Joselyne Edwards made history in her UFC debut, and she’s not stopping there.
The 25-year-old became the first fighter from Panama to set foot in the octagon and the first female from her country to get a win under the UFC banner with her victory over Wu Yanan at UFC on ABC 1 earlier this month.
Edwards (10-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) took the fight on short notice, replacing Bethe Correia, and outpointed Yanan in a dominant unanimous decision.
“La Pantera” is honored to make history for Panama but said she’s just getting started.
“It’s something that’s very beautiful, and you feel very excited because I know I made history for my country,” Edwards told MMA Junkie in her native Spanish. “I am the first woman to win inside the UFC and the first to be in UFC, so it pushes you to work harder and keep proving. I have many people that look up to me. So it excites you a lot and pushes you to give it your all.”
Edwards already has a second UFC fight booked just a couple of weeks after making her debut. The Panamanian returns to the cage at UFC Fight Night 184 on Saturday, taking on Karol Rosa on short notice in the women’s bantamweight division.
Edwards is excited to get back in the octagon and said she’s been feeling a lot of support from her country.
“Yeah, I did feel that Panamanian embrace and all the country came together,” Edwards said. “And if it wasn’t for the quarantine, they were going to go out and celebrate at Calle 50 (50th street), which is where celebrations go down, so people were very excited. It makes me really happy because you always need the support from your family, the support from your country, so it’s something that’s very motivating for me.”
Edwards admits she felt the UFC jitters but says they kicked in late, as she was feeling well all throughout fight week and before stepping in the cage.
“When the song started playing and I stared walking towards the octagon, that’s when the nerves kicked in, because before that in the locker room, I was sleeping two hours before the fight,” Edwards said. “So I woke up, I began warming up, and then I get called and they put the camera on me. I didn’t get nervous because of the camera, but that’s when it set in, ‘OK, I’m going to fight,’ and that’s when the nerves started.
“I had never been so nervous for a fight like on Jan. 16, but I feel like your fighting and debuting in the UFC – the No. 1 promotion in the world – it was obvious that the nerves were going to kick in.”
Check out the full interview with Edwards in the video below.
Joselyne Edwards: It was ‘very beautiful’ to become first Panamanian to win in the UFC
