Cynthia Calvillo knows she’s in for a gritty battle against Lauren Murphy, but sees numerous areas where she can shine.
Calvillo (9-1-1 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) faces Murphy (13-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) at UFC 254 on Oct. 24 in a pivotal clash for the promotion’s women’s flyweight division.
After a successful 125-pound return against Jessica Eye in June, Calvillo will take on another former bantamweight in Murphy. While she may not have the size advantage, Calvillo said she expects to be the more technical fighter.
“She’s probably going to be one of the strongest fighters, definitely, that I’ve ever fought,” Calvillo told MMA Junkie. “I’m not sure if she’s going to be the best technical fighter. I would definitely feel as far as that, I’ve fought better fighters than that, but she’s gonna be tough. It’s not gonna be an easy fight. I’m not looking past her or anything, but I’m excited to fight her.”
Calvillo was able to outwork Eye over the course of 25 minutes, using her grappling to control good portions of the fight. Moving up a weight class also allowed her to conserve energy and, now that she’s no longer drained come fight night, she says she’ll be able to compete at a higher pace and impose her grappling.
“Because I’m not going to have so much of a crazier weight cut, I’m gonna be fast,” she explained. “I’m going to be able to get the shots that I want. I’m gonna find the takedowns and as soon as I grab a hold of you, it’s game over from there. I’ve been able to scramble and be faster than them. I know Lauren is gonna be fast, she’s gonna come in there with a good gameplan. She understands how important this opportunity is. I’m not expecting an easy fight, but I also feel like my advantages are going to shine through with this one. She’s gonna have a little bit tough (time) dealing with my speed.”
With Calvillo already defeating beating a former title challenger in Eye and with Murphy having won her past three in a row, the fight is considered by some to be a de-factor No. 1 contender matchup. If that turns out to be the case, it’s an opportunity Calvillo says she’d be excited for.
“They haven’t told me that, but I’m pretty sure that’s where it’s going as far as if you look at the top 10,” Calvillo said. “Unless you get somebody that comes in out of nowhere, left-field and does something crazy. But other than that, it looks like that’s where it’s going so (I’m) definitely not opposed to that. That’s the goal, I always want to be world champion, so (it’s) definitely a big step from where I was at before I made my flyweight debut. So I’m pretty stoked about that.”
UFC 254’s Cynthia Calvillo says advantages will ‘shine through’ in Lauren Murphy fight