“I’m really happy with my performance tonight. Actually, I’m really happy with my performance this year. I think it was my best – no, I’m sure it was my best year in the UFC: Three wins in a row in a year, (and UFC 296) against Casey O’Neill, she’s a great fighter and she already fought big names in the UFC, so I was definitely ready for a war. … I was expecting to win by KO, but I knew if I had the opportunity, I could submit her.
“I trained to finish her out. I knew she would feel my hand because I punch hard. All my opponents know that, and because of this, they always try to take me down. So I’ve been improving a lot in my grappling, and now I feel more comfortable to show my striking – to kick and knee and do everything, all the techniques I’ve been training. I’ve also been training my jiu jitsu. I didn’t show it in my last fight, but I worked really hard with all my team, so I knew I could (submit her).”
This story originally appeared on MMA Junkie