I'll see you that and raise you this.
brisbanetimes.com.au
UFC Vancouver: Bec Rawlings eyes top 15 ranking
Liam Ducey
Brisbane UFC strawweight Bec Rawlings was looking forward to a break following UFC Brisbane in March until she got a call she could not refuse.
Now, as she prepares to face the UFC's golden girl Paige VanZant on the main card of UFC Vancouver this Sunday, Rawlings (7-4, 2-1 UFC) hopes a victory will finally get her what she deserves – a ranking in the top 15 of the strawweight division.
Brisbane UFC fighter Bec Rawlings is returning to the ring early to take on Paige VanZant. Photo: Facebook
VanZant (6-2, 3-1 UFC) is one of the most popular fighters in the UFC, thanks to a massive promotional push in 2015 that had the promotion dubbed "The Sage and Paige Show" by long-time fans, with VanZant and teenage sensation Sage Northcutt both being used heavily in the brand marketing of the biggest MMA promotion in the world.
Although she suffered a brutal fifth round submission loss to top ranked challenger Rose Namajunas in her last fight, VanZant's stock may have actually gone up, as she showed she had the heart and determination to stay in the fight despite being completely outclassed on the feet and on the ground.
At 27, Rawlings is a veteran in the game, cutting her teeth on the Australian scene, challenging for an Invicta title before heading to the UFC, and while she was impressed with VanZant's heart, she doesn't think the 22-year-old runner-up of season 22 of
Dancing With The Stars has the skills to compete with her.
She does know, however, that VanZant is a draw, and a fight with her could mean big things – like, finally, a UFC ranking.
"I really liked this fight when they offered it to me and my mindset was I was only going to fight this early because it was Paige," she said.
"If it had have been another mediocre fight offered to me I might have turned it down so I could spend more time in Australia with my boys, but I felt like this was too much of a good opportunity to pass up.
"I'm looking forward to going out there and putting on a show and proving not just to the UFC, but to the media that do the rankings, that I should be ranked in the UFC, I'm looking forward to stealing her ranking.
"As a fighter, she's proved that she's tough, she's proved she can take a beating and she's durable, but if that's all I was known for I wouldn't be so proud of it, you know?" Rawlings said.
"She doesn't have that much of a skill set, she's lacking the skill set and she's very new to the sport.
"The UFC, they market people and they do a great job with grabbing peoples' attention and getting eyeballs on fights, whatever, so they obviously see something in Paige that they like and that's why they want to promote her.
"But they can't keep ignoring fighters like me, who go out there and knock people out or put on a good fight."
Rawlings is also renowned for her toughness, but she was almost too tough for her own good in her last fight, a three round decision victory over Seo Hee Ham in Brisbane.
After suffering stress fractures in her hip, Rawlings was unable to run for her entire training camp, causing her to gas badly in the last round.
She still won, effectively keeping Ham trapped against the cage, but the round was enough to draw the ire from UFC president Dana White, who took to Twitter to criticise fighters who played it safe directly after Rawlings' fight.
Rawlings was unaware of the criticism, but she had stern words for her boss.
"People can look from the outside in and assume they know things.
"It was pretty crazy that I was back fighting March 20, with two screws in my hip and a fight camp based on hitting pads and riding a bicycle, and I went out there and still put a whoopin' on someone for three rounds.
"I did what I had to do to fight and win, and that last round I was absolutely exhausted. If she's not good enough to get off the cage then that's her fault."
In contrast, Rawlings believes her latest camp, split between Brisbane and Alliance MMA in Chula Vista, California, has been the best of her life, and while she was once contemplating moving to the US permanently, she now admits that's unlikely.
"It would make it easier for my career, I wouldn't have to travel so much and I wouldn't have to leave my two little boys back in Australia if I did move here but you know I love Australia, I really don't want to leave but if it comes to it I will.
"I need enough money to relocate me and my family over here, so I don't think it will happen anytime soon."
One thing she is excited about is the prospect of a 125-pound weight division being introduced, following what appeared to be a trial fight between Joanne Calderwood and Valerie Letourneau.
"I feel like a lot of girls in the strawweight division are killing themselves to make weight.
"There's a lot of bigger girls who would love to have the 125 division and I'm one of them, but until then we're stuck in the 115 division and busting our arses to make weight. I'm all for 125, I think it would be very successful if they bring it in.
"They've just introduced the women into the UFC which was a big jump for them, a big risk, and they've opened a lot of doors for women in the sport so I'm sure they're wary about throwing in too many divisions too soon in case they fail.
"The UFC are smart and there's a reason they do everything they do."
The main card of UFC Vancouver, headlined by a classic striker versus grappler matchup between welterweights Carlos Condit and Demian Maia, starts at 10am AEST on Fox Sports.
