Herrig wants a little more love from the league

UFC women’s strawweight Felice Herrig is on a three-fight win streak, the last two over fighters that had been undefeated. She is mediagenic, the poster child for female fighters that use their looks to promote their brand (while explaining that sex appeal without terrific fighting skill is meaningless).

However, after her win Sunday night at UFC Fight Night 112, Herrig, 32, argued that the UFC is not promoting her because she is not young and beautiful enough.

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I think that I had one bad performance, and because I’m a veteran in this sport you can’t look at me as this new up-and-comer that they can be like, ‘This girl is going to be the next big thing,’ said Herrig, as transcribed by Danny Segura for MMA Fighting. I already solidified myself in this sport, I’ve already been in it for 15 years, I’ve fought some of the best and fought completely out of my weight class in so many fights.

Honestly, if you want to know the truth, I just feel like I’m not young and beautiful for the UFC to want to promote me. And it’s sad because I’ve really worked hard to be here and it’s hard to see, you know, these people who haven’t been through what I’ve been through and just got to the UFC at the right time, and they’re getting all these opportunities. I’ve seen how hard I’ve worked to get here and it just doesn’t matter because I’m not pretty enough and I’m not getting any younger, so I don’t know.

I definitely think I should be in the top 10. But I also think – and I’ve said it before – that the rankings are a gimmick, a marketing tool to solidify match ups that the UFC wants to put out and to hype up fighters that aren’t really top 10 or anything. I just think that my performances are going to keep speaking volumes.

I think fans, the people, the media see and recognize, I mean, I just beat two undefeated fighters, two really good undefeated fighters that were no joke. Alexa Grasso is no joke, Justine Kish is no joke, anybody in this sport that’s not just a casual fan knows better. I don’t need a fancy trophy to tell me I’m good or to tell me what I’m made of I know.

I’m not trying to make this like a point finger at the UFC or Dana White or anybody. I know they have a business to run, but sometimes, and I’m not the only fighter who feels like this … we put a lot out there as fighters, and I don’t know, I feel like I’ve paid my dues and nobody can deny that. I’m a UFC fighter and I’ve worked my way to the top, so I would like a little more love, that’s it.

Cover image courtesy of Michelle Keim.