That ease of mind wasn’t always a natural state for Chiasson. In the past, she would run herself down for the sake of working hard, but in the last couple years, Chiasson has tweaked and refined her approach to the fight game. That means resting when her body needs it and remembering to find joy in the sport where it can be found.
So, when a calf injury knocked her out of the original February date against Vieira, she didn’t allow the setback to derail her. She worried, of course, because she desperately wanted to fight the Brazilian, who has been in and around the title picture for the better part of the decade, but once she healed, she just got back to work. When the matchup was officially rescheduled for May 31, she continued tightening everything in her game.
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“I just feel like there’s a maturity part of it that I’m leaning into now, that it is what it is,” she said “You continue to stay ready. You can’t control everything in the world. And it’s just picking and choosing what you’re deciding to worry about. Once you enter the Top 5, I don’t mind having extra time to chip away at the skills and add more tools to the toolbelt.”
One of the tools she continues to sharpen is her grappling. Chiasson profiled herself as a striker when she first entered the scene, but she credits wrestling coach Kyle Crutchmer as a big reason she feels more confident in her complete skillset. It has showed in the results, as well. In her first four UFC fights (including her TUF Finale winning bout), she didn’t land a single takedown. Since then, she has landed at least one in every bout, including a career-high six against Norma Dumont.
