Angela Hill attributes recent success to shaking fear of losing

No one better exemplifies the phrase “anyone, anytime, anywhere” in the UFC these days than Angela Hill.

On Saturday, Hill (12-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) competed in her sixth fight in approximately 11 months. After battling Loma Lookboonmee for 15 minutes, Hill was named the victor via unanimous decision.

“(The win) made me feel great,” Hill said on the ESPN+ post-fight show. “I feel awesome. It made me get over this mental health hump. I feel like I was able to perform after getting tons of support from fans and it just felt like my momentum is climbing.

Lookboonmee (4-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is decorated muay Thai artist who transitioned to MMA in early 2018. Despite her opponent’s foundation style, Hill wasn’t afraid to engage in the muay thai department. In fact, she thrived there.

“I definitely felt like my muay Thai was on display,” Hill said. “I had to evolve my style. I had to change things up a bit and go from a straightforward muay Thai fighter to an MMA fighter. I felt like this was definitely a fight that could really showcase that evolution.”

The win marked her third straight – a streak which began in September. Prior to the back-to-back-to-back victories, Hill had dropped three out of her four previous outings.

So what’s changed? What’s kicked off the momentum for Hill? Through experience, she learned to ignore the fear of failure and focus on the drive of success.

“I just think getting in there, believing in myself, being able to put my losses behind me, and carry that into the cage with me,” Hill said. “I feel like a lot of times I’d have that weight of the fear of losing. It would just cripple me in there and make me not open up.

“I just had to get back on the horse. I had to get back in there, keep fighting, keep winning, and just believing in myself a little bit more. I feel like that’s what’s showing now.”

Due to her style, attitude, and willingness to take on all comers, Hill has become a big fan-favorite. Hill appreciates and welcomes this development.

“I’ve always wanted to be one of those fighters that everyone just mentions,” Hill said. “Everyone thinks of this person or that person. To be coming up, because I know I’m not there yet, but to be on my way there, is such a huge motivator for me. It’s going to make me keep calling for those short notice fights (and) keep staying in shape. (I’ll be) staying active and learning and becoming a better fighter.”

UFC on ESPN+ 26 took place Saturday (Sunday locally) at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. The event streamed on ESPN+.