Casey O’Neill won’t be deterred after suffering her second consecutive loss at UFC 296.
O’Neill (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) was submitted by Ariane Lipski in the second round this past Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. Once a highly touted undefeated flyweight, O’Neill finds herself in a rough spot after back-to-back losses to Jennifer Maia and Lipski.
She took to Instagram to address the loss, insisting that she’s still a top 125-pound fighter.
“I am heartbroken, confused, disappointed. I didn’t get a chance to show you guys who I can be.
“Props to Ariane for catching me early and capitalizing.
“I will be back as soon as possible, we keep pushing.”
Lipski dropped O’Neill with a big right hand at the start of Round 2 which lead to the fight-ending sequence. “The Queen of Violence” chased O’Neill to the ground and eventually transitioned to a nasty armbar to secure the finish. But O’Neill revealed that Lipski caught her early in the fight and she was never able to properly recover.
“I gave everything to this camp,” O’Neill said in her statement. “I looked amazing in the gym, I was sparring so well. Then in the fight, I get caught early in the first and had to fight on autopilot the whole fight. It sucks. I don’t know why I couldn’t do what I have been doing everyday.
“I am one of the best in the world and last night I did not prove that. Two losses is a hard swallow. So where do I go from here? I can’t quit. I’m not a coward. So we have to move forward. Thank you for all the support. I will figure it out and be back soon.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 296.