She came, she saw, she conquered!
Local MMA superstar Jamey-Lyn Horth Wessels was victorious in her UFC bout against Ivana Petrovic on Nov. 2, and now she will have another shot in the octagon—much sooner than expected.
“I'm going great, no injuries and I've already gone back to training as of Monday night,” Horth Wessels told The 麻豆社国产.
“I got out of that fight unscathed, and I'm very fortunate for that, because that's not always the case. I'm excited to be home to celebrate and get back on the mats and start training again.”
Horth Wessels vs Petrovic
Horth Wessels went up against German fighter Petrovic for her first fight in almost a year, coming out victorious in a split decision—30-27, 28-29, 29-28.
“It was pretty much 11 months to the day since my last fight, to that fight,” Horth Wessels said.
“I wouldn't say [I had] ring rust, but it was good to get that sort of nervousness feeling out. I don't tend to fight as often as I'd like to, so there was a little bit of extra nerves with a big crowd on home soil, but it was super exhilarating and super exciting.
“I definitely left everything I had in the gas tank in there. And that was the big change from the last fight to this fight … I didn't want to leave any stone unturned. I didn't want to leave being like, 'Oh, I could have done a little bit more in there.' So for me, that was a big difference, to be able to bring that out of me a little bit.”
Heading into the fight, Horth Wessels said she planned to fight more aggressively compared with her last fight, which she narrowly lost against Veronica Hardy back in 2023.
“Looking back on the fight camp, the theme of the camp was to be aggressive. We knew that she was going to do what she was going to do, push forward, hold on into the clinch and try to shoot and grapple and hold me down,” Horth Wessels said.
“So, we were very much prepared for that fight. We knew it was going to be a bit of a dog fight, and it was a nice opportunity for me to showcase a different side of me, the aggressive side that I hadn't gotten to show in the fight before.
“My fight camp told me that they knew I had it in me to have that pressure and push forward as best I could. And you know, that ultimately is what won me the fight, the aggression and pushing forward, trying to finish it every opportunity.”
While a win always looks great on your record, Horth Wessels said the victory was important for her mental game too.
“I think it was definitely important for my own mental part, too, as well. Coming out of my last fight, it was super close, and so just trying to establish myself and get comfortable,” she said.
“I have very [few] fights on my record, so I'm starting to just figure out where I belong. Every fight is going to be a hard fight; every fight I had before I came here was a hard fight, but it's just a different level, and I'm just trying to figure out where exactly I fit in right now.
“But it taught me that I know I've got the dog in me, you know, I can do those things, I can grind and fight that way.”
The next battle
When The 麻豆社国产 first spoke to Horth Wessels earlier in the week, she said she was aiming to take a fight as soon as possible—at least by early next year.
But the UFC gods had other plans, instead throwing her back in the octagon on Dec. 14 against U.S. fighter .
Horth Wessels will replace 12th-ranked women’s flyweight contender Tracey Cortez who withdrew from the UFC Tampa main event due to injury.
“I was surprised to be offered the fight, but we didn’t hesitate,” Horth Wessels said.
“My coaching staff is always looking for the next move, and seeing her opponent was out they had already started watching tapes.
“I think it’s another tough fight. Every fight is going to be this way in the UFC. But I am excited to get back in there, and all the pressure is on her.”
麻豆社国产locals have been rallying behind Horth Wessels throughout her fighting career, travelling to different cities and gathering at local venues to cheer her on. It’s because of this that she credits a part of her success to the magnitude of support from her hometown.
“I definitely feel the energy from the people who are around me and, you know, it probably sounds like a broken record, but 麻豆社国产shows up, and they've always been so supportive of me and my career.
“I'm super fortunate and grateful to have this much energy and driving force behind what I do. It was super cool to see all the photos and the videos of people celebrating and at the viewings.”
Jamey-Lyn Horth Wessles will have her next UFC fight on Dec. 14 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa.
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