If there’s a danger in fighting someone with a familiar foundation, let alone a former training partner, O’Neill doesn’t see it that way.
“I never really change who I am for each opponent. I know a lot of people do. I definitely watch a little bit of tape. But I believe my strengths on my best day are good enough to beat anybody. That’s all that matters to me, being the best version of myself. I think the best version of me beats her every day.
Placid, stoic and thoughtful in her demeanor, none of these statements come across as trash talk or pre-fight hype when you speak with O’Neill. In every word is lurks a quiet, yet ironclad, belief in the self, and her résumé to date is a testament to it. Since turning pro in 2019, the Scotland-born, Aussie-bred flyweight is undefeated in seven bouts, including her first two under the UFC banner. Even before turning pro, you’d have to go all the way back to 2017—her second amateur bout—to find a loss. Oh, and she’s still a week away from her 24th birthday.
International Fight Week with Jon Anik
“I think it’s a good next step for me,” she continues. “She does have that name, but I definitely don’t think that she’s her sister. Like a lot of girls in the division, she’s good everywhere but she’s not really great anywhere. So I’m excited to go out there and test myself against her. I think that once again my pressure and my pace will be too much for someone like Antonina. I’ll be able to break her the same way and then take all that name value for myself.”
