“For me, it’s really special because I’ve only fought once this year and last year was kind of a bummer, as well, and I’m looking to be more consistent. This is what I love to do, and I want to do it and that’s why I’m here and I want to get it done,” Chiasson told UFC.com. “So, I’m just excited to go out there and show everybody what’s been up.”
What’s been up is that Chiasson has established herself a real player at bantamweight, building on her Ultimate Fighter title in 2018 and winning four of five inside the UFC Octagon. Chiasson’s last victory came in the form of a unanimous decision win over Marion Reneau in March. That win gave Chiasson confidence and helped her earn a shot a highly ranked opponent in the form of Aspen Ladd.
A statement win over Ladd would have put Chiasson on a short list of contenders competing for a bantamweight title shot, but a broken foot and a weight cut issue for Ladd forced that fight to be cancelled at the eleventh hour twice.
Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Daukaus
After training to fight Ladd for over six months, Chiasson moved on and started putting her name out there for short-notice opportunities. That’s when the phone rang.
“Whenever the opportunity arose to fight Raquel Pennington on short notice, I was like, ‘hell yeah, let’s do it. And if they can do it at featherweight that would be amazing’,” Chiasson said. “She’s a big-time vet, she fought Amanda Nunes and she’s fought some really amazing people, ranked people. She’s more well-known than Aspen, and this is a bigger name, but stylistically, I really like the matchup. I watched her fight with Pannie Kianzad a bunch of times and Marion Reneau, and I’ve fought Marion so I kind of get a feel of where I stand up against her.”
Being able to put those arduous fight camps to good use and hopefully earn a victory at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Daukaus would help savage a year that she feels got away from her a bit. Fighting someone as respected as Pennington also adds motivation for Chiasson, who’s been hungry to add a big name to her resume.
