Athletes
JJ Aldrich: “I’m Looking To Get Another Finish This Weekend”
JJ Aldrich’s Unyielding Drive For Victory And The Pursuit Of A Dominant Finish This Weekend
The UFC women’s flyweight division just keeps getting better and better, and over the last four years, JJ Aldrich has toyed with making the leap to title contention.
It’s been a journey marked by determination and a relentless pursuit of success. It hasn’t been perfect, and that’s okay with Aldrich, as each step along the way has helped shape her into a better mixed martial artist. The evidence of her evolution was on display just over a month ago, when she knocked out Liang Na at UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs The Korean Zombie.
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Her success in Singapore prompted her to jump at a short notice opportunity against Montana De La Rosa on this weekend’s UFC Fight Night: Dawson vs Green card
"If I were to ever take a short notice fight, I feel like now would be the time," Aldrich told UFC.com. "My last fight was a good win, and I came out uninjured. My weight didn't bounce up super high, I was back in the gym, and I have teammates training. I gotta be there for them, so it was the perfect time. They called, and it felt like the right answer."
For many fighters, taking a fight on short notice can be a daunting prospect. However, for Aldrich, it was about instinct.
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Aldrich had been offered short notice fights before and, for whatever reason, the opportunity didn’t feel right and there were a myriad of factors that played into that feeling. How is her weight? Has she been training? Who is the opponent?
But in the case of facing De La Rosa this weekend, it was all systems go once she got the call.
A big reason for that is her recent victory, which marked her first finish win in the UFC. The result gave Aldrich a new level of confidence, one that she knows she’ll feel in the UFC APEX on Saturday.
"It felt really good," Aldrich said. "I was on a two-fight losing streak, I have never been on a two-fight losing streak ever in my entire career, so I wanted to come back in a big way, flew across the world and did it, so I was super excited. The trip was super fun.
"I think it’s just belief in myself," she continues. "I know I have the ability to do it; I just have to go out there and do it sometimes. I think my biggest enemy is always myself in there, so I think just getting past that and proving to myself that I can do it is a lot, and it’s only gonna give me the confidence going forward in my career and to get better."
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Aldrich knows that the short notice assignment against a veteran like De La Rosa won’t be easy. She found that out earlier in her career when the two flyweights trained together. Those sessions add a unique dimension to this fight, but she expects that their familiarity with one another won’t be a major factor in the fight.
What will matter is how she handles the moment and how she can implement her striking game while stifling the high-level grappling of De La Rosa.
JJ Aldrich Gets TKO Finish In Singapore | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs The Korean Zombie
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JJ Aldrich Gets TKO Finish In Singapore | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs The Korean Zombie
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“You know she’s had a great career, and we’ve had the opportunity to train together before, so we’re both pretty familiar with each other," Aldrich explained. "She’s a great fighter, and I’m really excited for the opportunity and the challenge. I’ve never fought someone I’ve trained with before, so it’s a different feeling, but there's also a sense of calmness to it.
"You know I think I can really win the fight anywhere; I know she’s a really good wrestler, but I feel strong in the clinch against her, my striking is really good, and my jiu jitsu’s really good, too, so I think I can win the fight anywhere; I KNOW I can win the fight anywhere."
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Getting two wins in such a short span would be a huge deal for Aldrich, who felt like she needed to find her footing before her knockout victory at the end of August. Beating De La Rosa could put her in a great position to get right back to contention and show just how resilient she is once that Octagon door shuts.
"Yeah, fighting is the biggest roller coaster - the biggest highs, the biggest lows, and winning is everything to me," Aldrich passionately declared. "I’m looking to get another finish this weekend."
UFC Fight Night: Dawson vs Green took place live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 7, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!