UFC: Speaking of those three fights, do you think it gives you a mental edge Saturday, knowing that you’ve beaten her before, even though it wasn’t MMA?
VS: For me, I’m not carrying nothing from the past. Of course, any experience helps. But I’m very focused on what’s going on right now or in the future. For me, my future is this Saturday, December 8. What I can take from those fights, I took. I’m not the kind of person sitting and saying “oh I won three times so I’m not going to be training hard.” It’s not like this. To gain the victory and be successful this Saturday, you have to train hard…and I trained very hard.
Of course I watched a lot of Joanna’s recent fights, but… I already know her power, her speed, her distance. I already faced it three times, and this is good. When you face someone new, you have to take decisions very fast during the fight. But now the decisions are already taken.
UFC: It has been almost a year since we’ve seen you fight, and it seemed a fight was close at UFC 228. How did you emotionally deal with the frustration of having to wait so long for this opportunity?
VS: Oh, I’m ready. Physically, mentally…I’m ready. Of course, in the moment that it happens it’s frustrating. But like I said, I’m not the person who carries all these things from the past. I already let it go. I’m refocused. I’m re-programmed for December 8. I’m here in the present moment, not the past.
UFC: How will you and your sister celebrate this week after Saturday?
VS: I don’t like to plan nothing. I’m focused on the fight, and then all the celebrating will come by itself.
Steve Latrell is a writer and producer for UFC.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheUFSteve
