Saturday night on the main card of UFC 271, one of the pioneers of women’s MMA will be making the walk for the final time. That fighter is “The Happy Warrior” Roxanne Modafferi (25-19). Modafferi will be taking on arguably the top prospect in any women’s division in Casey O’Neill (8-0).
It has been some career for The Happy Warrior. After spending most of her early career on the regional circuit, she was introduced to the UFC via The Ultimate Fighter season 18. It was the first season to feature women and Modafferi picked up a win during the season.
After falling short in the tournament, she faced off against Raquel Pennington at the finale. She lost that fight and went to Invicta FC. After a solid stretch, she found herself in the TUF house again on season 26. She made it all the way to the finals and challenged for the inaugural UFC flyweight title.
She came up short that night but has gone on to have a very solid career with the UFC. Highlighted by wins over Maycee Barber, Antonina Shevchenko, and Andrea Lee. Now, she will be making the walk for the final time when she takes on “King” Casey.
Casey O’Neill – UFC 271 Spoiler
You’d be hard-pressed to find a better prospect in the UFC’s women’s divisions than Casey O’Neill. O’Neill is a dominant fighter who has finished all three of her UFC fights. Out of her eight professional wins, she has five finishes.
She is going to be looking to play the spoiler on Saturday night. It’s a really tough draw for Modafferi, but if you know anything about her career, you know that she wouldn’t have it any other way. While O’Neill certainly respects The Happy Warrior, she’s looking to dominate like she has been.
It’s no surprise that she’s such a big betting favorite on Saturday night. If she runs through Modafferi, she’s going to vault up the rankings and start challenging the division’s best. It’s a tale of two stories on Saturday night. Either Casey O’Neill makes a massive statement or Roxanne Modafferi shocks the world and rides off. Should be a fun one at UFC 271.