Russian woman who signed a contract with the UFC Irina Alexeeva in an interview with , she did not rule out that the outward resemblance to the ex-champion of the organization Ronda Rousey to some extent influenced the conclusion of an agreement with the league. According to Alekseeva, she has a positive attitude towards comparison with the titled athlete.
Alekseeva, 32, won gold at the 2014 World Sambo Championship and a medal at the Russian Judo Championship. In MMA, the Russian made her debut in March 2019, and now has four wins for one loss. The last time Alekseeva stepped into the octagon was in October 2021 at the first and only Bellator tournament in Russia. In the UFC, the Russian woman will compete in the bantamweight division.
Rousey, 35, has had 14 fights in MMA, winning 12 of them. In the last fight in December 2016, she lost by technical knockout to Amanda Nunes, after which she focused on her wrestling performances, as well as her acting career.
– Don’t you think the resemblance to former UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey influenced your signing?
– Yes, yes, I read the material that I signed only because of my appearance. If they signed me because I look like Ronda… I don’t even mind.
So the question is why didn’t they do it sooner? I seem to get better and better over the years. And I look more and more like him. Why did I have five fights (outside of the UFC), well, I would have debuted there right away.
How do you feel about being compared to Rosie? As you can see, I’m not the first to point this out.
— It started in 2013-2014, when at the SAMBO training camp, they started telling me that I looked like Ronda. I didn’t watch the fights at the time, but for the sake of interest I decided to watch. And my thought: “How are we alike?” Like nothing.”
However, I am of the opinion that it is always more visible from the outside. I never argued – well, similar and similar. It’s neither good nor bad. And when they ask me how I feel about such a comparison… Thank God they compare me to a star, not some kind of homeless woman. And then it was for me the main criterion.
For the moment, I even identify positively with such a comparison. So I find it difficult to unequivocally answer the reasons for my signing with a 4-1 record, because it raises many questions. Perhaps because of an amateur career. Maybe the matchmakers saw something in those five fights. Maybe I got signed because of my looks. I do not know. But I’m very happy and it doesn’t bother me.
According to Alekseeva, her UFC debut is scheduled for December.
Source : MatchTV
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