Macy Chiasson had a weekend to remember.
After a long, 12-week training camp, Chiasson cut down to fight in the bantamweight division, which will be her home from now on. In her bantamweight debut, which was the second fight on the UFC 235 bill, she looked like a force to be reckoned with, as she scored a quick knockout win over Gina Mazany.
For Chiasson, this bantamweight debut was about as perfect as it could have been.
“It couldn’t have gone any better but we are always looking for improvements and going about ways to get better,” Chiasson told BJPENN.com. “I got hit twice in that fight pretty well so we would rather not get hit. That is the thing about my camp and I, is that we always want perfection and always want to improve.”
Part of the reason why the fight went so well is the fact that Chiasson and her head coach, Sayif Saud, really studied Mazany. They knew what to expect when she got into the Octagon and just followed the game plan.
“We prepared for her and studied her fights very well,” Chiasson explained. “We noticed she did one or two things. She was either going to float back to the cage because she doesn’t like the pressure, or she was going to engage. As soon as the fight started I realized she wanted to be more of a distance fighter. Coach Sayif said clinch her and as soon as you break stay with her. That was perfect to plan to be there.”
Following the fight, as Chiasson was walking backstage, she got word that UFC President Dana White wanted to talk to her, and apparently, he has big plans for her.
“Right after the fight one of the PR girls were like ‘hey, Dana wants to see you.’ I was like oh my gosh like it was right after I had walked into the back,” she said. “So I walk in there and he had the biggest smile on his face. I just couldn’t help but smile with him. He is such a loveable guy. Every time I have seen him or talked to him I have had a good experience. He is looking for a quick turnaround. Dana can tell all the hard work and the time and effort and that is what he wants. He wants people who want to fight and are hungry, which is pretty much what he said. He said we would talk soon.”
Macy Chiasson left the conversation feeling good about where she stands in the division, but the work doesn’t stop here. Chiasson will be back in the gym soon and is hoping to get another fight booked soon.
“We are looking for a quick turnaround. We are hungry and I enjoy staying active. I have fought like five, six times since May,” she said. “We are just looking for improvements. I love taking a week off, just relaxing spending time with my family and friends. Then just going right back to it because we don’t want to see any of those numbers go down. We just want to put in work.”
Ultimately, after many doubts of how she would feel, Chiasson says she feels better at 135 than she did in the 145-pound featherweight division. Now that she is ranked, her coach in Sayif Saud knows she will be a force to be reckoned with.
“The proof is in the pudding, Macy is stronger and faster at this weight,” Saud told BJPENN.com. “She had more energy at this weight than at 145 and her weight cut was easier. I’m a big fan of people in general weighing less. There are way more fights for her at 135, and not only is there more fights, but she belongs at 135.”
Macy Chiasson echos her coach’s sentiment.
“135 is just such a good weight for me. I feel optimal as an athlete at 135,” she said. “I feel faster, getting stronger and look better, I know from here on it, it will only get better.”
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 3/7/2019