Gabriella Fernandez won one of 2024’s most shocking victories when he rocked and suffocated the -950 favorite king Kong in the territory of the UFC Macau. Finally, he was healed from injuries to both hands and her left foot, before “Gabi” reentered the cage on Saturday to face Julija Strialianko at UFC Vegas 109.
Fernandez had hoped to compete with someone who ranked high in the flyweight division after giving the King the only loss of his previous MMA career, but admitted he didn’t feel like asking for anything at this point.
Stoliarenko is 2-6 in the UFC and has not fought since halting Luana Carolina in February 2024.
“(Stoliarenko) agreed (to the battle), but I won’t discuss that,” Fernandez told MMA Fighting. “In fact, I don’t choose an opponent. When I reach the rankings, I will discuss and see which battles are more interesting to continue climbing. But I have to go through this until I get there.”
Despite hoping for a bigger matchup, Fernandez looks back at the UFC’s debut against Jasmine Jasdavicius to remind everyone that they have their ups and downs.
“I don’t think I can say ‘No’ to (UFC),” Fernandez said. “I accept the challenge. It’s sports. We’re challenged here. Everyone in the UFC has a reason. There’s no easy fight.
“I’ve always been underestimated, so no one underestimates it,” she continued. “When I started fighting, people didn’t believe that one day they would reach the UFC. No one believed that I had the discipline to continue training. When I started, I was too old.
Fernandez is an odds-on favorite this time, but “I lost an early stage in my career and learned from it,” so “I don’t absorb this type of pressure.”
“I know I’m my favorite right now because I’m here to win, but I don’t think, ‘Oh, I have to win this,'” Fernandez said. “In my head, it’s another challenge I have to go through this Saturday. First off, I have to be patient. She is a grappler and goes for submission. She likes to prefer the jiu-jitsu game and arms.
Stoliarenko scored 10 points out of 11 MMA wins via Armbar. Seven of them are less than a minute and Fernandes knows they can’t make mistakes in the area.
“It happened before,” Fernandez said with a laugh. “I fought against the black belt and protected so many takedowns and ground and pounds from the top position. boomI saw the opportunity and got a tap. I’m submitting it too, but first I get a knockdown and then I’m surprised (on the ground). It’s an MMA, it’s a surprise and you can use many weapons. ”