UFC contender Sarah Kaufman calls for fight with Amanda Nunes
Timing can go your way in a fight career, but it can just as easily work against you, as Sarah Kaufman has found out since the UFC opened women’s divisions.
After several missed opportunities, the former Strikeforce champion is adamant about not losing any more time on her quest to become champion once again.
“The more you wait, the longer the next fight is,†Kaufman told MMAjunkie Radio. “I want to get in as many fights in this year as possible.â€
Now, the question is whether her promoter is on the same page. Kaufman remains unsure of her next booking despite several requests to serve as a replacement on upcoming cards. After recently volunteering to replace the injured Julianna Pena in a bout opposite Jessica Andrade at UFC 171, she was was told she was not in the running as a fill-in.
The same can’t be said for Jessica Eye, who recently had her split decision over Kaufman at UFC 166 overturned when she tested positive for a banned substance. Despite a probationary suspension, Eye will fight Alexis Davis at UFC 170.
Kaufman learned of Eye’s suspension on the Internet and wishes she’d known sooner so she might have been able to lobby for a chance to redeem herself from her previous fight.
“I read something that said Jessica has been dealing with this for the last few months, and to me, I was considered as having a loss,†she said. “So to have it a no-contest, potentially I could have had a fight much sooner than this.
“It’s a big what-if game, but I would have liked to have known when she found out, because she’s had all this time to deal with it and still get a fight going, whereas I’ve been waiting in limbo here.â€
And so, Kaufman, who four years ago lost her belt to Marloes Coenen, is taking matters into her own hands, preparing to start a training camp for a presumed booking latter this year, but not later than May. To wait longer than that, she said, would be to slide further back as an able opponent and remove her further from the minds of both supporters and critics.
“I would assume they want to use me in Canada, so hopefully I can get on [The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale],†she said. “Whatever card I can get onto, I just want to fight. I don’t want to be sitting on the sidelines. I don’t want to be talking with Internet warriors about if I’m good or not good. I want to say it in the cage and have it be enough said.â€
Kaufman even has an opponent in mind if the UFC is looking for ideas as to whom she fights next.
“At this point, I think Amanda Nunes would be an amazing fight,†she said. “We’re both pretty aggressive; we both like to throw down. At the end of the day, we’re both very hungry to prove ourselves in the division.
“Amanda has won her first two fights, and this would be her third, so I think she really wants to step up and get up to that top echelon. To me, that’s a great fight. The fans would love it, I would love it, I think she would love it, and I think the UFC would be very happy with the result.â€
So far, Kaufman admits she hasn’t put the best foot forward when it comes to wowing the promotion. After UFC parent Zuffa purchased the now-defunct Strikeforce in 2011, she stood poised to make a major statement by halting the rise of now-UFC champ Ronda Rousey when they met in August 2012. Instead, she was another victim of Rousey’s vaunted armbar.
“It was bad timing on my part, and it’s just been like that since that fight,†she said.
Kaufman (16-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) said she took a fight in the upstart Invicta FC when the UFC was just getting up and running with the women’s bantamweight division. She said that decision delayed her octagon debut, allowing other female fighters to gain ground. Then came her loss to Eye, which she still contends she won but shouldn’t have let go to the judges’ scorecards.
Despite her setback, Kaufman owns wins over top-10 fighters Miesha Tate, Liz Carmouche and Alexis Davis. In the UFC’s official rankings, she stands at No. 5.
And yet, she is in the position of rebuilding her standing among 135-pound female fighters. Nunes (9-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who’s stopped Germaine de Randamie and Shiela Gaff in her past two outings, stands out as the best opponent to do so.
When she gets back into the cage, Kaufman hopes timing will be on her side for a breakout performance.
