Sijara Eubanks’s bucket list is a little smaller now.
Eubanks (6-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) fights Ketlen Vieira (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) this weekend at UFC 253 – a bout she took on a little over a week’s notice following her win over Julia Avila on at UFC on ESPN+ 35 on Sept. 12.
UFC 253 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
Eubanks has been wanting to do just that – get a quick turnaround and dive right back in another fight.
“It’s a chance to move up, it’s a great matchup,” Eubanks told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at Wednesday’s UFC 253 media day. “I would’ve fought (No.) 4, 6, 7 10 for that kind of opportunity.
“I always wanted to do some gangster (explicit), like turn right back around or get a short-notice fight or something like that. I see guys do it in their careers, and I’ve always wanted to do something like that. So it’s like a bucket list check, so hell yeah, I’m there.”
Taking a short-notice fight could be a great opportunity if there’s a winning result. However, there are many things to consider, especially being able to make weight on short notice. Eubanks is confident that won’t be a problem when she steps on the scale.
“It’s a benefit I’m still in fight shape,” Eubanks said. “I’m still pretty low. I didn’t get a chance to do too much junk food. I took my daughter for ice cream on Monday, and that’s the most damage I did. We got back on the plane, and I came right back.”
Eubanks said she almost doubled her previous pay taking the matchup with Vieira after negotiating a new contract with the UFC. The 35-year-old is now excited to get an opportunity to fight Vieira, and she thinks a win over the highly ranked contender would do a lot for her career.
“It would mean a lot to me, and it would mean a lot to my ranking and my goal,” Eubanks said. “My goal is to be the champion one day. I don’t care how long it will take or who I have to fight to get there, but this is going to put me in a nice spot after this.”
