LAS VEGAS – Ivana Petrovic wasn’t thrilled with her performance at UFC on ESPN 55, despite getting a finish of Na Liang.
Petrovic (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC)) was largely dominant en route to a third-round submission of Liang (19-8 MMA, 0-4 UFC) on Saturday in their women’s flyweight bout at the UFC Apex, but it didn’t quite meet her personal standards.
“I’m not so happy with my performance,” Petrovic told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at UFC on ESPN 55. “I wanted to strike but I changed my plan because I saw how much better I was on the ground, and got the finish.
“She got tired, and like always, I’m getting better and better round after round. I’ve done five rounds before and I’m comfortable to do a lot of rounds.”
Although she didn’t produce the fight she wanted, Petrovic said there’s a lot of positives to take away. She felt strong and confident throughout the bout, and said she got the opposite energy from Liang, who made more mistakes and crumbled as time wore on.
“To be honest, it was easy,” Petrovic said. “I’m really calm in my fights. I can feel when someone is really nervous and when someone doesn’t want to be there. I could feel that she was really tired and she didn’t want to be there anymore. I knew the finish was going to be there.”
Following her first octagon victory, Petrovic said she would like to return when UFC returns to Paris later this year.
To hear more from Petrovic, check out her complete UFC on ESPN 55 post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 55.
Ivana Petrovic felt Na Liang ‘didn’t want to be there anymore’ ahead of UFC on ESPN 55 finish
