Why Felicia Spencer didn't have jitters heading into UFC debut win over Megan Anderson
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – To paraphrase another fighter out of Montreal, plenty of people were impressed by Felicia Spencer’s performance on Saturday night.
And no, that’s not to say Spencer, who made a tremendous splash in her UFC debut, is the next Georges St-Pierre. But the fellow Quebecker is right on track in the UFC women’s featherweight division after she submitted the fighter long thought to be the future of the class, Megan Anderson, on the main card of UFC on ESPN+ 10.
The undefeated Spencer is the former Invicta FC featherweight titleholder, and the experience she gained there gave her the confidence to go out and do battle with another former titleholder.
“People talk about levels to the game and this and that, but Invicta is a high-level promotion,” Spencer told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at Blue Cross Arena. “And the people I have faced, their records might not be stacked, some of them, but they were tough athletes who would perform well if they kept fighting.”
Besides, Spencer (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has been competing in martial arts from practically the moment she could walk, so she wasn’t about to get the famed octagon jitters in her UFC debut.
“I’ve been training to do martial arts my whole life, so everything that’s come at me I’ve seen before,” Spencer said. “Standing, on the ground, on the cage. I’m prepared everywhere. I’ve been doing this 24 years. I’m just honored and excited I had a chance to put on a display tonight, and everything went exactly as I hoped.”
That’s an accurate assessment. The question from here is, what’s next? Women’s featherweight is thin in the UFC, so unless the company signs another decent contender, her options seem to be champion Amanda Nunes, which would require a long wait, as she will defend her bantamweight belt against Holly Holm at UFC 239, or former champ Cris Cyborg.
Spencer didn’t want to put a timetable on her return. For now, she wants to take a minute to appreciate what she achieved against a foe like Anderson (9-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC).
“I knew our paths would cross, so it’s better to just get things going,” Spencer said. “Anyone that comes, anyone that wanted to fight me, I’m ready to go. Everyone has their own challenges, Megan included. I didn’t want to overlook her by any means. She’s definitely still very skilled and talented. Everyone should still be on the lookout for her skills. I just thought my skills would be able to trump her skills.”
UFC on ESPN+ 10 took place Saturday at Blue Cross Arena. The card streamed on ESPN+.
For more on UFC on ESPN+ 10, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.