McMann issues open challenge to entire division
Sara McMann: “I understand that I would be a hard person to fight, having wrestling credentials and improving on my striking. It doesn’t matter.”
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The #4 ranked UFC women’s bantamweight, former Olympic medalist in wrestling Sara McMann, appeared recently on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, and made an open challenge. McMann wants to fight at UFC Fight Night 71: Mir vs. Duffee on July 15 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California. However, no one wants to fight her, so is calling out, well, every one.
Here is the top 15:
Champion Ronda Rousey
1. Cat Zingano
2. Miesha Tate
3. Alexis Davis
4. Sara McMann
5. Jessica Eye
6. Sarah Kaufman
7. Bethe Correia
8. Amanda Nunes
9. Liz Carmouche
10. Holly Holm
11. Marion Reneau
12. Julianna Pena
13. Jessica Andrade
14. Germaine de Randamie
15. Raquel Pennington
McMann, 34, said she would also fight someone unranked, and asked the UFC to sign someone so she can get a fight. McMann is coming off a loss to Miesha Tate in January, and has a loss to division champion Ronda Rousey early in 2014. And she has phenomenal wrestling, and every improving strikes. So she will take any fight offered.
“It’s better than no fight at all,” said McMann as transcribed by Marc Raimondi for MMAFighting.com. “I’m gaining experience in there. If they’re not as good and I have a really good performance it puts me closer [to a title shot] rather than sitting down and doing nothing.”
“If other girls don’t want to fight me because I’m good, then I deserve another title shot. Isn’t that the person you want to put against your titleholder, the person other people are avoiding?”
“There is not one person in my weight class that I would say no to fight. Not one. The strongest contender right now would have been Cat and I already said yes to that. The only other higher contender would be Ronda and I would absolutely say yes to that. Everybody else would be a no-brainer.”
“I just need other girls that would be willing to step in. I understand that I would be a hard person to fight, having wrestling credentials and improving on my striking. It doesn’t matter. That’s what you’re supposed to do. That’s your job. You can’t just dodge the people that are working hard and getting better.”
“If you want to fight me and you want to be on the July 15 card, let me know.”