MONTREAL – After previously stating that a win over Randa Markos at UFC 186 wouldn’t “do much” for her career, Aisling Daly has changed her tune.
In fact, Daly (15-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC) now thinks a victory over Markos (4-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will put her in title contention, if not get her an immediate shot at UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
“Things have changed since I made that comment because the division has changed,” Daly told MMAjunkie. “Potentially, I think a dominant win over Randa could really put me high up there in title contention. There’s nobody that’s shown to be really dominant in the division.
“I feel the division is wide open, and everybody is just one or two dominant performances away from fighting for a title themselves.”
Daly was originally scheduled to compete at UFC Fight Night 64, the UFC’s debut event in Poland, which took place earlier this month. She was matched against top 115-pound contender Claudia Gadelha in a bout with significant implications for the weight class.
Unfortunately, Gadelha was forced out of the contest due to injury, so Daly was shifted to the bout with Markos at UFC 186. The fight streams on the UFC Fight Pass portion of the preliminary card prior to the FOX Sports 1 prelims and pay-per-view main card at Montreal’s Bell Centre.
Every fighter copes differently with a change in opponent. For Daly, she said it wasn’t much of an issue because Gadelha and Markos have relatable fighting styles.
“I think Claudia and Randa have similar attributes in term of they’re both kind of wrestlers,” Daly said. “I didn’t change much. I tend to focus on what I’m doing, anyway, rather than what my opponent is doing. It didn’t really bother me at all, the opponent change, to be honest.”
Beyond the similarities in style, Daly said she’s far more aware of what Markos brings to the table. Both fighters were contestants on “The Ultimate Fighter 20″ reality show and even shared the same team throughout the season. That means they’ve trained together on multiple occasions.
Aisling Daly, title contender? Irish fighter believes UFC 186 will get her in position | MMAjunkie
