Coming off a unanimous decision win over Kaitlyn Young at Invicta FC 36 in August of 2019 for the promotion’s featherweight championship, Pam Sorenson was riding high and looking to continue her success when things didn’t work out as she would have hoped.
A series of issues along with the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic saw Sorenson forced to sit out two years from MMA only to more recently finally get back to it.
“It’s been a struggle for the last couple years,” Sorenson told MMAWeekly.com. “After my last fight I competed in the kickboxing world championships, so I haven’t been completely stagnant the last two years.
“Unfortunately during the pandemic I was kind of battling health issues, had surgery, then got back into the gym. It’s been a challenging process in Minnesota, but now that we’re back open I’ve had a really good training camp.”
While she’s entirely not sure what the 2021 version of her MMA game will look like, Sorenson does have a very specific goal for how she wants to carry herself in bouts moving forward.
“My hope is I’m still a calm, composed fighter, but maybe with a little more sense of urgency,” said Sorenson. “When I was an amateur I had a lot of finishes, but now as a pro I’ve only had a couple. I want to go back in there and fight with a little less caution and start finishing fights again.”
This Friday in Uncasville, Connecticut, Sorenson (8-3) is looking to announce her presence with authority when she faces Roberta Paim Samad (5-1) in a 145-pound preliminary bout at Bellator 264.
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“Especially with this being my Bellator debut I want to go out there and be like here I am, the featherweight division, I’m here and here to stay, and I’m going to be a force to be reckoned with,” Sorenson said.
“I don’t know too much about Roberta. I’ve met her before, but I’ve only found a couple of her fights online. I think she’s going to be a little bit bigger than me and has more of a bully style, but I’m not one to be bullied. I have a more technical style and I think that’s going to make a huge difference in the fight.”
For the immediate future Sorenson wants to establish herself in Bellator, then after she gets settled she wants to aim for a match-up she’s been looking to get for a while.
“I’d like to say I’d let things play out, but I’m really hoping I can get back in there one more time this year,” said Sorenson. “I want to stay busy. The past two years haven’t been super active. I want to get in there. I’m not getting any younger. I want to get in there and prove I’m the best.
“Cyborg (Justino) has always been on my radar. I’ve always wanted to fight her. She says she wants to fight me. So I’m definitely hoping I can have a couple of fights and then I’ll be seeing her in the cage sometime soon.”
Pam Sorenson looking to show she’s a force to be reckoned with in Bellator MMA debut