Athletes
Yazmin Jauregui Ready To Shine At Sphere
Mexican Strawweight Yazmin Jauregui Is Building An Impressive Resume In The UFC’s 125-Pound Division And Wants A Win At Riyadh Season Noche UFC To Springboard Her Toward Ranked Opposition
Yazmin Jauregui has done her homework and now she’s looking to show what she’s learned as she bids to earn a fight with ranked opposition next time out.
Jauregui is set to showcase her skills in her fifth UFC fight when she takes on Ketlen Souza at Riyadh Season Noche UFC at the Sphere in Las Vegas, and she’s determined to make the most of her spot on the special, one-of-one event.
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"I’m very happy for this opportunity,” she told UFC.com this week.
“I’m very happy that this opportunity is given to us Mexicans to be able to represent our culture in this momentous occasion on this momentous date.”
It’s hard to prepare for a fight in such a unique environment, but despite not being able to visit Sphere so far, Jauregui said that she’s tried her best to get acclimated via remote means.
“I actually started following the Sphere on social media to start visualizing myself in there, to get to know the place a little bit,” she revealed.
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"But yeah, I'm very excited to be able to fight there. And this is, as I said, a fantastic opportunity.”
Jauregui heads to Sphere having bounced back into the win column in her most recent outing. Her unanimous decision victory over Sam Hughes came on home soil in Mexico City, where Arena CDMX produced an electric atmosphere for the homegrown fighters on the card.
"It was fantastic. I was hoping for that win. I'm hoping for another win this coming Saturday.
“It was a fantastic environment to be able to do that, and I'm pretty sure that this Saturday is going to be as exciting an environment for this fight.”
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The win over Hughes came seven months after Jauregui fell to her first, and only, career loss as she was stopped in just 20 seconds by Denise Gomes at UFC 290. Such a jarring defeat could easily cause a fighter to suffer a crisis of confidence and cause subsequent struggles in the fights that follow.
But Jauregui said that after an unblemished career to that point, her first career defeat gave her a moment’s pause, and allowed her to make some tweaks and changes to improve her as a fighter for the challenges ahead.
"I do believe that fighters learn from their losses. I think it opens up your mind and makes you realize the mistakes that you were doing,” she said.
“So I did learn from my loss, but, as I said, I'm completely focused on this upcoming fight. We made some changes to adapt the game a little bit, but I’m completely focused to get a win for this next fight on Saturday.”
That focus will be tested by Souza, who heads into the bout having won six of her last seven, including a decision victory over Marnic Mann last time out.
“Yeah, I think she's ready,” said Jauregui.
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“I think she's coming up ready for this fight. I know she trained hard. I've been following her. I've watched all her fights. I studied all her fights, so I know what she's coming up with.
“I think she's going to be a fighter who's ready to stand with me, and I'm pretty sure it's going to be a fight that fans will love, and they don't want to miss this kind of fight.”
With an exciting clash in prospect, and with Jauregui fully prepped and ready to be inspired on Mexican Independence Day weekend, the Tijuana native said she’s looking to claim victory on fight night and put herself in line to move up a level and start fighting opponents with numbers next to their names.
“If I get the win, I do want to fight a ranked fighter, I've been fighting for this,” she stated.
“This is what I've been preparing myself for – for my next fight to be able to fight among the best, and a ranked fighter will be a fantastic challenge for the next fight.”
And, while victory itself is always the goal, Jauregui said that if things go to plan, she’ll be one of the fighters adding a finish to Sphere’s first sporting highlight reel on Saturday night.
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“The fight can go on the ground, or we can stand up, and I've been looking and studying her game to find any doorways of opportunities to get the win,” she said.
“But, if everything goes well, hopefully (I’ll get) a knockout and, who knows, maybe a bonus on the night. That will be fantastic.”
UFC 306: O'Malley vs Dvalishvili took place live from Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 14, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!