Sabina Mazo is confident her professional MMA career is going in the right direction.
The UFC prospect looks to build her latest winning streak to four against easily the highest-profile opponent she’s faced in her five-year pro career. Mazo (9-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is scheduled to make her debut at 135 pounds against veteran and former UFC title challenger Alexis Davis at the February 27 UFC Fight Night card.
Although not permanently leaving the flyweight division, the 23-year-old Mazo is excited to see how she fights one weight class above, and she’s also happy to be getting a notable and respected name like Davis.
“When they gave me the offer of the fight, I thought it was an ideal fight because she’s a fighter that has a lot of ground in this game,” Mazo said in Spanish on Hablemos MMA. “She’s had a name in MMA for quite some time, so for me it’s a name that can help me get to where I want to get to.
“She’s ranked 12 in the UFC women’s flyweight division, so it also aligns with what I want. It was an excellent offer.”
Although Davis (19-10 MMA, 6-5 UFC) is coming off three defeats, Mazo is by no means underestimating the veteran. After all, Davis fought for a UFC belt back in 2014 against then-bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and has almost 30 professional fights under her belt.
“I think she has a lot of experience and that’s why she’s fighting fighters who are ranked in the division,” Mazo said. “So I think she’s coming in strong, obviously none wants to be coming off a loss, but I expect the best of her.”
Mazo is currently unranked, but is regarded as an up-and-comer. The former LFA champion feels a win over Davis could get her into the rankings, but regardless, that’s not her main focus.
“I don’t know if on paper it will change anything, but just the experience alone and the type of fight that I’m getting here it could open up the possibilities to fight other fighters in the rankings,” Mazo said. “I think it goes beyond maybe affecting the rankings or not. I think the type of fight opens many doors for me to get higher profile opponents.”
Sabina Mazo sees Alexis Davis as ‘ideal fight’ for next step in UFC career
