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Shanelle Dyer | Back For More
British Prospect Talks London Debut, Opening Saturday’s Event In Style
Heading into her UFC debut in London earlier this year, Shanelle Dyer wanted to use the bout as an opportunity to show people straight away that whenever she steps into the Octagon, you better be in your seat and paying close attention, not pondering a dash to the toilets or getting a refill on snacks.
“I want everyone to be like, ‘Shanelle Dyer’s on — some iconic moment is gonna happen; I need to tune in, keep my eyes peeled,’” she said when we spoke ahead of her bout with Ravena Oliveira.
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A minute into her second UFC round, Dyer put a right hand on Oliveira’s chin that made her teeter in place, giving the recent Dana White’s Contender Series grad the opening she needed to press forward and unload. A high kick followed, with knees to the body and head close behind before Dyer spun Oliveira to the canvas and sealed her first victory with a torrent of right hands.
“I told you! I do not lie!” Dyer said, ahead of her fight against Elise Reed. “When I say it’s gonna be iconic, it’s gonna be iconic. It always is! It felt like a fever dream. Looking back, it almost seems unreal; it almost seems like fake, it almost seems too good to be true, but it actually happened, which is unbelievable. The whole week went picture perfect, which exceeded my expectations, and that’s what I do in life —I always exceed my expectations.”
Shanelle Dyer Gets Debut Finish | UFC London
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Shanelle Dyer Gets Debut Finish | UFC London
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Not only did Dyer step under the brightest lights in the sport and secure a statement finish in her debut, but she came away with a Performance of the Night bonus as well, with the video of her learning the news standing as a must-watch moment of joy.
While her initial reaction when the bonus hit her bank account was to immediately break into online shopping mode, the 25-year-old strawweight quickly realized she didn’t really want anything beyond things that could help contribute to her continued development as a fighter. So she purchased her first car — “a small little thing,” as she said —to help with the London commute, but otherwise, everything has been funneled back into her career.
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“I always say, ‘The best investment in life is self-investment,’” Dyer said. “I got out to the States about two weeks earlier than this fight because my journey has not ended; it’s just started. It has been cool —just like the financial freedom and less stress, where if I need to go somewhere for camp, I have the funds for it. If I need to buy something for camp, I have the funds for it. There’s no excuse — I can have the best camp possible because I have the funds for it.
“That peace of mind is amazing, but I went to the gym two weeks later and still got smashed exactly the same,” she added with a laugh. “Training never changes; it hasn’t gotten easier, but it’s gotten simpler, which is amazing.”
A lot of fighters admit they don’t feel like a true-blue UFC fighter until they’ve stepped in the Octagon or earned their first win, as if they need to prove to themselves that they belong on the big stage before they feel comfortable leaning into the designation fully.
For Dyer, battering Oliveira in her debut earlier this year gave her the confidence to declare herself a UFC fighter and, as she put it, start making use of all that comes with it.
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“Because I won my first fight in emphatic fashion, I feel I can go, ‘Yes, I’m a UFC fighter!’ and I can use and abuse the UFC name and brand,” she said with a laugh. “I can go to Vegas and use the UFC PI for my nutrition, my recovery, the training facilities. I went to the Vegas card on (August 8); I went to the Contender Series last week as well; trained at Xtreme (Couture), did Sean Strickland’s class. I just want to get the best abilities possible, and I’m using every single service I can to be the best fighter.”
The next chance for her to display those abilities and showcase how much she’s continued to level up since London comes this weekend at Golden 1 Center, where she welcomes Reed back to the Octagon for the first time in 16 months.
Reed, who comes from a traditional martial arts background, was undefeated before arriving in the UFC, having won the CFFC strawweight title with a split decision victory over Jasmine Jasudavicius before successfully defending it twice before getting signed. She has gone 4-4 over her four bouts at strawweight following a debut loss up a division and certainly has the edge in terms of UFC and overall MMA experience heading into the weekend, but Dyer isn’t bothered by any of that.
The Londoner loves the matchup and sees her sophomore appearance as another chance to do something iconic, just like last time.
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“It’s a perfect matchup for me to show off my skills,” she said. “She’s a striker; I’m a better striker. I’m a better grappler, even though we don’t really see it at the moment; no one has really tested me in those areas. I’m excited for the fight. Obviously, she’s experienced in the UFC, and I’m only coming into my second fight, so she holds the experience; she knows how to fight in the UFC arena, but I’ve been fighting half my life; I know how to fight. I know what I’m gonna do on Saturday night.
“I’ll feel satisfied with a win in great fashion,” she added. “I’m always there for (a finish), and if I don’t come home with a finish, I don’t feel like I’ve reached my peak on that day, so obviously I’m going for the KO and bonus, but a win is a win at the end of the day. I just want to come out with a win and show everything that I’ve done this camp.”
As she did in London against Oliveira, Dyer and Reed are poised to open the show this weekend, and while fighting further up the fight card is definitely something she wants to do in the future, serving as the opening act has served “The Nightmare” well so far, and she relishes the opportunity to get the night started with a bang once again.
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“Opening up with another explosive performance,” she said excitedly. “Everyone needs to tune in. I know last time it was, ‘Ah, I’ll come late,’ but don’t come late because you’re gonna miss a sick knockout, a sick fight, a great performance.”
If Dyer has her way, Saturday is going to start with a bang.
Consider yourself warned.
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