe I’m that good. I want a top-10 person because I just want to keep on moving up the rankings.”

On the fight going to decision: “If you leave it the hands of the judges, you cannot stand there and go, ‘Oh yeah, I won for sure.’ You don’t know. You’re not deciding anymore. I was just trying to be hopeful.”

On her performance: “I would like to be able to string my striking and my grappling together a lot more. I think my striking won the fight, which is ironic because I’m a grappler by nature. I’m happy that I got the win, but I have a lot – a lot – to learn.”

On snapping a two-fight losing skid: “I’ve never lost twice in a row, at least in my professional career, and it hurt, because those losses, one was a unanimous decision, which I felt like a few little minor tweaks and I could have won that fight against a very, very tough opponent, and the second one, man that sucked the most because I felt like I was such a more well-rounded fighter than that girl. So, to come in and get my hand raised after two losses and in a new division in this beautiful city, I’m ecstatic.”

On a possible title shot: “A few more fights, and I believe I’ll be in title contention. I have amazing people that I work with, and the championship is in the near future.”