WILMINGTON, Del. – Only Maycee Barber and Yanan Wu are younger than Sabina Mazo in the UFC flyweight division.
But unlike the outspoken Barber, another former LFA standout who wants to become the youngest champion in the promotion’s history, the 22-year-old Mazo (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has a different idea of success in the octagon.
“I want to make history,” she told MMA Junkie in advance of her promotional debut Saturday against Maryna Moroz (8-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 2, which takes place at Wells Fargo Center. “I want to make great fights, fights that people enjoy watching.
“Doing that, I know the belt is coming. So I don’t have a rush. I don’t care if it’s in a year, or two days – I don’t mind. I want to give better and better fights. The belt is a consequence of the fight. The belt is a prize to win from fighting. So I just want to give better fights every time.”
There might not be a better moment for Mazo to join the 125-pound ranks. The division is also quite young, crowning its second champion just this past December after a long injury layoff with inaugural champ Nicco Montano.
If Mazo makes a good impression, it probably won’t be long before she’s challenging for a belt. After a pair of head kick knockouts in the LFA, it didn’t take her much time to earn a title shot that resulted in her first major title.
Still undefeated as a pro, she takes on veteran Moroz, who’s moving up to flyweight after a 3-3 run at strawweight.
“I hope she does better, and she feels stronger to put on a war in there,” Mazo said.
There’s plenty of talent waiting if Mazo is successful, so it’s on her to make her first UFC bout a memorable one.
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