“It meant everything to me. I’m not a stranger to hard work and I work my ass off every single day, but it just felt like everything came together at the right moment. Sayif was pushing me, saying that ‘We need this finish; we need a stamp on it that says we’re here and we’re willing to show everybody who we are in the strawweight division,’” Hughes said. “That’s really what it meant to me. It was an accumulation of all my hard work and my training in that moment. I’m so excited I got that finish.
“Honestly, I couldn’t wipe that smile off my face I was just so happy. I think I had that smile on my face for the next week,” Hughes added.
So, does getting a win by finish motivate her to get one against Rodriguez?
“It definitely does and that’s my full intention.”
Hughes knows she’s in for a tough scrap with the Venezuelan, who has shown she’s willing to walk through fire to get a victory. Rodriguez (8-0), who made it to the UFC thanks to a dominant decision on Dana White’s Contender Series, won her UFC debut against Kay Hansen in April and has five knockout wins to her name.
