While she picked up a rather clearcut decision over fellow vet Pam Sorensen at Friday’s Bellator 271, Arlene Blencowe admits she wasn’t exactly thrilled with her performance. That said, “Angerfist” admits she’s always expecting the best from herself when she steps in the cage.
“I am definitely my own worst critic,” Blencowe told reporters, including MMA Junkie, following the event. “It wasn’t the performance that we’d trained for or I was hoping for, but you know, at the end of the day, I walked away with a win.”
A competent striker, Blencowe (15-8 MMA, 8-4 BMMA prides herself on being a well-rounded fighter. While her takedown defense was effective in the matchup, Blencowe admits she was hoping to utilize more kicks in the contest but ended up going boxing-heavy with punches after some early success.
The Australian contender had instead wanted to land a knockout that would honor her Jackson Wink MMA training partner, Holly Holm.
“I was really hoping to land a left high head kick and do a famous Holly knockout,” Blencowe said. “But yeah, I just I think I felt my first right hand land, and then I sort of just went head hunting with my hands.”
With the result, Blencowe now stands at 5-1 in her past six appearances, with the lone loss in that span coming to reigning champion Cris Cyborg. She’s in the top slot of Bellator’s official women’s featherweight rankings, and she knows that means big fights lie on the horizon.
“I’m the No. 1 in the division,” Blencowe said. “There’s only up from here, but obviously knowing that I’m in that position, there’s going to be girls calling me out – and there have been a few lately that have called me out, so bring it. I’ll fight anyone. I love to fight.”
And perhaps most importantly, Blencowe wants to make it clear that her love for fighting isn’t going away anytime soon. At 38, she said her age has become a constant topic in pre-fight interviews, but she doesn’t want to hear any of it moving forward.
Instead, she’s adopting a bit of Mike Winkeljohn’s perspective on aging in the sport of MMA.
“Do you know how many times this week in interviews my age was mentioned?” Blencowe asked. “I’m like, ‘All right, I’m 38.’ As Coach Wink says, ‘Old guys rule.’ Well, old girls rule, too. Yeah, and so retirement is no where near on the horizon.”
Bellator 271 took place Friday at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. To see the full interview with Blencowe, check out the video above.
Bellator 271 winner Arlene Blencowe shoots down persistent retirement talk: ‘Old girls rule’
