HOUSTON – Casey O’Neill has no intention of being used to give Roxanne Modafferi a fairytale career end at UFC 271.
Much of the talk going into Saturday’s women’s flyweight matchup centers around Modafferi (25-19 MMA, 4-7 UFC) ending her career with one last fight. There’s been much praise for what she’s done in MMA over 20 years, and how it will be capped off by the clash with O’Neill (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC).
O’Neill is no slouch, however, and is one of the most highly touted prospects in the sport. She doesn’t intend to give Modafferi any room to breathe on fight night.
“I don’t care (about her retirement),” O’Neill told MMA Junkie and other reporters at UFC 271 media day. “It doesn’t change anything for me. My career goes on the same. This is just another step in my journey and what she does is on her. So I’m taking it nothing different than the rest of my fights.”
O’Neill, who meets Modafferi on the ESPN-televised prelims at Toyota Center following early prelims on ESPN+ and prior to the pay-per-view main card, said she views the matchup as a “passing of the guard” moment, and intends to show she’s the future of the weight class.
Fighting on a numbered event in a bout with a heightened spotlight is what O’Neill relishes, she said, and the Aussie intends on making the most of it.
“Every fight feels like the biggest fight of my career,” O’Neill said. “This is what I dreamed of when I signed in the UFC was to be in front of that big crowd.”
Casey O’Neill aims to spoil Roxanne Modafferi’s retirement, force ‘passing of the guard’ at UFC 271
