PHOENIX – It’s taken Andrea Lee 17 months to get to this point. She’s anxious to make an impression in the UFC.
“I believe I’m going to accomplish a lot,” Lee told MMAjunkie during a media day in support of her octagon return Sunday at UFC on ESPN 1. “I think after this fight, everyone’s going to be impressed with the way that I perform.”
Lee (9-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), 30, has been waiting to move more than she’s been fighting in her still-new UFC career. She signed a contract with the UFC to appear at UFC 216. But a nine-month suspension for diuretics by the Nevada State Athletic Commission forced her to undergo six months of drug testing before making her debut.
This past December, Lee was scheduled to face Jessica-Rose Clark at UFC on FOX 31 when Clark was scratched due to complications from a weight cut. The sudden shift came three months after a domestic violence attack by her then-husband and coach uprooted her life.
Scheduled to face Ashlee Evans-Smith (6-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) on the ESPN-televised prelims of Sunday’s event at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Lee has been in the UFC for almost two years. She’s just getting started, but she believes she’ll be able to make up the time quickly. The way she fights, she doesn’t see a lot of barriers ahead.
“Win or lose, I’m going to put on an amazing performance, and I think more people are going to be wanting to see me fight,” she said. “I think I’m going to get more fight opportunities, and I’m going to be able to climb that ladder no matter what.”
To hear more from Lee, check out the video above.
For more on UFC on ESPN 1, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
