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Irene Aldana secured a big win on Saturday night's MMA fight with a bonus-earning first-round knockout win over Ketlen Vieira - one that she believes should earn her an eventual title shot.
However, Aldana is not one to go out and seek fights. She prefers to wait for UFC to book the fights for her and she is okay with following the same, even after the win. Aldana shared her thoughts about the fight and what she has planned for next in the post-fight interview.
MMA Junkie reported on it.
Irene Aldana is ready to face harder opponents
Coming into the fight, Vieira was one of the top contenders in the division, along with names like Juliana Pena and Aspen Ladd. However, Aldana expects the win to bring her contender status up to the same level as theirs.
But while she will be training hard to be ready for harder challenges, Aldana will not be making any proposals or calling anyone out for it.
"I don’t ask for fights, and I just wait for the UFC to ask me for a fight – to make a proposal for a fight. I think I’m ready. I just need to rest a little because I’ve been very active this year. I’ll definitely go back as soon as possible to my gym and train hard, because I know harder opponents are coming."
Aldana also spoke about the opponent she defeated with lots of respect and acknowledgment of Vieira's fighting skills.
"She was undefeated. She was next in line for the belt, so she represented a great challenge for me. I know that I came into this fight with nothing to lose (and) a lot to win. But there was a lot of risk because she’s so tough. We worked really hard all year. Every fight I took this year helped me to take this win."
The respect between the two was quite evident, especially in the way they shared an emotional embrace at the end of the fight.
"I said to her that I respect her. She’s awesome and a great fighter. I always respect my opponents – always. She’s a great person. She showed her respect for me all fight week, and that felt awesome...That’s something I’m really glad to fight opponents like that. I just feel good vibes for her. I (wish) her the best and hope she recovers and comes back."
