Jasmine Jasudavicius | Enjoying The Ride

A member of Dana White’s Contender Series Class of ’21, the 36-year-old has amassed an 8-2 record inside the Octagon since matriculating from the regional circuit, entering Saturday’s contest on a five-fight winning streak.

While she was always recognized as a quality prospect on her way up the ranks, because she entered the sport later than most and with no previous combat sports background, no one had a really good handle on what a more fully formed version of the Niagara Top Team representative would look like. But with each successive appearance, Jasudavicius has shown more refinement and an expanded tool kit, resulting in her continuing to leave forecasters adjusting their projections.

Get Ready For UFC Vancouver With A Breakdown Of Every Matchup

“I feel like I’m on the ride too, surfing, trying to keep up,” she said with her trademark nervous-excited chuckle. “It’s like when you’re on a rollercoaster: you’re nervous, but you’re kind of excited too; that’s how I think about the next big thing, the next big opportunity.

“It’s me and fear sitting there holding hands, (ticking towards the top of the next drop) like, ‘Okay —let’s see what happens!’”

For the last two years, each appearance has resulted in a victory and produced an opportunity for something bigger.

At UFC 297, she was one of two Canadian athletes to win in Toronto, submitting Priscila Cachoeira in the closing minute of the third round after punishing her for the previous 14 minutes after the Brazilian missed weight. That win set up a fight with rankings mainstay Viviane Araujo in Denver, only for the Brazilian to be forced out and replaced by highly regarded prospect Fatima Kline.

MORE UFC VANCOUVER: The Goal Is In Sight For Reinier De Ridder | Manon Fiorot Is Focused On Herself | Homefield Advantage | Fighters On The Rise | Mike Malott Is Living The Dream | Charles Jourdain Is Forged In A Different Fire

Handing Kline her first professional setback produced a fight with Ariane da Silva in Edmonton, where she wrapped up a 3-0 year and claimed a spot in the Top 15. This year began with a dominant decision win over former bantamweight title challenger Mayra Bueno Silva, which begat a main card showdown with perennial contender Jessica Andrade at UFC 315 in Montreal, where Jasudavicius turned in her most impressive performance to date, claiming a first-round submission win over the tenured Brazilian.

“I’m not out of the gym,” she said when asked what has propelled her continued ascent. “After I’m done the fight, yes, I take the appropriate time off, but overall, I’m in the gym a lot, working hard a lot, and we have a lot of really talented people coming up in our gym, and they’re hungry as hell because they’re right there at the cusp, so they are keeping me motivated; I have to keep up with them.

"My ego (would take such a hit) if they’re beating me,” she added, laughing. “We have such a crazy team coming up. It’s unbelievable how they push me and I keep leveling up pretty much because of them… and my coaches, of course.”

So how has it felt to continually exceed her own expectations and invalidate the projections everyone has for her?

Register For UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan 2 Presale Tickets

“It’s been unbelievable,” she said, reflecting on her continued growth and success. “It’s like we said earlier —‘How high does this get?’ Well, let’s see!”

Heading into this weekend, the Canadian standout is in pretty rarified air, entering the weekend stationed at No. 5 in the rankings and facing off against Fiorot, who enters off a competitive championship fight with Valentina Shevchenko back at UFC 315 in Montreal.

The champion is currently penciled in to defend her title against strawweight champ Zhang Weili next month in New York, with Top 10 standouts Erin Blanchfield and Tracy Cortez competing on that card as well. Right now, Natalia Silva sits as the No. 1 contender according to the rankings, with the Brazilian holding wins over both former champ Alexa Grasso and Jasudavicius, which may stand as a barrier between the Canadian and her championship aspirations for the moment.

UFC VANCOUVER PRE-FIGHT INTERVIEWS: Reinier De Ridder | Brendan Allen | Manon Fiorot | Jasmine Jasudavicius | Kevin Holland | Mike Malott | Marlon Vera

But nothing is ever etched in stone in this sport, and situations change all the time, so rather than pondering the way things are stacked up at the moment, Jasudavicius is intent on controlling what she can control, beating Fiorot, and making her case to jump to the head of the line.

“I think with her fighting Shevchenko last fight for the title, I truly believe that a win over her puts me right into that spot,” she said. “I’m the most active female on the roster; they always favor someone that is active, and I’ve literally been clawing my way to the top, so gimme my chance.”