Virna Jandiroba says loss to Carla Esparza opened her eyes to skill level in the UFC

Virna Jandiroba suffered her first career loss in her UFC debut, and it forced her to make some changes.

The former Invicta FC strawweight champion drew a tough opponent in her promotional debut when she stepped in on short notice to take on former UFC strawweight champ Carla Esparza in April. She lost the fight by unanimous decision, but said she learned many lessons.

“It was a good fight, but I made a few errors regarding my strategy,” Jandiroba told MMA Junkie. “My timing was off. I had some ring rust. Losses are a natural part of the life of an athlete – of the life of any person, to be honest. It was a good thing, as it helped me further improve. The skill level in the UFC is very high. The bout with Carla opened my eyes to that fact. Some aspects of my career were being neglected. I was forced to rethink my priorities.”

Jandrioba (14-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was expected to face Cortney Casey on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 7, but Casey was forced out and replaced by Livia Renata Souza. However, Souza also withdrew, and Jandrioba will now face Mallory Martin, making her the third opponent change.

“In MMA, we have to be ready for everything; anything can happen,” Jandiroba said. “This is now my third opponent. I’m very happy that the UFC was able to find me a new matchup with roughly 15 days to go. Mallory Martin is also a grappler. Of course, everyone has their particular skills. We didn’t change too much in training, as there isn’t much time for adjustments. I saw that she has good ground-and-pound skills. I’m ready for her.”

Martin, who came through Dana White’s Contender Series, has won her past five fights. With all the opponent switches, Jandiroba was able to work on all aspects of her game, making her confident going into Saturday.

“I was originally booked against Cortney Casey, who is a hybrid fighter – she strikes but is also willing to go to the ground,” Jandiroba said. “Then, I was supposed to face Livinha Souza, who’s also hybrid, though with a different style. And now I get to fight Mallory Martin. I think I got to train with every possible type of female fighter during this camp. Ultimately, we have to be ready for any change, and for any type of fight.”