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Cory McKenna expects that the UFC might see a trend of younger fighters debuting during the next few years.
The 23-year-old picked up arguably the biggest victory of her career when she took on Cheyanne Vlismas in the featured prelim for UFC Vegas 66. McKenna entered the fight as a slight underdog to Vlismas, but the Welsh strawweight put on an impressive performance to claim a unanimous decision and earn her second-straight win.
“Poppins” is one of the youngest fighters on the UFC roster, and she was only 21 when she earned a UFC contract on Contender Series 2020. McKenna was asked after her win over Vlismas if she had any advice to offer 18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr., who has captured the attention of the MMA world after earning a first-round finish in his UFC debut at UFC 282.
“That kid’s got a crazy amount of experience,” McKenna answered. “He seems very mature for his age and everything in terms of the sport. I don’t really think he needs advice. I feel the sport is getting younger, you know? There’s a lot more kids that are growing up within the industry now as opposed to getting into it later in life. A lot of kids are getting into martial arts and kind of growing within the sport.”
“Experience Matters More Than Age”
McKenna began her amateur career in 2014 before turning pro in 2018, and the 23-year-old claims she joined the UFC with more experience than some of the older fighters on the roster.
“I feel like we’re gonna see a lot more youngsters in the UFC, and I feel like the age doesn’t always line up with the experience. When I was – I got into the UFC, I think I just turned 21 – and I had more experience than most of the 30-year-olds in there. It’s just people see that you’re young and they just make assumptions. But I feel like in the sport experience kind of matters more than age, and I think the kid’s got a really great future ahead of him.”
18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. became the youngest fighter to debut in the UFC at UFC 282. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports)
Rosas Jr.’s appearance on Contender Series and the success of his UFC debut have generated plenty of headlines, but McKenna has quickly established herself as a factor in the UFC’s strawweight division as a 23-year-old. A successful promotional debut against Kay Hansen was followed by a split decision loss to Elise Reed, but McKenna has now won back-to-back fights to close out 2022.
The strawweight bout between McKenna and Vlismas served as the final fight before the UFC Vegas 66 main card, which kicked off with four-straight finishes followed by a pair of competitive decisions in the main and co-main events.
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Cory McKenna expects that the UFC might see a trend of younger fighters debuting during the next few years.
The 23-year-old picked up arguably the biggest victory of her career when she took on Cheyanne Vlismas in the featured prelim for UFC Vegas 66. McKenna entered the fight as a slight underdog to Vlismas, but the Welsh strawweight put on an impressive performance to claim a unanimous decision and earn her second-straight win.
“Poppins” is one of the youngest fighters on the UFC roster, and she was only 21 when she earned a UFC contract on Contender Series 2020. McKenna was asked after her win over Vlismas if she had any advice to offer 18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr., who has captured the attention of the MMA world after earning a first-round finish in his UFC debut at UFC 282.
“That kid’s got a crazy amount of experience,” McKenna answered. “He seems very mature for his age and everything in terms of the sport. I don’t really think he needs advice. I feel the sport is getting younger, you know? There’s a lot more kids that are growing up within the industry now as opposed to getting into it later in life. A lot of kids are getting into martial arts and kind of growing within the sport.”
“Experience Matters More Than Age”
McKenna began her amateur career in 2014 before turning pro in 2018, and the 23-year-old claims she joined the UFC with more experience than some of the older fighters on the roster.
“I feel like we’re gonna see a lot more youngsters in the UFC, and I feel like the age doesn’t always line up with the experience. When I was – I got into the UFC, I think I just turned 21 – and I had more experience than most of the 30-year-olds in there. It’s just people see that you’re young and they just make assumptions. But I feel like in the sport experience kind of matters more than age, and I think the kid’s got a really great future ahead of him.”
18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. became the youngest fighter to debut in the UFC at UFC 282. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports)
Rosas Jr.’s appearance on Contender Series and the success of his UFC debut have generated plenty of headlines, but McKenna has quickly established herself as a factor in the UFC’s strawweight division as a 23-year-old. A successful promotional debut against Kay Hansen was followed by a split decision loss to Elise Reed, but McKenna has now won back-to-back fights to close out 2022.
The strawweight bout between McKenna and Vlismas served as the final fight before the UFC Vegas 66 main card, which kicked off with four-straight finishes followed by a pair of competitive decisions in the main and co-main events.
