Jasmine Jasudavicius had to plead for a spot on UFC 297 and then practically had to beg to stay on the card.
Jasudavicius is from St. Catharines, Ontario, which is just an hour and a half away from Toronto. So, the flyweight contender really wanted a spot on the UFC 297 lineup and got her wish as she was the final fight added to the event.
“I definitely felt the pressure of fighting at home but the pressure is a perspective, I can either use that to fuel me or crumble me. I chose to use it to fuel me and look at the pressure as fuel. When I was in the hard rounds in camp and I could quit, I would keep going remembering the fight is at home and not wanting to cheat anything going into this fight,” Jasudavicius said to BJPENN.com.
Jasmine Jasudavicius ended up getting matched up against Priscila Cachoeira, who has struggled to make 125lbs in the past. Heading into the fight, Jasudavicius knew the Brazilian would likely miss weight or have something go wrong, but what happened was worse than what she expected.
Jasudavicius was informed on Thursday afternoon that Cachoeira wouldn’t make weight. After that, came hours of negotiations to keep the fight on as the Ontario Commission was ready to scrap the bout.
“When I signed to fight her I was anticipating her to miss weight. I didn’t think it would be such a large weight miss, so I didn’t think it would be that much, or I thought she’d pull out on late notice. I expected some adversity going into this fight… So, I got call the afternoon before weigh-ins from the matchmakers and they told me she wasn’t going to make weight, and asked what I wanted to do. My coaches went out for lunch and while they were there they decided on a 130-catchweight. I went and checked my weight, I was already 130, so I said I’d stay here,” Jasudavicius said.
“An hour later I got a message and they said we are going to do 132 now. I said ‘Okay, sounds good.’ I go down to the nutritionist and he’s given me food to eat because now I have to get to 132, so I ate a little bit of food. Then, at like 7 p.m., it was changed to 135. We were worried if we made 132 and if she still missed the Ontario Commission would cut the fight, because the Ontario Commission is very strict. We knew she could make 135lbs, so we decided on 135lbs and it pissed me off,” Jasudavicius continued.
Despite the Cachoeira technically making weight, Jasudavicius still got 30% of her purse. She also used her anger against Cachoeira and dominated the Brazilian en route to a third-round submission. Jasudavicius outstruck the Brazilian 326-to-26 but was stunned by how durable she was.
“She was just too tough for her own good. I thought I gave her an out when I tried to sub in the second round but she wouldn’t quit. She kept moving, and she’s called the Zombie Girl for a reason,” Jasudavicius said.
With the win, Jasmine Jasudavicius isn’t sure what is next for her but does hope a ranked opponent is next.
“I’m looking forward to continuing off this momentum. I know my coaches and the UFC are talking and have plans, but I’m just ready for whoever they give me,” Jasudavicius concluded.
