Cortney Casey hopes first finish since 2016 gets her another ranked opponent next

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Cortney Casey beat Mara Romero BorellaMara Romero Borella with a first-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 8 in Jacksonville, Fla.

Take a look inside the fight with Casey, who picked up her first submission since August 2016.

Result: Cortney Casey def. Mara Romero Borella via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:36
Updated records: Casey (9-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC), Borella (12-8 MMA, 2-4 UFC)
Key stat: Borella landed the fight’s lone takedown, but it worked against her when Casey latched onto her arm.

Casey on the fight’s key moment

“I saw that she was leaving her arms a little bit heavy in the front, so I knew I’d be able to attack the arm. She was trying to go for a few head and arm triangles and things like that, which I like out of girls because it makes it easier for me to look for submissions as well. If someone is doing jiu-jitsu, it’s easy to do jiu-jitsu. If they’re just sitting and holding you, it’s kind of hard. So I was happy to know that she was going to use her jiu-jitsu and I could counter it.”

Casey on fighting during the pandemic

“I’m just happy – happy to have my job, happy to have my team behind me, all of my family, all my supporters who have been through the ups and downs of the fight world and my career in the UFC. So I’m just happy to be where I’m at. Whether it was during a pandemic or just a normal fight week, I’m just happy to get the finish.”

Casey on what she wants next

“They told me I should call someone out, but I really don’t know anyone in (the flyweight) division off the top of my head. The people I know, I’m friends with, so I really don’t want to call them out. I think Mara was ranked No. 14 when she fought Lauren Murphy, so she’s up there. Whoever they give me – if they give me a top-15 girl, I’m happy. If they give me someone a little bit lower, I’m happy with that. If I can get back in that cage before the end of the year, I’m going to be extremely happy.”

To hear more from Casey, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.