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
The 23-year-old picked up arguably the biggest victory of her career when she took on Cheyanne Vlismas in the featured prelim for UFC Vegas 66. McKenna entered the fight as a slight underdog to Vlismas, but the Welsh strawweight put on an impressive performance to claim a unanimous decision and earn her second-straight win.
“Poppins” is one of the youngest fighters on the UFC roster, and she was only 21 when she earned a UFC contract on Contender Series 2020. McKenna was asked after her win over Vlismas if she had any advice to offer 18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr., who has captured the attention of the MMA world after earning a first-round finish in his UFC debut at UFC 282.
“That kid’s got a crazy amount of experience,” McKenna answered. “He seems very mature for his age and everything in terms of the sport. I don’t really think he needs advice. I feel the sport is getting younger, you know? There’s a lot more kids that are growing up within the industry now as opposed to getting into it later in life. A lot of kids are getting into martial arts and kind of growing within the sport.”
“Experience Matters More Than Age”
McKenna began her amateur career in 2014 before turning pro in 2018, and the 23-year-old claims she joined the UFC with more experience than some of the older fighters on the roster.
“I feel like we’re gonna see a lot more youngsters in the UFC, and I feel like the age doesn’t always line up with the experience. When I was – I got into the UFC, I think I just turned 21 – and I had more experience than most of the 30-year-olds in there. It’s just people see that you’re young and they just make assumptions. But I feel like in the sport experience kind of matters more than age, and I think the kid’s got a really great future ahead of him.”
18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. became the youngest fighter to debut in the UFC at UFC 282. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports)
Rosas Jr.’s appearance on Contender Series and the success of his UFC debut have generated plenty of headlines, but McKenna has quickly established herself as a factor in the UFC’s strawweight division as a 23-year-old. A successful promotional debut against Kay Hansen was followed by a split decision loss to Elise Reed, but McKenna has now won back-to-back fights to close out 2022.
The strawweight bout between McKenna and Vlismas served as the final fight before the UFC Vegas 66 main card, which kicked off with four-straight finishes followed by a pair of competitive decisions in the main and co-main events.
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Cory McKenna expects that the UFC might see a trend of younger fighters debuting during the next few years.
The 23-year-old picked up arguably the biggest victory of her career when she took on Cheyanne Vlismas in the featured prelim for UFC Vegas 66. McKenna entered the fight as a slight underdog to Vlismas, but the Welsh strawweight put on an impressive performance to claim a unanimous decision and earn her second-straight win.
“Poppins” is one of the youngest fighters on the UFC roster, and she was only 21 when she earned a UFC contract on Contender Series 2020. McKenna was asked after her win over Vlismas if she had any advice to offer 18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr., who has captured the attention of the MMA world after earning a first-round finish in his UFC debut at UFC 282.
“That kid’s got a crazy amount of experience,” McKenna answered. “He seems very mature for his age and everything in terms of the sport. I don’t really think he needs advice. I feel the sport is getting younger, you know? There’s a lot more kids that are growing up within the industry now as opposed to getting into it later in life. A lot of kids are getting into martial arts and kind of growing within the sport.”
“Experience Matters More Than Age”
McKenna began her amateur career in 2014 before turning pro in 2018, and the 23-year-old claims she joined the UFC with more experience than some of the older fighters on the roster.
“I feel like we’re gonna see a lot more youngsters in the UFC, and I feel like the age doesn’t always line up with the experience. When I was – I got into the UFC, I think I just turned 21 – and I had more experience than most of the 30-year-olds in there. It’s just people see that you’re young and they just make assumptions. But I feel like in the sport experience kind of matters more than age, and I think the kid’s got a really great future ahead of him.”
Rosas Jr.’s appearance on Contender Series and the success of his UFC debut have generated plenty of headlines, but McKenna has quickly established herself as a factor in the UFC’s strawweight division as a 23-year-old. A successful promotional debut against Kay Hansen was followed by a split decision loss to Elise Reed, but McKenna has now won back-to-back fights to close out 2022.
The strawweight bout between McKenna and Vlismas served as the final fight before the UFC Vegas 66 main card, which kicked off with four-straight finishes followed by a pair of competitive decisions in the main and co-main events.
Please provide transcription credit with a link to this article if you use any of these quotes.
Click here to view the article.
