ANAHEIM, Calif. – Jodie Esquibel hasn’t gotten off to the best start in her UFC tenure, but she hopes to turn things around Saturday.
Esquibel (6-5 MMA, 0-3 UFC) takes on Hannah Cifers (9-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC 241 in Anaheim, Calif., and is looking to notch her first UFC win. She dropped her first three fights to Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Jessica Aguilar and, most recently, Angela Hill at UFC on ESPN+ 8, all by unanimous decision.
“My first three fights in the UFC were against pretty tough opponents, and that makes things a little easier to digest,” Esquibel told MMA Junkie. “With that, we’re in the UFC. Everybody’s a tough opponent, so it’s important in life in general to not live in the past – so I’m ready now. I took those experiences as wisdom and knowledge and growth, and I’m ready. I wasn’t ready then, and that’s why it didn’t pan out.”
What went wrong in those losses? Esquibel thinks she’s been holding back.
“Physically, too – knowing that I’ve never pushed myself to the limit, and that’s odd,” Esquibel said. “I’m not saying I never leave it 100 percent in there, but let’s be as tired as you can possibly be, let’s push the pace. I’m that athlete. I can do that, so let’s be that fighter.”
As she enters Saturday with her back against the wall, she’s expecting an improved version of herself, both physically and mentally.
“Everything altogether: Training, my creativity as a martial artist, allowing myself to really explore MMA more, and mentally – I feel like everything’s changed now,” Esquibel said. “Everything’s different, and it’s hard to explain, but I really just feel like I, for whatever reason, wasn’t ready – and I am now.
“I just didn’t allow myself to let go. I felt like I was a little reserved, or I felt that I was holding myself back, and I’m just not going to do that anymore. I’m ready.”
She’s confident her opponent, Cifers, will bring the best version out of her. She comes to fight, and that’s what Esquibel has been looking for in her previous UFC fights.
“(Cifers is) somebody that stands and throws big power,” Esquibel said. “I feel like I was chasing some of my last opponents. I don’t know if my feet were ever underneath me when I was hitting them, and with her, she stands there and she’s ready, so I don’t think I’m going to have that problem. I think the matchup is great in my favor.”
