Athletes
Miranda Maverick Feels Mentally Stronger
Back In The Win Column, Flyweight Looks To Resume Her Momentum Saturday At UFC 278
Prior to her fight against Erin Blanchfield at UFC 269, Miranda Maverick had never lost a first round in her career. It was something that ate at Maverick in the second and third rounds, ultimately costing her a decision loss. Since then, she has made every effort to not have that mentality again during a fight.
“I came back a different person in training,” Maverick told UFC.com ahead of her bout at UFC 278: Usman vs Edwards 2. “I lose fights in training, I lose the rounds in training, and I have to come back and fight off that adversity, and that's really where we've seen the biggest difference.”
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Maverick had an impressive showing last time out and got back into the win column with a second-round submission over Sabina Mazo. She’ll look to keep things on track against Shanna Young on Saturday night.
The 25-year-old believes this is best camp she has ever been in, after training in Denver, Colorado with the Elevation Fight Team. During her training, Maverick worked with No. 3 ranked flyweight Lauren Murphy. It’s helped push Maverick to new heights and she’s excited to show her improvements inside the Octagon.
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“I have so many female training partners out there and just world class athletes around me all the time,” Maverick said. “Half of them are UFC fighters and it gives me a lot to look up to. But also, if I'm watching sparring, I learn something, if I'm sparring, I'm learning something, and in technique drills, I can always learn something from any one of them and they all have their own strengths.”
Miranda Maverick Sinks In RD 2 Rear Naked Choke | UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Ankalaev
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Miranda Maverick Sinks In RD 2 Rear Naked Choke | UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Ankalaev
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Working with Murphy has also showed Maverick that sometimes hitting your prime doesn’t come early on in your career and that’s okay. For Maverick, it’s not about age, it’s about ability.
“I'm getting to where what I'm focusing on is that I'm not yet to my prime. I'm still improving so much in every single fight, and I focus on that improvement more than age or anything else, because my entire career it was, ‘I'm too young to do this’ or ‘Too young to do that.’”
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One thing that Maverick does have experience with at a young age is rematches with previous opponents that she has fought in other promotions. She has faced DeAnna Bennett in Invicta FC twice and UFC flyweight Victoria Leonardo twice in Invicta FC as well. Young also has history with Maverick, as the two competed in an Invicta tournament back in 2019, when Maverick submitted her in the first round.
Maverick doesn’t believe everything will play out the exact same way, but she is confident in how much she has grown since they first met and knows she’ll be the one to get her hand raised once again.
“I think she really underestimates how much I've improved,” Maverick said. “I know she was out for a couple of years with a kid and that was just a couple more years for me to improve that she didn't have, and I feel like whatever she thinks in her head, it's not going to go down on Saturday. I feel like I'm going to go in there, be a better striker, be a better grappler by far, and she really doesn't have many avenues to beat me.”
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Since her fight against Blanchfield, she has been working on improving her ground game, specifically her wrestling and escaping when she is on the bottom. She has earned seven wins by submission and her strength within the division is something that she views as an advantage when she steps into the Octagon. During training, Maverick discussed that there had been a lot of focus on working with people that are bigger and stronger than her in order to elevate her to the next level.
Miranda Maverick Fight Week Interview | UFC 278
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Miranda Maverick Fight Week Interview | UFC 278
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Almost two years into her UFC career, Maverick believes that she belongs up there with the best in the division. She is focused on Saturday and only going up from there.
View Miranda Maverick's Athlete Profile
Almost two years into her UFC career, Maverick believes that she belongs up there with the best in the division. She is focused on Saturday and only going up from there.
UFC 278: Usman vs Edwards 2 took place live from the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah on August 20, 2022. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses- and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
