Montana De La Rosa made a big career change ahead of her UFC Vegas 9 fight against Viviane Araujo.
For the majority of her career, Montana and her husband, Mark, were training in a small gym in Fort Worth, Texas. Yet, ahead of her UFC Vegas 9 fight, Montana decided she needed a change. That change was going to Colorado to train at Team Elevation.
“I am not sure yet if it will be a permanent move. I really like it but it is hard as I don’t have my family,” De La Rosa said to BJPENN.com. “It is nice to get out here by myself and focus on me and the fight.”
Originally, Montana De La Rosa was supposed to Maryna Moroz but Moroz pulled out. So, about three weeks ago, the UFC replaced Moroz with Araujo who lost her fight against Jennifer Maia earlier in August due to testing positive for COVID-19.
When De La Rosa found out she would be fighting a top-10 opponent she was thrilled and she also knows Araujo is beatable.
“Like three weeks before the fight but she has been training as she had a fight and got COVID-19. It was good they booked us because I was looking to fight someone higher-ranked,” she explained. “It is awesome for me. I was excited when they told me she would be the replacement. She was close to getting a title shot. I want to fight the best of the best.
“I’ve been watching her last couple of fights and against Eye, she made a lot of mistakes and is wild,” De La Rosa continued. “It will be different to prepare for but I am ready for anything.”
Entering the fight, Montana De La Rosa is the betting underdog but isn’t paying any attention to it. Instead, she knows how much she has improved since going to Team Elevation. She also expects to be able to push an even better pace.
Not only will her cardio be better, but she knows her striking has gotten better along with her already solid ground game. Putting all that together, De La Rosa believes she has what it takes to add another finish to her record.
“I’m always looking for the finish and I hope I can still get the finishes with these higher-level girls,” De La Rosa explained. “It is a different level but I believe I will hang with them and still be able to finish them.
“I’m always working on improving everywhere. I know she is going to be good on the ground as well. She will be hard to take down,” she continued. “I’ll be ready to stand with her. I just can’t rely on getting her to the mat. Hopefully, I can get a few takedowns and get a dominant win whether it be a knockout or a submission. I just plan on showcasing everything I have.”
If Montana De La Rosa can beat the eighth-ranked flyweight, she believes she’d be only a win or two from getting a title shot.
“I am just hoping to be top-10 after this one. With a win over her, I think I am one or two more away from getting a title shot,” Montana De La Rosa concluded.
Do you think Montana De La Rosa will beat Viviane Aruaji at UFC Vegas 9?