ROCHESTER, N.Y. – There are a wide variety of circumstances under which a fighter can make their UFC debut, and the majority of them aren’t glamorous: You’re much more likely to debut with little fanfare on the undercard, possibly as a substitute.
So Felicia Spencer knows that her debut will be different than most, and for that she’s grateful.
The undefeated Spencer (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), the most recent Invicta FC featherweight champion, makes her UFC debut against a former Invicta titleholder in Megan Anderson.
And the bout will, for all intents and purposes, be a No. 1 contender fight in a division, underneath champion Amanda Nunes, which doesn’t boast many fighters, period.
“I feel very lucky to be in the position I’m in,” Spencer told MMA Junkie on Thursday. “I know most people don’t have a path like this to the UFC for making a debut kind of in a higher spot already. I’m soaking it in. I’m ready for it, and I feel like I’m just lucky to be in spot I’m in.
“Would it have been a whole different path starting from the bottom of a more stacked division? Yeah, it’s a whole different story, but it’s not something I dwelled on. I knew that this was going to be big, and my steps in my career have always been big, so I’m used to it.”
At 5-foot-6, Spencer is giving up six inches to Anderson (9-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC), but Spencer says she’s not concerned about the size discrepancy when they enter the cage, and if anything, she can make it work.
“Six inches doesn’t impress me that much,” Spencer said. “Every fight – I’ve been kind of paying more attention recently – every card there’s a six-inch discrepancy, and the shorter fighter wins a lot. It’s definitely something I pay attention to, and it’s not something I’m worried about. I think it plays to my advantage in certain areas.
For more from Spencer, click on the video above.
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